Hagel tells Congress he's ready to act on Iran, if needed

Chuck Hagel has told Congress that if confirmed as the next defense secretary he would ensure America's military is prepared to strike Iran if necessary but stressed the need to be "cautious and certain" when contemplating the use of force, Reuters reports.

Hagel's views were detailed in 112 pages of written responses to wide-ranging questions by lawmakers submitted ahead of his confirmation hearing on Thursday. In them, he also voiced support for a steady U.S. drawdown in Afghanistan.

It was unclear whether his comments would help blunt what is expected to be harsh questioning by mostly Republican lawmakers following a public campaign against his nomination by critics seeking to portray him as soft on Iran and anti-Israel.

Hagel, himself a former Republican senator from Nebraska, assured the committee that the United States would maintain an "unshakeable" commitment to Israel's security and voiced support for President Barack Obama's position that no options should be taken off the table to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. That language is generally used to suggest the possibility of a military strike.

Some Democrats and moderate Republicans, meanwhile, question Hagel's social conservatism, saying it raises concerns about how strongly he would support equal rights for women or homosexuals in the military.

In his written responses, Hagel said he fully supported gays and lesbians serving openly and outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's move to end the ban on women in front-line combat positions.

He also echoed Pentagon opposition to automatic spending cuts due to kick in on March 1 that he said would be "devastating" to the Pentagon and harm military readiness.