Obama chooses Hagel for defence job

US President Barack Obama will nominate Republican Chuck Hagel as his next defence secretary, a senior administration official said tonight.

Mr Obama, who avoided a Senate confirmation battle by deciding not to nominate UN Ambassador Susan Rice as his first choice for secretary of state, went with Hagel, a decorated Vietnam combat veteran, even as leading Republicans announced their opposition, though they stopped short of saying they might try to block Hagel.