Hagel: Israel did not tell him of intel on Syria

CAIRO (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says Israeli officials did not share with him their intelligence assessment that Syria has repeatedly used chemical weapons.

Hagel told reporters in Cairo on Wednesday that he was not briefed on the assessment when he met Monday with his Israeli counterpart in Tel Aviv. A senior Israeli military intelligence officer announced the assessment on Tuesday.

Hagel said U.S. intelligence officials are still studying the question of Syrian chemical weapons use against rebel forces.

Hagel suggested that Washington seeks hard evidence before announcing its view. He put it this way: "Suspicions are one thing; evidence is another."

Hagel spent the day in Cairo meeting with senior government officials, including President Mohammed Morsi.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

By including Cairo on his first Mideast tour as defense secretary, Chuck Hagel is highlighting the Obama administration's hope of preserving influence with the Egyptian military as the country struggles with its transition to democracy.

After stops in Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, Hagel flew to the Egyptian capital for his first face-to-face meetings with Egypt's top leaders. In their talks Wednesday, he planned to stress the value of close military ties with a country that is deeply divided in the wake of the 2011 revolution that ousted longtime President Hosni Mubarak.

Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel. The U.S. is deeply concerned, however, that continued instability in Egypt will have broader consequences in a region already rocked by unrest, including in the increasingly lawless Sinai Peninsula.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Egypt in March and rewarded it for President Mohammed Morsi's pledges of political and economic reform by releasing $250 million in American aid.

Morsi came to power in June 2012 as Egypt's first freely elected president.

Hagel was scheduled to meet with Morsi as well as Defense Minister Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

On Tuesday the legal adviser to Morsi resigned, alleging that the Muslim Brotherhood has monopolized decision-making and encroached on the governing of the country.

The resignation letter by Mohammed Fouad Gadallah brought the harshest criticism yet from inside the presidency. Opponents of Morsi long have accused the Brotherhood of being the real power behind the president and say the group's attempts to dominate power have fueled the country's turmoil.

Morsi, who hails from the Brotherhood, denied in a TV interview earlier this week that the group intervenes in decision-making.

Hagel flew to Cairo from Riyadh, where he met Tuesday evening with top officials, including Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, who serves as the kingdom's defense minister as well. Hagel also held talks Tuesday in Jordan and Israel.

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Hagel, Dempsey Detail US-Jordan Contingency Planning on Syria's Chemical Weapons

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey both warned Congress on Wednesday about the unintended consequences of a U.S. military intervention in Syria. Hagel also provided the first details of the Pentagon's efforts in assisting Jordan's military for the possibility of having to secure Syria's chemical weapons stockpile, including $70 million worth of training and equipment.

Appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee both Hagel and Dempsey cautioned that a U.S. military intervention in Syria could have unintended consequences and should be reserved as a "last resort."

Two years of fighting to bring down the regime of Syrian President Basher al Assad have killed an estimated 70,000 Syrians and created a million refugees. Both Democratic and Republican senators on the committee have advocated the Obama administration consider some form of U.S. military assistance to assist the Syrian opposition in the form of a no-fly zone or the establishment of a humanitarian aid corridor.

"We have an obligation and responsibility to think through the consequences of direct U.S. military action in Syria," said Hagel. He added that "military intervention at this point could hinder humanitarian relief operations. It could embroil the United States in a significant, lengthy, and uncertain military commitment."

More importantly he warned that it could have "the unintended consequence of bringing the United States into a broader regional conflict or proxy war. " He stressed that "the best outcome for Syria - and the region - is a negotiated, political transition to a post-Assad Syria."

He later used blunter language in describing how all factors should be weighed in considering a U.S. military option in Syria. "You better be damn sure, as sure as you can be, before you get into something, because once you're into it, there isn't any backing out, whether it's a no-fly zone, safe zone, protect these - whatever it is. Once you're in, you can't unwind it. You can't just say, well, it's not going as well as I thought it would go, so we're going to get out.

Gen. Dempsey also told the committee that " before we take action, we have to be prepared for what comes next." He noted that the use of force in an area like Syria where the ethnic and religious divisions "dominate" is "unlikely to produce predictable outcomes." He explained that such a scenario "is not a reason to avoid intervention in conflict, rather, to emphasize that unintended consequences are the rule with military interventions of this sort."

In his opening remarks Hagel presented the most detailed outline yet of American efforts in helping Jordan prepare for the possibility of having to secure the Assad regime's large chemical weapons stockpile should the regime collapse. For much of the past year Pentagon officials have declined to provide details about such efforts, instead making vague references about contingency planning with regional partners for such a scenario.

Hagel told the committee that the Pentagon "has plans in place to respond to the full range of chemical weapons scenarios." He disclosed that the U.S. has provided $70 million in funding to Jordan "for training and equipment to detect and stop any chemical weapons transfers along its border with Syria, and developing Jordanian capacity to identify and secure chemical weapons assets."

However, when Sen. John McCain asked Gen. Dempsey if he was confident that American troops would be able to secure Syria's chemical weapons, Dempsey said, "Not as I sit here today, simply because they've been moving it and the number of sites is quite numerous."

According to Hagel, the U.S. military has also prepared for other contingencies such as " the potential spillover of violence across Syria's borders that could threaten Allies and partners." Furthermore, he said, the Pentagon had "been developing options and planning for a post-Assad Syria," though he said he was not able to provide details in public.

Hagel also announced that last week he ordered the deployment to Jordan of a headquarters element from the 1 st Armored Division based at Fort Bliss, Texas.

They will replace the several hundred American military members from various units who have been in Jordan since last summer working with the Jordanian military in contingency planning related to Syria's chemical weapons, humanitarian efforts and preventing a spillover of violence from Syria into Jordan.

A Defense official said the headquarters will provide "a cohesive command and control element with our Jordanian counterparts." The official also said that if needed its structure would enable it to "be capable of establishing a Joint Task Force headquarters that would provide command and control for Chemical Weapons response, humanitarian assistance efforts and stability operations."

Hagel also referred to the other forms of assistance the U.S. is providing to Syrian refugees and opposition groups. That includes $385 million in assistance to help ease the humanitarian and refugee crisis in Syria, as well as $117 million in non-lethal assistance to the Syrian opposition in the form of communications and medical equipment.

The Defense secretary told the committee that he would be visiting Jordan next week as part of a Middle East tour that will see him making stops in Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

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Hagel tells military to brace for further belt-tightening

By David Alexander and Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel warned the military to brace for more belt-tightening on Wednesday as he conducts a review that could cut the number of generals, pare back the civilian workforce and stem the spiraling cost of new weapons.

Hagel, in his first major policy speech as Pentagon chief, told students at the National Defense University that the United States could not allow its current budget crisis to force it to retreat from the world. But he underscored the limits of U.S. military power.

"We need to challenge all past assumptions, and we need to put everything on the table," Hagel said. "Any serious effort to reform and reshape our defense enterprise must confront the principal drivers of growth in the department's base budget - namely acquisitions, personnel costs and overhead."

Hagel's remarks come as the Pentagon is struggling to deal with a $41 billion budget cut that went into effect on March 1, part of a $500 billion reduction that could slice defense spending by $50 billion a year for the next decade.

His comments marked a shift in tone at the Pentagon, which for months harbored hope that Congress and the White House would rescue it from spending reductions beyond a $487 billion cut approved in 2011.

"The speech ... represented a bit of a turning point for the Pentagon because he acknowledged that further cuts in defense spending are likely, if not inevitable, and that DoD should begin preparing for them," said Todd Harrison, a defense analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments think tank.

Hagel, a Vietnam veteran who took office in late February, faced pointed questions from his audience.

One woman asked why the department was moving ahead with a decision to put civilian employees on unpaid leave later this year, essentially slashing their pay by 20 percent for 14 weeks as part of its effort to cut spending.

"In case your advisers haven't told you, it is affecting morale," she said.

Questioned about how soon defense personnel might face reductions in benefits, Hagel said the military would fulfill commitments it had made so far. But he also said the Pentagon would ask for higher fees on some benefits like healthcare, a move Congress has rejected in the past.

He emphasized that the system ultimately would have to change.

'I WISH IT WAS OTHERWISE'

"If you play this out over a 10-, 20-year period, we're not going to be able to sustain the current personnel costs and retirement benefits. There will be no money in the budget for anything else," he said.

"I'm sorry. I wish it was otherwise," Hagel said. "But that's a fact of life and the longer we defer these things, the worse it's going to be for all of us."

He said the department had to come to grips with factors that are driving up long-term costs, like a big bureaucracy, high personnel costs and unwieldy weapons-development programs.

"In many respects, the biggest long-term fiscal challenge facing the department is not the flat or declining top-line budget, it is the growing imbalance in where the money is being spent internally," Hagel said.

He expressed concern that the military was looking at "systems that are vastly more expensive and technologically risky than what was promised or budgeted for" as it attempts to modernize weapons.

While recognizing the sacrifices of troops and their families over nearly a dozen years of war, Hagel said "fiscal realities demand" the Pentagon take another look at the number and mix of military and civilian personnel it employs.

"Despite good efforts and intentions, it is still not clear that every option has been exercised or considered to pare back the world's largest back-office," Hagel said, referring to the Pentagon's bureaucracy.

He said the military's hierarchies needed re-examination as well.

"Today the operational forces of the military - measured in battalions, ships and aircraft wings - have shrunk dramatically since the Cold War era," he said. "Yet the three- and four-star command and support structures sitting atop these smaller fighting forces have stayed intact, with minor exceptions, and in some cases they are actually increasing in size and rank."

(Editing by Philip Barbara and Xavier Briand)

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U.S. to bolster missile defenses to counter North Korea threat: Hagel

By Phil Stewart and David Alexander

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced plans on Friday to bolster missile defenses in response to "irresponsible and reckless provocations" by North Korea, which threatened a preventative nuclear strike against the United States last week.

Hagel said the Pentagon would add 14 new anti-missile interceptors at Fort Greely in Alaska - an effective reversal of an early Obama administration decision - and move ahead with the deployment of a second missile-defense radar in Japan.

The Pentagon also left open the possibility of creating a site on the East Coast where the Pentagon could field more interceptors capable of striking down an incoming missile. The 14 additional interceptor deployments would cost nearly $1 billion and must be approved by Congress.

"By taking the steps I outlined today we will strengthen our homeland defense, maintain our commitments to our allies and partners, and make clear to the world that the United States stands firm against aggression," Hagel told a news conference.

North Korea issued its threat last week to stage a preemptive nuclear attack against the United States as the United Nations readied new sanctions against Pyongyang in response to its February 12 nuclear test.

Experts say North Korea is years away from being able to hit the continental United States with a nuclear weapon, despite having worked for decades to achieve a nuclear capability.

But Hagel said the moves announced by the Pentagon were justified to stay ahead of the threat, underscored by the nuclear test and a December rocket launch that analysts believe was aimed at developing technology for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Hagel also cited North Korea's display last April of what appeared to be a road-mobile ICBM.

The Pentagon said the United States had informed China, North Korea's neighbor and closest ally, of its decision to add more interceptors but declined to characterize Beijing's reaction.

U.S. SAYS SYSTEMS NOT AIMED AT CHINA OR RUSSIA

Officials say its missile defense systems are not designed to counter the large number of ICBMs in arsenals in China or Russia and are focused instead on the threat from North Korea or, potentially, Iran.

Friday's announcement came with a key caveat - the Pentagon said it would only purchase the extra interceptors if they perform appropriately in tests. The interceptors in question have not hit a target since 2008, a defense official said.

Boeing Co. is the prime contractor of the system. Key Boeing subcontractors include Raytheon Co., which makes the kill vehicle, and Orbital Sciences Corp, which makes the rocket booster.

Admiral James Winnefeld, vice chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, expressed confidence in the missiles and said he believed the steps taken by the United States would make North Korea's young leader, Kim Jung-un, think twice before acting on bellicose rhetoric.

"We not only intend to put the mechanics in place to deny any potential North Korean objective to launch a missile to the United States, but also to impose costs on them if they do," he told reporters.

"And we believe that this young lad ought to be deterred by that. And if he's not, we'll be ready."

The addition of another 14 interceptors amounts to a reversal of an Obama administration decision in 2010 to stop expansion of the missile interceptor system at 30 interceptors. The Bush administration had planned to deploy a total of 44.

The United States currently has 26 interceptors deployed at Fort Greely and four at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Congressman Mike Turner, chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, said the Obama administration had began "to realize the shortcomings of its missile defense strategy."

"Now that the administration has decided to see clearly, America can get back on the right course," Howard McKeon, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement, lamenting lost time and resources.

In a sign of fiscal pressures facing the Pentagon, U.S. officials acknowledged they were also forgoing development of a new anti-missile interceptor that would have been deployed in Europe. They said European defense would be unaffected.

Officials said the United States would move forward with congressionally mandated environmental impact studies for alternative sites in the United States for deploying additional ground-based interceptors, if needed.

Winnefeld said locations on the East Coast were being considered but declined to offer details.

"We're still looking at sites," he said.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and David Brunnstrom)

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Hagel Orders Review of Rules in Military Sex Assault Convictions

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says he is ordering a review of the rules that allow a military commander to overrule court martial convictions by military juries. Hagel wrote a letter to Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., which is posted on her website.

The move was prompted by the outrage on Capitol Hill after an Air Force general decided to throw out an F-16 fighter pilot's jury conviction for aggravated sexual assault. Lt. Col. James Wilkerson was convicted of the assault, which took place at his home base in Aviano, Italy where he was the base's Inspector General. Lt. Gen. Craig Franklin threw out the conviction, reinstated him in the Air Force and cleared his record.

Franklin made the change against the recommendation of his staff lawyer and instead agreed with Wilkerson's attorney that prosecutors had not proved that he was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

RELATED: Military Lags Assisting Victims of Sexual Assault

Wilkerson was able to do this because he was designated the "convening authority" for the case. Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), convictions go to the case's convening authority, a commander, for final action. This happens in every military trial.

"I believe this case does raise a significant question whether it is necessary or appropriate to place the convening authority in the position of having the responsibility to review the findings and sentence of a court-martial," wrote Hagel, "particularly prior to the robust appellate process made available by the UCMJ."

Hagel can't review the actions of the Wilkerson case or overturn the case, but he's ordering a review of the case to see whether it "points to changes that should be considered in the UCMJ, or in the military services' implementation of the UCMJ and, if so, what changes should be made."

The Wilkerson case has gained traction over the past week on Capitol Hill as Democratic Senators Boxer, Claire McCaskill and Debbie Stabenow have all expressed outrage over the general's actions. They demanded that the military change the UCMJ provisions to remove the leeway commanders have in sexual assault cases. McCaskill has a meeting set up with the Air Force's top general, Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh.

RELATED: "Invisible War" - Military Rape Victims Go to Congress

On Tuesday Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif, is expected to introduce legislation in the House that, if enacted, would remove the ability of military commanders to unilaterally overturn or lessen the decisions of judges or juries at courts martial under their review. But at meeting of the Senate Armed Services Committee last week, the commander of the U.S. Central Command said that while he wasn't aware of the Wilkerson case, he stood by the military legal system in its current form.

Marine Gen. James Mattis said the powers bestowed upon convening authorities were intended to serve as a defendant's right and check to the jury system.

"No court system is more subject to being characterized as a kangaroo court than one where military officers who are in command also initiate it," Mattis said, adding he believed the U.S. Military Justice code "overwhelmingly" served justice.

"I say that because as a commander, I was not just responsible for prosecution; I was also responsible for defense," he said. "And commanders must balance both of those if we're to have a fair system."

On Wednesday the case is expected to be discussed at the first Senate hearing in a decade dedicated to the issue of sexual assault in the military.

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As Afghan trip goes badly off script, Hagel opts for caution

By Phil Stewart

KABUL (Reuters) - It was a harrowing international debut for Chuck Hagel, whose first trip to Afghanistan as U.S. defense secretary went dramatically off-script and challenged the American narrative about the 11-year-old war.

His first full day in Afghanistan began with the sound of suicide bomb attack about a kilometer away from his morning meetings at a NATO facility. But the real damage came the next day when Washington's mercurial ally in the war, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, accused the United States of colluding with the Taliban hours before the two met.

Put in an awkward position, Hagel appeared cautious and at pains to avoid sharply criticizing the Afghan leader, even as he firmly disputed Karzai's assertions. Having weathered a brutal confirmation battle last month, the former two-term Republican senator at one point even appeared to commiserate with Karzai.

"I was once a politician," Hagel, 66, told reporters traveling with him. "So I can understand the kind of pressures - especially leaders of countries - are always under."

Hagel's more measured approach was on display as well on Saturday, when he was asked about his initial reaction to the sound of the blast from a suicide bombing at Afghanistan's nearby defense ministry, which killed nine civilians.

"We're in a war zone. I've been in war ... So (we) shouldn't be surprised when a bomb goes off or there's an explosion," he said.

There are good reasons for Hagel to be cautious. A perceived gaffe or damaging misstep after such an acrimonious confirmation process could have given Republican critics more ammunition after they questioned his war judgment. It could also complicate his efforts to wind down the war in Afghanistan.

But the Taliban bombings and Karzai's accusations were a jarring contrast to Hagel's optimistic, if tempered, comments about the war effort, which he said was "on the right path."

"You look over the past 11 years, it's pretty dramatic, what's happened in this country," Hagel told reporters on Sunday. "Yes, a ways to go. Yes, challenges. Yes, issues. Yes, differences. But I don't think any of these are challenges that we can't work our way through."

The trip failed to answer the big questions about Hagel's thinking so far about America's evolving exit strategy from the unpopular conflict, including an upcoming decision on the size of the residual force the United States will leave behind in Afghanistan once the NATO mission ends in 2014.

SECURITY AGREEMENT

A senior U.S. defense official said Hagel was looking forward to working with other senior policy makers in Washington to "deepen our engagement with Afghan leaders, some of whom clearly have issues they want resolved." Hagel's priority, the official said, would be striking a security agreement with Afghanistan.

But it was concerns over security that forced Hagel and Karzai to cancel a joint news conference, U.S. officials said. The venue for Hagel's meeting with the Afghan defense and interior ministers was also changed.

America's first Vietnam war veteran to become defense secretary, Hagel appeared most at ease when talking to troops during a stop at a base in the eastern city of Jalalabad.

He cracked jokes and pinned Purple Heart medals on two soldiers wounded in battle. Hagel has two of the medals himself and still carries bits of shrapnel in his chest from that conflict.

Hagel, a former infantryman, joked to an Army staff sergeant that there was a time when "I was scared to death of a staff sergeant." The soldier responded: "You should be, sir." Hagel laughed.

During his trip back to the United States on Monday, Hagel stopped off in Ramstein, Germany, where he had planned to visit with wounded troops and see an Air Force general. There were no U.S. service members being treated for combat injuries at the time.

But as he landed news broke about an insider attack in Afghanistan when a person in an Afghan military uniform turned his weapon on troops at a joint base in the restive east of the country, killing two U.S. soldiers, and five Afghan army and police personnel.

Throughout his trip, Hagel assured troops he would do whatever he could to help them, even in the face of across-the-board budget cuts hitting the Pentagon and other U.S. agencies.

"I want you to also know that I will always do my best for you, for your families, our country," Hagel told the soldiers in Jalalabad. "I will always put our men and women in uniform first and do everything I can to ensure your safety or success and everything that you're entitled to."

(Editing By Warren Strobel and Christopher Wilson)

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Afghanistan's Karzai blasts U.S., marring Hagel visit

KABUL (Reuters) - The Afghan Taliban and the United States have been holding talks in the Gulf Arab state of Qatar, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Sunday.

The Taliban suspended the talks one year ago, blaming "shaky, erratic and vague" U.S. statements.

The U.S. government has said it remained committed to political reconciliation involving talks with the Taliban but progress would require agreement between the Afghan government and the insurgents.

"Senior leaders of the Taliban and the Americans are engaged in talks in the Gulf state on a daily basis," Karzai told a gathering to mark International Women's Day.

But the Taliban spokesman in Afghanistan, Zabihullah Mujahid, denied that negotiations with the United States had resumed and said no progress had been made since they were suspended.

"The Taliban strongly rejects Karzai's comments," he said.

U.S. officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

The Kabul government has been pushing hard to get the Taliban to the negotiating table before most U.S.-led NATO combat troops withdraw by the end of 2014.

Afghan officials have not held direct talks with the militants, who were toppled in 2001 and have proven resilient after more than a decade of war with Western forces.

U.S. diplomats have been seeking to broaden exploratory talks with the Taliban that began clandestinely in Germany in late 2010 after the Taliban offered to open a representative office in Qatar.

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is in Afghanistan to visit U.S. troops.

Hagel, who arrived on Friday for his first trip abroad as defense secretary, is also due to hold talks with Karzai, whose recent orders to curtail U.S. military activity highlights an often tense relationship with the 66,000 American forces here.

Hagel's visit also coincides with the passing of a deadline imposed by Karzai for U.S. special forces to leave the province of Wardak, after Karzai accused them of overseeing torture and killings in the area.

U.S. forces have denied involvement in any abuses and it was not clear if they were leaving Wardak by the deadline.

Regional power Pakistan indicated a few months ago that it would support the peace process by releasing Afghan Taliban detainees who may help promote the peace process.

But there have been no tangible signs the move advanced reconciliation.

(Additional reporting by Hamid Shalizi; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Robert Birsel)

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Hagel has enough support for defense secretary

WASHINGTON (AP) — Barring any new, damaging information, Chuck Hagel has secured the necessary votes for the Senate to confirm him to be the nation's next defense secretary. A vote ending the bitter fight over President Barack Obama's Cabinet choice is expected next week.

Hagel cleared the threshold when five-term Republican Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama said he would vote for the former two-term GOP senator from Nebraska after joining other Republicans last week in an unprecedented filibuster of the Pentagon nominee.

"He's probably as good as we're going to get," Shelby told the Decatur (Ala.) Daily.

In another boost for Hagel's nomination, former Republican leader Bob Dole, a decorated World War II veteran, issued a statement Thursday saying, "Hagel's wisdom and courage make him uniquely qualified to be secretary of defense and lead the men and women of our armed forces. Chuck Hagel will be an exceptional leader at an important time."

If confirmed, Hagel, a twice-wounded Vietnam combat veteran, would succeed Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who is stepping down after four years first as CIA director and then Pentagon chief.

Although a Republican, Hagel has faced strong GOP opposition, with many of his former colleagues voting last week to stall the nomination. Republicans have questioned his support for Israel, tolerance of Iran and willingness to cut the nuclear arsenal. His opposition to the Iraq war after his initial vote for the conflict angered his onetime friend, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

Shelby's support was a clear sign of weakening Republican opposition, and it prompted two letters within hours from Hagel's fiercest GOP foes. One letter went to the president calling on him to withdraw the nomination, the other to GOP senators pleading with them to stand together against Hagel.

Fifteen Republicans senators wrote that Hagel lacks the bipartisan support and confidence to serve in the vital job of defense secretary.

"The occupant of this critical office should be someone whose candidacy is neither controversial nor divisive," wrote the senators — all opponents of Hagel. Leading the effort was Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the party's No. 2, who is up for re-election next year.

One name missing from the letter was McCain, who has called Hagel unqualified but indicated last Sunday that he wouldn't stand in the way of a Senate vote.

Separately, the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, sent a letter to his GOP colleagues urging them to vote again to block the nomination when the Senate returns from its recess next week. He acknowledged the reality that if the GOP fails to block a vote, Hagel proponents have the votes to approve him on an up-or-down vote.

"Make no mistake: A vote for cloture is a vote to confirm Sen. Hagel as secretary of defense," wrote Inhofe. He said that while the Senate traditionally defers to presidents on their Cabinet choices, "our nation is at war. The Senate must insist on confirming only the most effective leaders."

At the White House, spokesman Jay Carney rejected GOP calls for Hagel to withdraw. He complained that Republicans were putting politics ahead of national security, pointing out that the administration wants Hagel to be part of decisions on the size of the U.S. force in Afghanistan as American and coalition forces wind down combat operations.

"This waste of time is not just meaningless political posturing because we firmly believe that Sen. Hagel will be confirmed. The waste of time is of consequence," Carney told reporters.

The Senate also is holding up the nomination of John Brennan to be CIA director, with Republicans and Democrats seeking more information about the U.S. policy on the use of drones. Hagel and Brennan would join Secretary of State John Kerry in Obama's overhauled, second-term national security team.

Hagel is expected to get all 55 Democratic votes and the support of three Republicans — Sens. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Mike Johanns of Nebraska and Shelby. Two other Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — voted last week to allow the nomination to move ahead and are expected to do the same next week, giving Hagel the requisite 60 votes out of 100 necessary to end a filibuster.

An up-or-down vote on confirmation, with only a majority necessary, could occur as early as Wednesday.

The filibuster left the administration angry and troubled by the prospect of a nomination in limbo, with opposition groups redoubling their efforts to scuttle Hagel and the uncertainty of a weeklong Senate break. But the administration is more confident about Hagel's prospects after private conversations with several senators to ensure Hagel gets past the 60-vote barrier, according to an official close to the confirmation process. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss private conversations.

Hagel's nomination also has become entangled in GOP demands for more information from the Obama administration about the deadly assault on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last September that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has described Hagel as "radical" and pressed for Obama to abandon the nomination. Graham sent a new letter to Hagel this week with fresh questions about Israel, after Hagel responded to a separate Graham letter on Israel last week.

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Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

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Follow Donna Cassata on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DonnaCassataAP

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