US Senate committee delays vote on Hagel confirmation

The US Senate Armed Services committee will not vote this week on Chuck Hagel's confirmation as President Barack Obama's next secretary of defence, the panel's chairman said today.

"The committee's vote on Senator Hagel's nomination has not been scheduled," Senator Carl Levin said in a statement. "I had hoped to hold a vote on the nomination this week, but the committee's review of the nomination is not yet complete."

He said he intended to schedule a vote as soon as possible.

Levin, a Democrat, has said after Hagel's contentious confirmation hearing last week that he hoped the panel would vote during a meeting on Thursday.

But Republicans on the panel said they still wanted more information on issues included the former Nebraska senator's business dealings and past speeches.