WASHINGTON, D.C. (KHNL) - U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka has set a date for the confirmation hearing of Veterans Affairs Secretary Designee General Eric Shinseki.

President-elect Barack Obama announced his nomination of the Hawaii native and retired general on Sunday.

Shinseki's tenure as Army Chief of Staff from 1999 to 2003 was marked by tensions with then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

That's after he testified before Congress that it might take several hundred thousand U.S. troops to control Iraq after the invasion.

Senator Akaka says he scheduled it early in the new Congress so the Senate can act on the nomination sooner. 

"I am proud to support General Shinseki's nomination and I look forward to a long and productive relationship with him as Secretary," said Senator Akaka.

The confirmation hearing will be on January 14, 2009.

ORIGINAL STORY: http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=9494030