Obama nominates Ashton Carter to be defense secretary

President Obama formally nominated Ashton
Carter to be his fourth defense secretary
Friday morning.
Mr. Obama hailed Carter as "one of our
nation's foremost security leaders" and said
Carter would bring to the job a unique
combination of "strategic perspective and
technical know-how."
If confirmed by the Senate, Carter will replace
outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who
resigned last month .
"I accepted the president's offer to be
nominated for secretary of defense because of
my regard for his leadership," Carter said. "I
accepted it because of the seriousness of the
strategic challenges we face, but also the
bright opportunities that exist for America if
we can come together to grab hold of them."
Carter said to Mr. Obama, "I pledge to you
my most candid strategic advice [and] equally
candid military advice."
Carter was deputy secretary of defense
between 2011 and 2013, serving as the
Pentagon's chief operating officer under both
Hagel and Hagel's predecessor, Leon Panetta.
Before that, he'd served in a variety of roles
within the Pentagon under Mr. Obama and
former President Bill Clinton. Carter, who
holds a doctorate in physics, has also been on
the faculty at Harvard and MIT, and is
currently a lecturer at Stanford.

As the number two at the Pentagon, Carter
helped oversee the department's budget
during a period of belt-tightening, and he
boasts a deep familiarity with the department
and its massive bureaucracy. He stepped
down in 2013 after Mr. Obama passed over
him to nominate Hagel when Panetta retired .
Carter is viewed favorably in defense circles,
respected by senior military leaders and well-
known within the Pentagon civilian
bureaucracy. Carter is also seen within the
White House as an upgrade over Hagel in
terms of strength of personality, confidence
and vision on current national security
challenges in the Middle East -- specifically
coalition efforts to defeat the Islamic State of
Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
"He's a reformer who's never been afraid to
cancel old or inefficient weapons programs,"
Mr. Obama said. Additionally, he's "known by
our friends and allies around the world [and]
respected and trusted on both sides of the
aisle."
Mr. Obama also praised Carter's "true regard,
his love for the men and women in uniform,
his relentless dedication to their safety and
well-being."
Carter, if confirmed, will take the the helm of
the Pentagon as it is facing multiple crises
abroad, ranging from the rapid rise of ISIS to
ongoing international talks to curb Iran's
nuclear program and the spread of Ebola in
West Africa. Additionally, Mr. Obama has
quietly moved to expand the U.S. military
role in Afghanistan in 2015.
Carter's first challenge will be surviving the
Senate confirmation process. After the new
Republican-led Senate is sworn in next year, it
will have to consider the nominations of both
Carter and Loretta Lynch, Mr. Obama's
nominee for attorney general. Should the new
GOP leadership keep the current Senate rules,
Mr. Obama's nominees will need the support
of a simple 51-vote majority to be confirmed.
Still, the confirmation votes set the stage for
early political tension between Mr. Obama
and the new GOP Congress.