Ashton Carter
Ashton Baldwin "Ash" Carter was the secretary of defense under the Obama administration.[1] Carter was confirmed by the Senate on February 12, 2015. Carter was the fourth secretary of defense to serve in President Barack Obama's Cabinet.[2][3]
Carter previously served as the deputy secretary of defense from 2011 to 2013, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics from 2009 to 2011, and the assistant secretary of defense for international security policy from 1993 to 1996.[4]
Carter died on October 24, 2022.[5]
Biography
Carter graduated from Abington High School in 1972. He earned his bachelor's degree in history and physics from Yale University in 1976. As a Rhodes scholar, he attended Oxford University and earned a doctorate in theoretical physics in 1979.[6]
After leaving Oxford, Carter "held positions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, and Rockefeller University." He then served as director of the center for science and international affairs at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and as chairman of the editorial board of international security from 1990 to 1993, when he was appointed assistant secretary of defense for international security policy during the Clinton Administration.[4]
After serving as assistant secretary of defense for international security policy, Carter was "chair of the International and Global Affairs faculty at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and Co-Director of the Preventive Defense Project. Carter was also Senior Partner at Global Technology Partners, a member of the Aspen Strategy Group, a member of the Board of Trustees of the MITRE Corporation and the Advisory Boards of MIT’s Lincoln Laboratories and the Draper Laboratory, and an advisor to Goldman Sachs."[4] He then served as the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics from 2009 to 2011 and the deputy secretary of defense from 2011 to 2013.
According to his Department of Defense biography, Carter "is a member of the President’s Management Council and the National Council on Federal-Labor-Management Relations. He has previously served on the White House Government Accountability and Transparency Board, the Defense Science Board, the Defense Policy Board, the Secretary of State’s International Security Advisory Board, and the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States." He is also "a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Academy of Diplomacy and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Physical Society." In addition, he "has co-edited and co-authored eleven books." He was also awarded the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal four times and was awarded the Defense Intelligence Medal.[4]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Carter's academic and professional career:
- 2015 – January 20, 2017: U.S. Secretary of Defense
- 2011 – 2013: Deputy Secretary of Defense
- 2009 – 2011: Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics
- 1993 – 1996: Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy
- 1990 – 1993: Director of the Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and Chairman of the Editorial Board of International Security
- 1979: Earned his doctorate from Oxford University
- 1976: Earned his bachelor's degree from Yale University
- 1972: Graduated from Abington High School
Confirmation vote
 |
Senate vote
On February 12, 2015, the Senate voted 93-5 to confirm Carter as secretary of defense.[2] Sens. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and John Boozman (R-Ark.) voted against Carter.[3]
| Ashton Carter confirmation vote, February 12, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes for |
Votes against |
Total votes |
| 43 | 0 | 43 | |
| 48 | 5 | 53 | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| Total Votes | 93 | 5 | 98 |
Senate Armed Services Committee
On February 10, 2015, Carter's nomination was approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee by a vote of 26-0.[7]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Carter and his wife, Stephanie Carter, have two children.[4]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Ashton + Carter + Secretary + Defense
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Department of Defense, "Ash Carter 25th Secretary of Defense," accessed February 18, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 USA Today, "Senate confirms Carter as Defense secretary," accessed February 12, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Hill, "Senate confirms new Pentagon chief," accessed February 12, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Defense.gov, "Ashton B. Carter," accessed February 12, 2015
- ↑ ABC, "Former Defense Secretary Ashton Carter dies unexpectedly at 68," accessed October 25, 2022
- ↑ Boston Globe, "For Ashton Carter, a perennial search for balance," accessed February 12, 2015
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "New Defense Chief Ashton Carter Unanimously Approved by Senate Panel," accessed February 12, 2015
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Chuck Hagel |
U.S. Secretary of Defense 2015-January 20, 2017 |
Succeeded by James Mattis |
