Guest Post: My one-on-one interview with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel

Dear Colleagues and Friends:

I am sending you the link to my opening introduction and a 45-minute interview with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.  It is interesting that recently Sec Hagel sent Egyptian Army commander in chief Al-Sisi a copy of Ron Chernow's Washington emphasizing the chapter on leaving office and thus securing democratic process.  

In the interview, we talk about sexual violence in the military, Hagel's thoughts on Syria, Iran, Russia, China, Israel, and other regional challenges, as well as the role of the Pentagon in the US foreign policy.  I ask what the "Hagel imprint" at the Pentagon will be -- and whether Obama has been lucky lately in foreign policy or whether there is some real skill involved given the promising tilts with Syria, Iran, and Israel-Palestine.  We discuss budget cuts, the sequester, and his internal relations with the admirals and generals who command the uniformed services.  One in a hundred Americans work for Chuck Hagel.

My conclusion is that Hagel's keep his head down style while just knocking off one challenge after another, over and over again, is similar to how he saw himself as a Sergeant in Vietnam, as President of the USO, and is consistent with his work as a US Senator. 

I hope you find the interview interesting.  

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/10/sergeant-chuck-hagel-still-a-talk-with-the-defense-secretary-after-7-months/280508/

All best,

Steve Clemons

@SCClemons twitter