Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel remains committed to the rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region despite scheduling demands that forced him to postpone an upcoming trip to Vietnam and Burma, the Pentagon press secretary told reporters today.
“He still very much wants to go,” Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said. “And we will go. But in light of the likelihood ... of more congressional hearings in the next couple of weeks, it was deemed the most prudent thing to do to make sure that he was available.”
The trip, planned for next month but never announced, would have been Hagel’s first visit to Vietnam as secretary of defense.
Kirby emphasized that the defense secretary intends to make the trip at a later date. “And I would add that he called the relevant leaders -- his counterparts in that part of the world -- to let them know why we weren't coming, and that we very much intend to come back,” the admiral noted.
The decision didn’t come lightly, Kirby said.
“It's not a decision that he enjoyed having to make. He was very much looking forward to this trip,” the admiral said. “...He is extremely and strongly committed to the rebalance and he understands the ramifications of not being able to go.”
“And again, I want to stress this trip is not canceled, it's just postponed,” the press secretary said. “We are going to make this trip. We will go back. When we have something to announce on that, we will.”
Hagel has made six trips to the Asia-Pacific region since becoming defense secretary.
(Follow Claudette Roulo on Twitter: @roulododnews)
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