美国国防部长哈格尔下台

 　　At a White House ceremony, President Barack Obama has praised the outgoing Secretary of Defense¹ as "exemplary," thanking him for the job he has done.

　　"When I asked Chuck to serve as the Secretary of Defense, we were entering a significant period of transition. The drawdown in Afghanistan, the need to prepare our forces for future missions, and tough fiscal² choices to keep our military strong and ready."

　　In making the announcement, the President has revealed the two agreed at the end of last month that Hagel would leave his position.

　　Hagel, a former Republican Senator, says he plans to remain in the post until a replacement³ can be confirmed.

　　美国国防部长哈格尔下台

　　"As I said, and as the President noted⁴, I will stay on this job and work just as hard as I have in the last couple of years everyday, every moment until my successor is confirmed by the Unites States Senate."

　　Hagel's former Republican caucus⁵ colleague, John McCain, a vocal⁶ opponent of Hagel's initial nomination⁷ in 2013, is suggesting there is more than meets the eye to the Defense Secretary's departure.

　　Speaking to a radio station in his home state of Arizona shortly after the White House announcement, McCain has suggested Hagel is leaving the post amid frustration⁸ over being left out of the inner-circle inside the White House.

　　Washington insiders note Hagel and McCain were often at-odds with one-another while in the Senate together.

　　A number of names are already being floated around as potential candidates to replace Hagel.

　　They include former under-secretary of Defense Michele Flournoy.

　　If nominated and confirmed by the Senate, she would become the first woman to lead the Pentagon.

　　Republican House speaker John Boehner has released a statement, saying the personnel change must be part of a larger re-thinking of the U.S. strategy to confront the threats the country faces abroad, especially the threat posed by the rise of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

3 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

6 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

7 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

8 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。