(VOVworld) - US President Barack Obama accepted the resignation of Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel on Monday.

Hagel will stay on as Pentagon chief until his successor is confirmed by the Senate (Photo: AP)

Hagel will stay on as Pentagon chief until his successor is confirmed by the Senate: "I will continue to support the President, and the men and women who defend this country every day, and their families. As I said and as the President noted, I will stay on this job and work just as hard as I have for the couple of years, every day, every moment until my successor is confirmed by the US Senate."

White House officials said Hagel was pressured by Obama to quit, because the Pentagon is embarking on a new strategy to deal with the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Iraq and it is time for new leadership at the Pentagon.

The administration’s national security team in the second term will no longer include a Republican.