Flournoy opts out of US defense secy job

Michele Flournoy, a former top US Department of Defense official widely tipped as a possible replacement for Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, has taken herself out of consideration for the job, according to multiple sources familiar with the circumstances.

Flournoy, co-founder and chief executive of the Center for a New American Security, wrote to the think tank's board of directors saying she would remain in her post and had asked President Barack Obama to remove her from consideration to head the Pentagon, the sources told Reuters on Tuesday.

One of the sources said Flournoy, whose youngest child is 13, had cited family reasons for her decision.

Flournoy would have been the first woman to head the Defense Department if she had been nominated and confirmed in the post.

Hagel announced his resignation on Monday.

Flournoy's decision leaves Ashton Carter, former deputy defense secretary, and the current deputy, Robert Work, as the top potential candidates for the job. Spokespeople for both Carter and Work declined to comment.