Chuck Hagel Rumored to Be Stepping Down as Defense Secretary

President Barack Obama is expected to announce today that Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel is stepping down from his post.

In an article by Helene Cooper, The New York Times is reporting that senior administration officials within the administration say the decision to ask Hagel to step down was made "last Friday after a series of meetings over the past two weeks."  The article goes on to say "...that the threat from the Islamic State would require a different kind of skills than those that Mr. Hagel was brought on to employ."

The 68-year old Republican and Vietnam veteran was assigned to the post of Defense Secretary in 2013, after serving as the United States Senator from Nebraska from 1997 to 2009.  As part of his campaign Hagel stated that, if he won election to the Senate, he would retire after two terms.

The official announcement is expected later this morning.