Hagel, In First Day On Job, Warns Of Challenges Cuts Pose For The Military -- New York Times
WASHINGTON — After surviving a long and bruising Senate confirmation battle, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel started his first day at the Pentagon on Wednesday morning by warning that looming cuts in military spending were one of the biggest challenges facing the Defense Department, but that the United States must continue to “engage with the world.”
Mr. Hagel did not speak at length about the budget, but the cuts, he said, are coming. “We need to deal with this reality,” he told an audience in the Pentagon auditorium.
Hours after being sworn in as the 24th defense secretary, Mr. Hagel struck a folksy tone in the roomful of both military and civilian Defense Department employees, with some of the military’s top brass populating the front rows.
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More News On Chuck Hagels' First Day As U.S. Secretary Of Defense
Hagel Takes Office as 24th Defense Secretary -- US Department of Defense
Hagel Issues Message to Defense Department Workforce -- US Department of Defense
Hagel takes defense helm, ready to ‘turn the page on more than a decade of grinding conflict’ -- Washington Post/AP
As new defense secretary, Hagel tells troops: I’ll deal straight with you -- Washington Post
Hagel: Military faces challenges but is 'force for good' -- USA Today
Chuck Hagel At Pentagon: America Must Not 'Dictate' To The World -- Huffington Post/Reuters
New US Defense Chief: US Can't Dictate to the World -- Voice of America
Who’s the boss? Hagel bows to Pentagon staff after being sworn-in as defense secretary -- Washington Times
We Learned Everything About Hagel -- Except What Matters -- Jeffrey Goldberg, Bloomberg
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel’s First Day in Words and Images -- Moderate Voice