Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo today issued the following statement on the resignation of Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel.

"Secretary Hagel has served the Department of Defense with distinction. He served during a difficult time of sequestration, a ramp down in Iraq and Afghanistan all while trying to deal with crises like the outbreak of Ebola and the rise of ISIL. I appreciate Secretary Hagel’s leadership in carrying out the President’s rebalance strategy to the Asia-Pacific region, particularly his steadfast support of the Marine realignment to Guam and his work with Japan’s Defense Minister Onodera to move forward with progress on the Futenma Replacement Facility. Under his leadership, DoD finally submitted a master plan for the realignment of Marines to Guam, which was critical to addressing concerns raised by members in the Senate. I look forward to President Obama nominating Secretary Hagel’s successor and hope that the Senate will act swiftly to ensure a smooth transition at the DoD. The DoD needs leadership at this critical time."