WASHINGTON, DC – The Atlantic Council announced today that former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel will join the Atlantic Council as a Distinguished Statesman, effective immediately, marking his first policy-oriented affiliation after stepping down from the Obama administration’s cabinet in February.  He will also serve as a member of the Council’s International Advisory Board and as a member of the advisory council for the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East.

Secretary Hagel was Chairman of the Atlantic Council from February 2009 to February 2013, during which he presided over one of the most rapid moments of the organization’s growth in its fifty-five-year history, including the launch of the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security and the Hariri Center. Prior to his tenure at the Atlantic Council, Secretary Hagel was a two-term United States Senator, representing Nebraska from 1997 to 2009, where he was a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations, Banking, and Intelligence committees.

He received the Atlantic Council’s prestigious Distinguished Leadership Award in 2014.

“Secretary Hagel is one of America’s most accomplished public servants — a Vietnam war veteran with two purple hearts, a successful businessman, and a legislator who consistently sought agreement across bi-partisan lines,” said Jon Huntsman, Jr., Chairman of the Board of the Atlantic Council.  “We are delighted to welcome him back.”

Said Frederick Kempe, President and CEO of the Atlantic Council, “At a time of historic challenges globally, we are fortunate to be able to call upon a statesman of Secretary Hagel’s experience, convictions, and reputation.”  Hagel, who  previously co-chaired the Atlantic Council’s ground breaking Iran Task Force, will be deeply engaged in substantive strategy and policy projects in his new role.

Secretary Hagel welcomed the opportunity to return to the Atlantic Council saying, “Since the end of World War II, the Atlantic Council has been and continues to be an important and relevant institution in world affairs. I look forward to again contributing to its good work.”

Please email press@atlanticcouncil.org for more information or to schedule an interview with Secretary Hagel.