US
President Barack Obama has named Chuck Hagel to be his next defence secretary
and counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan to lead the CIA, but the nominations
may not go smoothly.
Mr
Hagel's fellow Republicans have accused him of being hostile to Israel and soft
on Iran.
Mr
Brennan is also under scrutiny over harsh interrogation techniques used at the
CIA.
Both
appointments must be confirmed by the Senate.
Mr Obama,
who has just returned from a family holiday in Hawaii, said at a White House
press conference that Mr Hagel was "the leader our troops deserve".
'Worst possible message'
Mr Obama
said that Mr Hagel, 66, has been a "champion of our troops", as he
praised his independence and bipartisan approach.
The
president said Mr Hagel knew that American leadership was
"indispensable", but added that he would treat military action as a
last resort.
Mr Obama
said: "Most importantly, Chuck knows that war is not an abstraction."
Mr Hagel, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, would be the first enlisted soldier
to lead the Pentagon.
In his
remarks, Mr Hagel said he would try to "live up to the standards" of
his predecessors, as he pledged to strengthen America's alliances.
Meanwhile,
Mr Brennan said he would work to ensure that the CIA "always reflects the
liberties, freedoms and values that we hold so dear".
Along
with Senator John Kerry, whom Mr Obama nominated last month to replace Hillary
Clinton as secretary of state, Mr Hagel and Mr Brennan would help shape the president's
second-term national security agenda.
But the
choice of Mr Hagel could prompt a Senate confirmation battle.
Mr Hagel
has stoked controversy in criticising discussion of a military strike by either
the US or Israel against Iran. He has also advocated including Iran on future
peace talks in Afghanistan.
Although
no Republican lawmakers are threatening to block Mr Hagel's nomination,
influential senators have attacked him.
Senator
John McCain said he had "serious concerns" over the Nebraskan's positions
on a "range of critical national security issues", which he would
raise during the Senate confirmation process.
Mr Hagel
made critical remarks against the Israel lobby in the US capital, in a 2008
book by former state department official Aaron David Miller.
"The
Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here," Mr Hagel was quoted as
saying. "I'm a United States senator. I'm not an Israeli senator."
Top
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told CNN on Sunday: "This is an
in-your-face nomination of the president to all of us who are supportive of
Israel."
Homophobic comment
But White
House officials say Mr Hagel's positions on these issues have been
misrepresented, saying he voted to send billions in military assistance to
Israel and has supported the imposition of multilateral sanctions on Tehran.
Mr Hagel has also been criticised
by some Democrats for saying in 1998 that a nominee for an ambassador post was
"openly, aggressively gay". He has since apologised for those
comments.
President Obama's decision to
nominate John Brennan to lead the Central Intelligence Agency is also not
without controversy.
Although put forward for the same
role in 2008, Mr Brennan withdrew his name amid questions about his connection
to interrogation techniques used during the administration of George W Bush.
Sen McCain said in a statement on
Monday he had questions for Mr Brennan, "especially what role he played in
the so-called enhanced interrogation programs... as well as his public defense
of those programs".
A CIA veteran, Mr Brennan is
currently Mr Obama's chief counter-terrorism adviser.
The 57-year-old was heavily
involved in the planning of the 2011 raid that killed Osama Bin Laden.
He would replace Gen David Petraeus,
who resigned in November after admitting to an affair with his biographer.
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