Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has postponed a trip overseas to Burma and Vietnam. Why did he do that? A defense department official said it was driven by new and significant demands being placed on the Secretary’s schedule. These include upcoming congressional hearings. “With more than six trips to the Pacific region already under his belt and landmark agreements concluded this year alone with several regional allies, the Secretary has certainly made clear his strong commitment — and that of this Department — to the rebalance. It would be pure fallacy to derive any other meaning from this postponement,” says the defense official.

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