After less than two years on the job, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will announce his resignation from the position on Monday.
The New York Times reported that White House officials have said that President Barack Obama spoke with Hagel about stepping down on Friday. The President is said to be removing the 68-year-old from the national security team amid a shift in the country’s military strategy to fight the Islamic State.
The Business Insider noted that, according to officials, Hagel’s resignation is considered to be normal turnover after mid-term elections.
"In October, Secretary Hagel began speaking with the President about departing the Administration given the natural post-midterms transition time.
Those conversations have been ongoing for several weeks," an official said.
Hagel is a Vietnam War veteran and former senator of Nebraska. He succeeded Leon Panetta as secretary in Obama’s second term and will stay on until his successor is named.
Michèle Flournoy, the former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy; Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island and a former officer with the Army’s 82nd Airborne; and Ashton B. Carter, a former deputy secretary of defense; are all thought to front runners for the position.