The US Senate has voted to confirm Chuck Hagel to be the next US defence secretary. The vote on Tuesday was 58-41, with four Republicans joining Democrats in backing President Barack Obama's nominee. The vote ended a contentious fight over the president's choice for his second-term national security team. Hagel will succeed Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, who is stepping down after four years as CIA director and Pentagon chief. Al Jazeera's Rosalind Jordan reports from Washington DC.