Chuck Hagel

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** FILE ** Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel answers questions on Syria during a joint news conference with the United Kingdom's Secretary of State for Defence Phillip Hammond, at the Pentagon in Washington, Thursday, May 2, 2013. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel speaks with U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Anne Patterson, left, and Egyptian Central Military Zone Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Mohammed Zamaloo upon his arrival in Cairo, on Wednesday, April 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool)

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, left, is welcomed by Saudi Crown Prince, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense Salman bin Abdulaziz , center, during a meeting at his residence in Riyadh, on Tuesday, April 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool)

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Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel gestures before boarding an aircraft at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington's Maryland suburbs on Saturday, April 20, 2013, for a trip to the Middle East. (AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool)

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Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said fierce political resistance last year killed proposals such as base closures and increasing health care enrollment fees, which are included in the White House's $526.6 billion defense budget request. Mr. Hagel, however, noted times have changed, saying, "We are now in a different fiscal environment." (Associated Press)