Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and other senior department leaders will be busy next week with troop-related visits, congressional testimony and speeches on defense strategy, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Adm. John Kirby said here today.
On Monday, Hagel and his wife Lilibet will visit a Military OneSource call center in Virginia to thank those who work there for everything they do to support the department’s men and women in uniform and their families, he added.
Military OneSource is a Defense Department program that offers resources and support to active-duty, National Guard and reserve service members and their families around the world. The program is available at no cost to users 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The 24-hour call center, staffed with knowledgeable consultants familiar with the military lifestyle, handles issues that range from child care, dealing with stress and helping children deal with a parent’s deployment to reunion and reintegration after combat duty, moving, and more.
Addressing Every Aspect of Military Life
“If you've ever worked with Military OneSource or you know about them, you'll know that they provide information and support dealing with every single aspect of military life for anyone connected to it,” Kirby told reporters at a Pentagon briefing.
“Secretary Hagel has always believed that taking care of our people and their families in one of our highest and most solemn obligations,” the admiral said, “so he's really looking forward to personally expressing his gratitude to the Military OneSource team.”
On Tuesday Hagel will meet with the service secretaries, service chiefs, combatant commanders and other senior DoD leaders to hold what Kirby said will likely be the secretary’s final meeting of the Senior Leadership Council.
“While Secretary Hagel will be thanking the department's senior civilian and military leaders for their close partnership over his tenure,” Kirby added, “the meeting, like all gatherings of his Senior Leadership Council, will largely focus on substantive issues facing the department.”
The issues will include current events around the world and the department’s budget proposals moving forward for the next fiscal year, he added.
Impact of Sequestration
For other department leaders, on Wednesday morning the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps will testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the impact of sequestration on national security, Kirby said.
Later in the morning, Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work will deliver a speech at the Center for New American Security's 2015 Trans-Atlantic Forum at the Willard Hotel.
Kirby said Work’s speech will focus on the department’s new offset strategy and its implications for America's partners and allies.
Armed Forces Farewell Tribute
Then, on Wednesday afternoon, Hagel will attend the Armed Forces Farewell Tribute being held in his honor, at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia.
“I would stress,” Kirby added, “that even after this farewell parade, Secretary Hagel will continue to carry out the full responsibilities of his office, and that he will do so right up until the time his successor is confirmed and installed.”
Dr. Ash Carter, former deputy defense secretary under Hagel, will testify during his Senate confirmation hearing during the first week of February.
(Follow Cheryl Pellerin on Twitter @PellerinDoDNews)
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