Showing posts with label Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. Show all posts

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Just a recognition of the obvious

January 31, 2015 Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel , Iraq 0 Comments
Hagel: Ground Troops May Be Needed In Iraq

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel
By Mandy Oaklander, Jan. 31, 2015, Time.com

Departing defense secretary Chuck Hagel said it’s possible the United States may need to send non-combat ground troops to Iraq to help deter the Islamic State.

Hagel, who resigned as Pentagon chief on Nov. 24, told CNN in an interview Friday that he thinks the deployment of American troops for intelligence-gathering and locating targets is a possibility, reportsReuters.

He said he wasn’t sure, however, that it would come to that. “I would say we’re not there yet,” he said. “Whether we get there or not, I don’t know.”

Rad the full story:  www.time.com

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Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Clear as mud...

October 28, 2014 Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel , Ebola 0 Comments
Fog of Ebola War: White House Stance Unclear As Military Leaders Urge US Troop Quarantine

By Fox News, Oct. 27, 2014, Foxnews.com

The White House would not say Monday whether President Obama thinks U.S. troops returning from the Ebola hot zone in West Africa should be quarantined, as the U.S. Army unilaterally imposed that policy on its own troops and the Joint Chiefs of Staff recommended the rest of the military follow suit.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel currently is considering the Joint Chiefs' recommendation to impose a mandatory 21-day quarantine for all returning troops. At Monday's daily briefing, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest acknowledged that Hagel might coordinate with the White House on that decision.

But when pressed by Fox News on what the president's position is, Earnest would not say.

"We will let the Department of Defense make an announcement," Earnest said. Asked how the U.S. could send troops to West Africa without a clear plan on procedures for leaving the Ebola battlefield, Earnest said: "We're going to let science drive that process."

The comments reflected the latest area of confusion in the ever-evolving U.S. response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Over the weekend, the White House put pressure on New Jersey and New York over policies quarantining returning health care workers. But it remains unclear where the White House -- and Hagel himself -- stands on applying that standard to returning U.S. service members.

Read the full story:  www.foxnews.com

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Thursday, June 12, 2014

Hagel: President Made The Final Call On Bergdahl --No dissent from staff? Apparently not...

June 12, 2014 Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel , Hostage Exchange 0 Comments


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Friday, April 25, 2014

US Troops Arrive In Poland For Exercises Across Eastern Europe Amid Ukraine Crisis

April 25, 2014 America's Eastern European , Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel 0 Comments
First company-sized contingent of about 150 U.S. paratroopers 
from the U.S. Army's 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team
based in Italy march as they arrive to participate in training exercises 
with the Polish army in Swidwin, northern west Poland 
April 23, 2014 (Reuters / Kacper Pempel)
Foxnews.com, Apr. 23, 2014

WASHINGTON – U.S. Army paratroopers are arriving in Poland on Wednesday as part of a wave of U.S. troops heading to shore up America's Eastern European allies in the face of Russian meddling in Ukraine.

Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said an initial contingent of about 600 troops will head to four countries across Eastern Europe for military exercises over the next month.

First, about 150 soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team based in Vicenza, Italy, are arriving in Poland.

Additional Army companies will head to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and are expected to arrive by Monday for similar land-based exercises in those countries.

The show of strength comes as the United States, European allies and Ukraine try to ease tensions with Russia and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. All sides struck a diplomatic agreement last week, but it remains unclear whether pro-Russian demonstrators, who took over a series of government buildings in the wake of Russia's annexation of Crimea, will back down.

Under the current plan, U.S. troops would rotate in and out of the four Eastern European countries for additional exercises on a recurring basis.

"We're looking at trying to keep this rotational presence persistent throughout the rest of this year," Kirby told reporters, adding that over time the exercises could expand to other countries.

The exercises are part of an effort announced last week by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel aimed at reassuring NATO allies of America's commitment to the region's defense.

Kirby said the U.S. will likely plan other exercises and will continue to work through NATO on joint measures that could be scheduled in the future.

Read the full story:  www.foxnews.com

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Saturday, April 19, 2014

WaPo: U.S. Ground Troops Going To Poland, Defense Minister Says --sobering events, indeed

April 19, 2014 Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel , Fred Hiatt 5 Comments

By Fred Hiatt, Apr. 18, 2014, The Washington Post

Poland and the United States will announce next week the deployment of U.S. ground forces to Poland as part of an expansion of NATO presence in Central and Eastern Europe in response to events in Ukraine. That was the word from Poland’s defense minister, Tomasz Siemoniak, who visited The Post Friday after meeting with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel at the Pentagon on Thursday.

Siemoniak said the decision has been made on a political level and that military planners are working out details. There will also be intensified cooperation in air defense, special forces, cyberdefense and other areas. Poland will play a leading regional role, “under U.S. patronage,” he said.

But the defense minister also said that any immediate NATO response to Russian aggression in Ukraine, while important, matter less than a long-term shift in the defense postures of Europe and America. The United States, having announced a “pivot” to Asia, needs to “re-pivot” to Europe, he said, and European countries that have cut back on defense spending need to reverse the trends.

“The idea until recently was that there were no more threats in Europe and no need for a U.S. presence in Europe any more,” Siemoniak said, speaking through an interpreter. “Events show that what is needed is a re-pivot, and that Europe was safe and secure because America was in Europe.”

Read the full story: www.washingtonpost.com

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