Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel Elected to RAND Corporation Board of Trustees

“Chuck Hagel has been a leader in two branches of government, in two important executive-branch departments, and in both the private and NGO sectors,” Rich said. “He has been a terrific consumer and user of RAND analysis, and will help us strengthen our domestic and international research programs.”

Hagel served as the 24th U.S. Secretary of Defense from February 2013 to February 2015 and as a U.S. senator, representing his home state of Nebraska, from 1997 to 2009. He is the only enlisted soldier and Vietnam War veteran to serve as secretary of defense.

As defense secretary, Hagel worked to modernize America's partnerships and alliances, advance the rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific, bolster support for European allies and enhance defense cooperation in the Middle East, while overseeing the end of America's combat mission in Afghanistan. He also undertook many major internal reform initiatives, including his Defense Innovation Initiative, the Nuclear Enterprise Review, the Military Health System Review and modernizing health records.

Hagel previously served as co-chairman of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board, Distinguished Professor at Georgetown University, chairman of the Atlantic Council, deputy administrator of the Veterans Administration, and president and CEO of the World USO, as well as many other positions and board memberships over the years. He is the author of the 2008 book “America: Our Next Chapter.”

In the private sector, Hagel co-founded Vanguard Cellular, a mobile phone service carrier, and served as president of the McCarthy Group, an investment banking firm in Omaha, Nebraska.