WASHINGTON, November 25 (Sputnik) – New US Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary needs to be better prepared to face the emerging international threats that the departing Pentagon head Chuck Hagel did not consider when he took office, White House press Secretary Josh Earnest has said during a press briefing.
"The priorities at the Department [of Defense], or of the new secretary have changed given changes in the international community," Earnest said Monday. "It doesn't mean that secretary Hagel hasn't done an excellent job of managing these crises as they've cropped up, but… another secretary might be better suited to meet those challenges."
Earnest said that when Secretary Hagel was nominated two years ago the threats such as the rise of Islamic State (IS) were not as eminent as they are now.
"At the top of the priority list was helping the Department of Defense adjust to some of the budgetary challenges that were facing that agency… those challenges aren't over but substantial progress has been made in making sure that our men and women in uniform have the resources that they need to carry out their mission even as these new challenges emerge," Earnest said.
US President Barack Obama and Hagel announced the current secretary's departure earlier on Monday, claiming that this was a mutual agreement.
The White House says that they have not yet chosen a new DOD secretary to replace the current Pentagon head, but that President Obama would choose someone who is worthy of the job soon while Hagel remains in office for the interim time. Hagel, a former senator, has served as defense secretary since February 2013.
