The US Senate have voted 58 to 41, to confirm Chuck Hagel as the next Secretary of Defense. Hagel will be sworn in on Wednesday.
The 66-year-old Vietnam War veteran will succeed current Pentagon chief Leon Panetta, who made no secret his desire to retire.
Hagel is believed to share many of President Obama’s views on the military and American power, and is inclined to support Obama’s push to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan at a faster pace.
Although Hagel will take over the Pentagon at a time of budget cuts, both White House and Panetta have expressed confidence in him.