It is a start of foreign policy adjustment for U.S. President Barack Obama to dismiss former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. Obama needs to strike a balance between its capability and will to be the world leader.

The underlying reason for Hagel to resign is that he no longer suits it. When President Obama first summoned Chuck Hagel to the office, he wanted his Pentagon chief to complete withdrawal from Afghanistan in a mild way, and revise the defense budget. But the core mission of the U.S. in Middle East has changed fundamentally and the rise of ISIS has become a severe challenge for Obama’s policy to withdraw from Iraq.

There are differences between the White House and the Pentagon towards military arrangements in Middle East. Obama is reluctant to be deeply involved in Middle East affairs but the Pentagon insists to deploy ground forces.

However, it is normal to have differences between the two authorities for they shoulder different responsibilities and have different staff composition. In the Obama administration, military and national-security strategy has increasingly been set by a group of presidential confidants in the White House and National Security Council.

Obama government is ambitious to deal with international affairs including Ukraine crisis, and returning back to Asia. There is a long way for Obama to go after Hagel dismissal.

The article is edited and translated from《换国防部长，奥巴马要走强硬路线？》, source: Beijing News, author: Sun Xingjie, a scholar from School of International and Public Affairs of Jilin University