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| US defence secretary Chuck Hagel 'to step down' | US defence secretary Chuck Hagel 'to step down' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Chuck Hagel will resign as US defence secretary after less than two years in the top US military post, US media report. | |
| Mr Hagel, 68, a Vietnam war veteran and former senator, became defence secretary in 2013. | Mr Hagel, 68, a Vietnam war veteran and former senator, became defence secretary in 2013. |
| He is reportedly stepping down amid a shift in US military strategy to fight Islamic State (IS), the New York Times first reported. | He is reportedly stepping down amid a shift in US military strategy to fight Islamic State (IS), the New York Times first reported. |
| He is expected to stay on as secretary until his successor is confirmed. | |
| Mr Obama is expected to announce his resignation later on Monday morning. | |
| An unnamed official told the Associated Press news agency that Mr Hagel and Mr Obama both "determined that it was time for new leadership in the Pentagon" and had been discussing the move for weeks. | |
| The New York Times reported that Mr Obama had asked Mr Hagel to step down after the defence secretary opened up discussions of his leaving. | |
| Mr Hagel, who served as Republican senator for his home state of Nebraska for 12 years, became critical of US involvement in Iraq despite voting to authorise the war. | |
| He replaced Leon Panetta as defence secretary in Mr Obama's second term, taking on the task of winding down the Afghanistan war and making a military shift towards Asia. | |
| But the future of US military policy has changed amid air strikes against IS in Iraq and Syria. | |
| "The next couple of years will demand a different kind of focus," an unnamed White House official told the New York Times. | |
| Mr Obama is not expected to announce a nominee to replace Mr Hagel on Monday. One named, the nominee would have to be confirmed by the Senate. |