Obama nominates Carter as next deputy secretary

  • Published
  • By Lisa Daniel
  • American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  President Barack Obama nominated the Pentagon's head of acquisitions, technology and logistics Aug. 2 to become the next deputy secretary of defense.

Ashton B. Carter, whose nomination is subject to Senate confirmation, would replace William J. Lynn III, with whom he has worked closely and who recently announced his resignation.

Carter was appointed to his current undersecretary position in April 2009, and has been a leader in Pentagon efforts to run the department more efficiently and find cost savings. His was among several nominations for various positions that the White House announced today.

"These dedicated individuals bring a wealth of experience and talent to their new roles, and I am proud to have them serve in this administration," Obama in a statement announcing the nominations. "I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come."

Last week, Obama appointed Carter to the 11-member Government Accountability and Transparency Board, which he established in June to cut fraud, waste and abuse in the federal government.

In his two years as undersecretary, Carter has championed efforts that began under former Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and continue under Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta to find cost savings in the budget, especially in acquisitions, and to redirect money to support warfighters and speed up the fielding of equipment and other needs to deployed troops.

Carter is serving in his second appointment in the Pentagon; he was assistant secretary of defense for international security policy from 1993 to 1996. Before returning to the Pentagon in 2009, he chaired the International and Global Affairs faculty at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and was co-director with former Defense Secretary William J. Perry of the Preventive Defense Project.