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Tough questions for Hagel at confirmation hearings?

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    Will defense secretary nominee be pressed?

  • Duration 4:20
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Senator John Kerry sales through with those senate panel just approving his nomination to be the next secretary of state.

It'll likely will be a very different course for the president's pick for Defense Secretary senator Chuck Hagel when he faces his hearings just two days from now.

Why.

Well let's talk about what Peter -- a senior fellow for national security affairs at the heritage center.

He's riding in an op Ed and I -- -- will get tough questions on a range of issues including his plans for the defense but budget.

Writing some believe hazel is being sent to the Pentagon with a clean -- cleaver to hack away at an already shrinking defense budget.

His past comments on pentagon spending makes this concern credible.

Then there's the issue of nukes with Brooks writing.

The pres sees himself as a modern day proliferation pied piper.

Believing he can lead the likes of Russian North Korea and eventually Iran down the road to total nuclear disarmament or nuclear zero.

Peter Brooks joins us now but you said -- and in this same piece you said that the Middle East as a region is nothing less than a mess.

With ineffective US polity is policies.

A big part of the problem.

All part of what the Defense Secretary the new Defense Secretary is going to have to address Peter.

Sure there's no shortage of issues out there.

And while John Kerry with the former chairman.

Of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee so he's basically dealing with colleagues he'd work with for a long time.

I'm hoping that the Senate Armed Services Committee really pushes Chuck Hagel on Obama administration policies -- you know.

John when you become the Defense Secretary secretary of state you don't run your own little -- -- -- or foreign policy or defense policy your -- the Obama team but this is a good opportunity for the American people to get a solid airing.

Body issues.

That you know face us nuclear Iran our troops in Afghanistan.

You mention the defense budget missile defense uplift ration all of these issues -- home hoping.

That chuck -- will be pressed by the members of the senate on the Senate Armed Services Committee about these very very important issues that affect us all day presumably he has been asked his opinions on those issues by the president I mean the president wouldn't have picked him for the job if you didn't share the president's views.

No argument there but that's why this is really important because there's a lot of reason to be concerned about the president's foreign policy.

Look at Syria 22 months 62000 deaths.

You know we have had no effect on Iran's movement towards a nuclear nuclear weapon what about the rise of China are we gonna have the forces we need to make that.

Pivot to China I mean I said in that piece in the New York Post yesterday we're gonna get a powerful -- Or a plucky hero -- I mean we need the forces out there were living in a very dangerous world and this person is one of the key members who'll advised the president on national security policy.

Well do you think it's realistic to expect that that congress is going to you know and not hear enough of what it likes.

From Chuck Hagel that it would actually and potentially derail his nomination.

-- -- always possible I mean this is through the senate to decide -- -- up outside observer here but the purpose of this piece was -- say there's a lot of issues here you really need to deal it and I haven because of that you know the have a limited amount in writing an -- and a limited amount of words I need to get around -- the issue of Russia you know think about our policy there they talked about a reset.

I call other regret.

But it's certainly time to rethink our policy towards Russia.

What about Mexico so there's really really they really need to dig down on into these issues here again video answers that they're satisfied with as well as the American people give them that you know the information they need about our national and defense policies well and you say that after ten years of war the Pentagon needs recapitalization.

And yet we're looking at budget cuts.

Absolutely and that's the real concern.

Chuck Hagel has made some comments about you know paring down I think the word was you know did the defense budget critically important that we have the forces we need.

To deal with the national security challenges that we face you know John.

War is -- come as you are fair you don't always get an opportunity to prepare for think about 9/11 my you know see you really need to have the forces it takes awhile to develop those weapons systems and we're really need to think about these things as we go forward.

Peter Brooks from the Heritage Foundation Peter thank you.

Thank you John.

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