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The prohibition on transgender individuals serving in the U.S. military "continually should be reviewed," Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Sunday. Hagel did not indicate whether he believes the policy should be overturned. However, he said "every qualified American who wants to serve our country should have an opportunity if they fit the qualifications and can do it." A transgender individual is someone who has acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or presents themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth. A panel convened by a think tank at San Francisco State University...

In remarks today, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said U.S. global military dominance can “no longer be taken for granted.” He said this even as he was in the process of announcing that the Obama administration plans to shrink the United States Army to its smallest force since before the World War II buildup. (For context, the Army will go from a post-September 11 peak of 570,000 to between 440,000 and 450,000, the smallest Army since 1940.) Max Boot does an excellent job laying out the problems with this proposal here and here. I’d simply add that the fact that...

Hagel holds press briefing to discuss defense budget

The Pentagon on Wednesday relaxed its rules governing the religious apparel and facial hair that troops can wear or maintain while in uniform, permitting in some cases tattoos, body piercings and other religious items.  The Defense Department issued the changes via a directive Wednesday afternoon. As part of the military's changing approach to making religious accommodations, the new policy will allow service members to sport different kinds of religious garb and hairstyles so long as they don't have an "adverse effect on military readiness, mission accomplishment, unit cohesion, and good order and discipline."  The changes create several new categories, besides...

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel warned on Monday that U.S. troops are “close to the breaking point,” after many deployments — and Congress risks worsening the situation if it doesn’t help the Pentagon with its budget. “Our people are strong and resilient after 12 years of war, but they are under stress — and so are the institutions that support them,” Hagel told the Veterans of Foreign Wars at the group’s annual convention in Louisville, Ky. “Last week at Fort Bragg’s Soldier and Family Assistance Center, I met a first sergeant who told me that in Afghanistan, he froze up and...

Hours after the Supreme Court ruling, the Pentagon announced that it would move to quickly extend all benefits given to opposite sex spouses to same-sex couples including medical, dental and housing allowances. Defense officials also said that same sex spouses would have the same rights to be buried alongside war veterans buried at Arlington National Cemetery. “The Department of Defense, will move very swiftly, expeditiously, on implementing the law, the decision of the Supreme Court,” said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. “We think it’s the right decision, and we’re looking forward to taking that decision and implementing the required next steps.”...

(CNSNews.com) - Why shouldn't women in the military have the same opportunities as men do? Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel asked on Thursday. It's not a matter of lowering standards, he said. In remarks at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, Hagel was asked how he feels about putting females on the front lines of combat -- "based on our social background of men being the protectors of women," as the questioner put it. Hagel's reponse: First, I think everyone understands, and this is the right thing, we can't lower standards. We have high standards. We should have high standards. Our...

By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON | Tue Feb 26, 2013 5:47pm EST (Reuters) - The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Chuck Hagel as President Barack Obama's new secretary of defense, ending an unusually acrimonious confirmation fight. The Senate voted 58-41 to confirm the former Republican senator as the civilian leader of the Pentagon in a largely party line vote. Just four Republicans joined the Democrats and independents in support of Hagel's nomination. The Senate had voted earlier on Tuesday to end debate and move forward, almost two weeks after Republicans launched a filibuster to block Hagel's nomination. It was the first time...

Senator Roy Blunt indicated Wednesday that there are enough votes in the Senate to delay the Hagel confirmation.

See Video of Levin Statement at: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/21134540/vp/50784625#50784625

February 11, 2013 2:47 PM Inhofe to ‘Postpone’ Hagel Vote By Robert Costa Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee, tells National Review Online that he will “postpone” the nomination of Chuck Hagel, President Obama’s nominee for secretary of defense. “I’ll do that for as long as it takes,” he says, firmly. “I’m going to make sure there is a 60-vote margin.” “Hagel may be passed out of the committee, but it’s going to be a long, long time before he hits the floor,” Inhofe says. “We’re going to need as much time as...

Just days before he leaves office, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is recommending military pay be limited, effectively decreasing troop salaries next year. Panetta will recommend to Congress that military salaries be limited to a 1% increase in 2014. The Pentagon has calculated that the Labor Department's 2014 Employment Cost Index is expected to be above 1% but wants to still cut back on pay because of "budget uncertainties," a department official told CNN. In 2013, a 1.7% increase was approved, based on the index, which has been the basis for military pay for the last several years. Three Pentagon officials...

Surprised they didn't opt for the Inquisition analogy . . . On Chris Hayes's MSNBC show this morning, Ali Gharib, editor of the "Open Zion" blog at the Daily Beast, described the questioning of Chuck Hagel at his Senate confirmation hearing as "a Republican purge" and a "Maoist public shaming." Michael Hastings of the Rolling Stone begged to differ, finding it more reminiscent of "Stalin." View the video here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kzT6X3_Bg9o

On Monday, Dr. Jim Garrow, a renowned author and humanitarian who was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, sparked a firestorm of controversy when he wrote on Facebook that President Obama wants military leaders who will fire on U.S. citizens. In an exclusive interview with Examiner.com, Dr. Garrow said the man who told him this is a military hero who is known by everybody in the country. "I have just been informed by a former senior military leader that Obama is using a new 'litmus test' in determining who will stay and who must go in his military...

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday that whether they are male or female "everyone is entitled to a chance" to become a combat soldier in a military that will now adopt "gender netural" standards. “If members of our military can meet the qualifications for a job--and let me be clear, we’re not talking about reducing the qualifications for a job--if they can meet the qualifications for the job then they should have the right to serve,” Panetta said at a Pentagon press conference. The Defense Department announced today that it would rescind its 1994 policy restricting women

Panetta removes military ban on women in combat, opening thousands of front line positions.

We’ve spent plenty of time covering the litany of complaints being raised against Chuck Hagel’s nomination for SecDef based on various policy positions he’s taken or past comments he’s made. But now a different and less discussed – though already well known – aspect of his past is bubbling back to the surface. During the round of Sunday morning shows, Senator Bob Corker weighed in, asking whether Hagel has the proper temperament for an upper level management position. Raising concerns about former Sen. Chuck Hagel’s nomination as defense secretary, Sen. Bob Corker said Sunday the former Nebraska senator’s temperament should...

Media cult coverage to begin shortly.

So says Chuck Todd, underscoring the oddly pugnacious move today to nominate Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense. Republicans clearly oppose the move, and that eliminates any benefit of bipartisanship. If Democrats don't line up foursquare behind the pick, why make it at all?CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO Let's take that as a baseline. That presumes that Obama has 43 votes from his own party on Hagel in the bag --- hardly a rousing level of support for a Cabinet appointment, especially one as critical as Defense. Hagel would need eight votes from the GOP, a caucus which isn't...