SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAGEL MEETS WITH GULF LEADERS IN NEW YORK

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Hagel Meets with Lebanese President, Gulf Leaders in New York
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 2013 - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met in New York today with Lebanese President Michel Sleiman on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly and took part in a meeting of the U.S.-Gulf Cooperation Council Strategic Cooperation Forum, Pentagon Spokesman George Little said.

In a statement issued after the meeting, Little said Hagel joined Secretary of State John F. Kerry in meeting with the foreign ministers of the six-member GCC for the third iteration of the SCF, a consultative body formed in 2012 to enhance multilateral cooperation between the United States and the GCC on a range of common issues.

During the SCF, Little said "Secretary Hagel reiterated the United States' commitment to the region and underscored how collaborative approaches toward regional defense made the Middle East more secure and stable, a shared interest of the United States and the GCC."

Hagel, he said, detailed recent progress on several areas of defense cooperation, including the success of the May 2013 International Mine Countermeasures Exercise and multinational engagement on ballistic missile defense at the Gulf Combined Air Operations Center, while urging further collaboration in these defense initiatives. The SCF concluded with Secretary Kerry moderating a discussion on regional issues, including Syria, Iran, and Yemen, Little added.

Hagel also met with Lebanese President Sleiman "to affirm the strength of the U.S.-Lebanon partnership and our shared view of the importance of the Lebanese Armed Forces as Lebanon's sole legitimate defense force to Lebanon's stability and unity," Little said.

READOUT OF DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL'S MEETING WITH DENMARK'S MINISTER OF DEFENSE

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
Readout of Secretary Hagel's Meeting With Denmark's Minister of Defence Nicolai Wammen

           Pentagon Press Secretary George Little provided the following readout:


           "Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Danish Minister of Defence Nicolai Wammen met Wednesday at the Pentagon, reaffirming the two countries' strong defense relationship based upon shared approaches to defense and security issues, and pledging to continue to deepen military cooperation.


           "The two leaders highlighted the long friendship between the two nations' armed forces, as well as present-day cooperation in North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-led operations in Afghanistan, off the Horn of Africa, and cyber defense.  Secretary Hagel and Minister Wammen also discussed the ongoing violence in Syria and the situation in Egypt.


           "The leaders also discussed the developments in Afghanistan's national security forces' capability to address the country's own security challenges and the role of NATO post-2014.  Hagel and Wammen underscored their belief that the United States and Denmark should work to maintain and increase interoperability and implement lessons learned from operations in Afghanistan.  They both agreed on the importance of exploring new approaches to bilateral and multinational cooperation for the benefit of both nations and of NATO as a whole.


           "Hagel and Wammen discussed exchanging lessons learned in defense materiel and logistics.  They also discussed opportunities to cooperate on veterans' initiatives.  Hagel and Wammen agreed on the inauguration of annual policy-level staff discussions that would develop plans for cooperation in more detail.


           "Secretary Hagel expressed appreciation for Denmark's close partnership, and Minister Wammen invited Secretary Hagel to visit Denmark at his earliest convenience."

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAGEL TELLS CONGRESS HELPING OTHERS IS CRITICAL

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Hagel Tells Congress Friendship Is Worth Funding
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2013 - Spending defense money on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the United States and overseas is a critically important part of U.S. foreign policy that clearly in the national interest, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told Congress today.


Appearing before the Senate Budget Committee with Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hagel noted the National Guard, Army Reserve and Air Force Reserve, in particular, have resources devoted to aiding in disasters. Around the world, he added, U.S. defense funding for such programs will continue.

"We ... have had over the years a significant capacity to help countries during these disasters," Hagel said. "It's clearly in our interests around the world, and it's humanitarian. Where we can help, we will continue to help."

National security is the Defense Department's foremost mission, the secretary said. "But that unfolds into many areas," he added.

"When you're making friends around the world, when you're developing partners and allies, you're developing the next generation of global citizens who see America helping [them]," the secretary said. "I'd say that cuts right directly to the international interest and security of our country. And we can do that, and we have been doing it. We do it better probably than anybody does, in the military."

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAGEL LAYS WREATH AT HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL

 

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel places a wreath as Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon and Robert Ozzett, Yad Vashem’s director of libraries, watch at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, April 21, 2013. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

At Israel’s Holocaust Memorial, Hagel Lays a Wreath in Remembrance
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

JERUSALEM, April 21, 2013 – On the first afternoon of two days of talks with military and government officials here, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel toured Yad Vashem, Israel’s living memorial to the Holocaust, and in the Hall of Remembrance laid a wreath on a stone crypt containing ashes of Holocaust victims.

Hagel walked the solemn and evocative displays of the Holocaust History Museum with his son Ziller and Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, later calling the institution "important, inspirational and beautiful."

Yad Vashem was established in 1953 as the world center for documentation, research, education and commemoration of the Holocaust, Nazi Germany’s murder of 6 million Jews during World War II.

After Hagel’s visit to the museum, he participated in a memorial ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance, visited the Children’s Memorial and signed the Yad Vashem guest book.

Then, sheltered by the building from a steady rain, Hagel took a few moments to speak with reporters and museum guests.

Thanking those who have made the institution possible, the secretary said of Yad Vashem, "I’ve brought my son Ziller with me on this trip and I particularly wanted him to accompany me here for this experience."

Such institutions and museums are created as a tribute to generations of the past and in particular victims of the past, he said, "but maybe more importantly these institutions are built to instruct future generations."

The secretary added, "They come together at an intersection that is important for all of us as one dimension or responsibility for each person. There is no more poignant, more touching, more effective way to tell a story than this reality, as painful as it is."

"We must prepare future generations in our time here for a clear understanding that we must never allow this to happen again."

After Hagel signed the guestbook, he read his inscription to the audience.

"For my friends of Israel," the secretary read, "thank you for this magnificent institution, reminding all mankind of the depths of evil but also the promise and hope and courage of man -- a beautiful and important tribute to those victims of the past and an instruction and reminder for the generations of the future. [Signed,] your friend, Chuck Hagel, United States secretary of defense."

Today’s visit was part of a 6-day trip to the Middle East, Hagel’s first as defense secretary. He will make stops in Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates before returning to the United States April 26.

DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL ADDRESSES PENTAGON EMPLOYEES AND SERVICE MEMBERS

New Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel addresses Pentagon employees and service members during an all-hands call during his first day at the Pentagon, Feb. 27, 2013. Hagel earlier took the oath of office to serve as the 24th defense secretary. DOD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENTOF DEFENSE
Hagel Vows to Ensure Well-being of Service Members, Families
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2013 - New Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel promised today to always be frank with the men and women of the department and said he expects all to be direct in return.

Hagel spoke to the Pentagon workforce and a worldwide audience on the Pentagon Channel just after taking the oath as the nation's 24th defense secretary.

"I'll never ask anyone to do anything I wouldn't do," the secretary said. "I'll never ask anybody to do more than I would do. That's the story of your lives. I wouldn't be worthy if that was not the case."

Army Sgt. 1st Class John Werth, a native Nebraskan and combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, introduced the new secretary. He said Hagel already had held the most important job in the department: that of a combat infantryman. Hagel served in Vietnam as a young enlisted soldier and was wounded twice.

This is a defining time for the world, Hagel said.

"It's a difficult time. It's a time of tremendous challenge, but there are opportunities," he added. "I think it's important that we all stay focused, obviously, on our jobs, on our responsibilities, which are immense, but not lose sight of the possibilities for a better world."

Service members should not forget that America is a force for good in the world, he said.

"We've made mistakes. We'll continue to make mistakes. But we are a force for good," he said. "And we should always keep that out in front as much as any one thing that drives us every day."

The military needs to deal with the budget realities, the geopolitical challenges, cyber issues and the threats of terrorism, Hagel noted.

"We've got ahead of us a lot of challenges," he said. "They are going to define much of who we are -- not this institution only, but our country, what kind of a world our children are going to inherit. That's the bigger picture of the objective for all of us."

Facing these challenges is difficult, the secretary said.

"But it's also pretty special," he added. "When you think about ... how many generations have had an opportunity to be part of something great, as difficult as this is ... we can really do something pretty special for our country."

The secretary promised service members he will do everything he can "to ensure the safety, the well-being, the future of you and your families."

"Now, I've got to go to work," he said.