After Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election, former U.S. Secretary of Defense and Senator Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska) wrote the op-ed ‘Why I’m Concerned for Our Military’ which was published in The New York Times. The article was promoted with the subhead: “Political independence and ethics are the bedrock of our Armed Forces. Today, I am concerned that both are in danger.”
Hagel, a combat veteran who served as Defense Secretary during the Obama administration, boiled down the cabinet position into “two main responsibilities: one, the defense and security of our nation, and two, supporting the men and women in the Department of Defense who ensure it.”
In the op-ed, published in November, Hagel wrote that he was “alarmed” to learn of reports that Trump “may seek to establish a ‘warrior board’ of retired military personnel that would evaluate and determine the future of three- and four-star generals and admirals.”
NOTE: According to questioning by Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) — a West Point grad and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee — at the Senate confirmation hearings for Trump SecDef nominee Pete Hegseth (see below), Hagel’s concerns about this were not misplaced.
Reed: It’s come to my attention that current serving military personnel have received emails threatening them with being fired for supporting the current dod policies. One mail that was sent to a military officer with the subject line clean house reminiscent of your specific… pic.twitter.com/6FyCENoVFR
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 14, 2025
Hagel called such a warrior board a “dangerous idea” and warned that “there are global consequences to inserting political management into our military.” He reminded readers that “All soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and Coast Guard members take an oath when they join the military — not to a president or a political party, but to the Constitution.”
Hagel was among more than 100 signatories on a letter from former U.S. security officials endorsing VP Kamala Harris for president. He said: “I don’t agree with Harris on everything, but I think elections are always about choices” and “democracies can only work if there is compromise.”
As seen above, one month prior to the election, in October 2024, Hagel spoke at the University of Kansas with Dole Institute Visiting Fellow Jerry Seib of The Wall Street Journal about the presidential candidates and “where they stand on the issues that impact our standing on the world stage.” Hagel revealed that he disagrees with Trump’s stance on NATO, Ukraine and Putin, among other policies.