Obama picks new CIA,Pentagon chiefs

US: US President Barack Obama on Monday nominated controversial former Republican senator Chuck Hagel to lead the Pentagon and hard-nosed counterterrorism czar John Brennan to head the CIA.

The second term revamp to two pillars of Obama's national security team is expected to win ultimate Senate approval, although Hagel has been strongly criticized by fellow Republicans for his positions on Israel and Iran.

Obama paid particular tribute to retiring Pentagon chief Leon Panetta before giving ringing endorsements to the "outstanding" Hagel and Brennan and urging the Senate not to dally in confirming their important appointments.

"Chuck Hagel is the leader that our troops deserve. He is an American patriot," the president said, heaping praise on a war hero who was awarded two Purple Heart medals for his bravery as a soldier in Vietnam.

But Obama, who wants to be remembered as a president who ended wars abroad to set about the tricky task of nation-building at home following a crippling recession, described Hagel as someone perfectly fitted to that mold.

Hagel, 66, known for a fiercely independent streak and a tendency to speak bluntly, is expected to get particularly rough treatment due to his criticism of America's "Jewish lobby" and opposition to certain Iran sanctions.

Brennan, 57, may get an easier ride but is sure to face questions over his support for the use of certain "enhanced interrogation techniques" under the Bush administration and for his masterminding of the US drone program.

AFP