Foreign policy will require a strategic agility that, whenever possible, gets ahead of problems, strengthens U.S. security and alliances, and promotes American interests and credibility.

Hagel is critical of George W. He is chairman of the Atlantic Council a foreign policy think tank; co-chairman of President Obama's Intelligence Advisory Board; a member of the Defense Department's Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee and the Energy Departments Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future; a member of The Washington Center's board of directors; and a member of the Public Broadcasting Service's board of directors. Six years later in 2002 Hagel overwhelmingly won re-election with over 83% of the vote the largest margin of victory in any statewide race in Nebraska history (see below or link to: United States Senate election in Nebraska 2002).

Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University chairman of the Atlantic Council and co-chairman of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board. He was reelected in 2002 and retired in 2008. He co-founded Vanguard Cellular the primary source of his personal wealth and served as president of the McCarthy Group an investment banking firm and CEO of American Information Systems Inc.