Ash Carter

American government official (1954–2022)

  • Leon Panetta
  • Chuck Hagel
Preceded byWilliam J. Lynn IIISucceeded byChristine Fox (acting)Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and LogisticsIn office
April 27, 2009 – October 5, 2011PresidentBarack ObamaPreceded byJohn J. Young Jr.Succeeded byFrank Kendall IIIAssistant Secretary of Defense for Global Strategic AffairsIn office
June 30, 1993 – September 14, 1996PresidentBill ClintonPreceded byStephen HadleySucceeded byJack Dyer Crouch II (2001) Personal detailsBorn
Ashton Baldwin Carter

(1954-09-24)September 24, 1954
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.DiedOctober 24, 2022(2022-10-24) (aged 68)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.Political partyDemocratic[1]Spouses
  • Clayton Spencer
    (divorced)
  • Stephanie DeLeeuw[2]
RelationsCynthia DeFelice (sister)Children2Education
SignatureAcademic backgroundThesisHard processes in perturbative QCD (1979)Doctoral advisorChristopher Llewellyn Smith
Ash Carter's voice
Ash Carter announces the opening of all military occupations and positions to women
Recorded December 3, 2015

Ashton Baldwin Carter (September 24, 1954 – October 24, 2022) was an American government official and academic who served as the 25th United States secretary of defense from February 2015 to January 2017. He later served as director of the Belfer Center for Science & International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School.[3]

Carter began his career as a physicist. After a brief experience as an analyst for the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, he switched careers to public policy. He joined the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1984 and became chair of the International & Global Affairs faculty.[4] Carter served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy during President Clinton's first term, from 1993 to 1996, responsible for policy regarding the former Soviet states, strategic affairs, and nuclear weapons.

During President Obama's first term, he served first as Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics and then Deputy Secretary of Defense until December 2013. In February 2015, he replaced Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense and served until the end of the Obama administration.[5] During his tenure, he ended the ban of transgender officers in the military. In 2016, Carter opened all military occupations and positions to women without exception. This marked the first time in U.S. history that women with the appropriate qualifications would be allowed to serve in military roles such as infantry, armor, reconnaissance, and special operations units.[6]

For his service to national security, Carter had on five occasions been awarded the DOD Distinguished Public Service Medal. He had also received the CJCS Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award, and the Defense Intelligence Medal for his contributions to intelligence. Carter was author or co-author of eleven books and more than 100 articles on physics, technology, national security, and management.[7]

Early life

Ashton Baldwin Carter was born on September 24, 1954, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father is William Stanley Carter Jr., a World War II veteran, United States Navy neurologist and psychiatrist, and department chairman at Abington Memorial Hospital for 30 years. His mother is Anne Baldwin Carter, an English teacher.[8][9]

He has three siblings, including children's book author Cynthia DeFelice. As a child he was nicknamed Ash and Stoobie.[10][9]

Carter was raised in Abington, Pennsylvania, on Wheatsheaf Lane.[11] At age eleven, working at his first job at a Philadelphia car wash, he was fired for "wise-mouthing the owner."[12][13]

Education

Carter was educated at Highland Elementary School (class of 1966) and at Abington Senior High School (class of 1972) in Abington. In high school, he was a wrestler, lacrosse player, cross-country runner, and president of the Honor Society.[11][14] He was inducted into Abington Senior High School's Hall of Fame in 1989.[15]

Carter attended the University of Edinburgh in Scotland in 1975.[2] In 1976, Carter completed his Bachelor of Arts in his double-major of physics and medieval history at Yale College, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa.[16] His senior thesis, "Quarks, Charm and the Psi Particle", was published in Yale Scientific in 1975.[16][17] He was also an experimental research associate at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in 1975 (where he worked on quark research) and at Brookhaven National Laboratory in 1976.[13][18]

Carter then became a Rhodes Scholar and studied at the University of Oxford. He received his Doctor of Philosophy in theoretical physics on Hard processes in perturbative QCD in 1979 and was supervised by Christopher Llewellyn Smith.[13][19] He was a member of St John's College, Oxford.[20]

Carter was subsequently a postdoctoral fellow research associate in theoretical physics at Rockefeller University from 1979 to 1980, studying time-reversal invariance and dynamical symmetry breaking.[18][21][22] He coauthored two papers on CP violations in B meson decays with A. I. Sanda, which were used as one of theoretical basis to build B factories.[23][24][25]

Carter was then a research fellow at the MIT Center for International Studies from 1982 to 1984, during which time he wrote a public report assessing that the Reagan-proposed "Star Wars" initiative could not protect the U.S. from a Soviet nuclear attack.[18][21][22]

Academic career

Carter taught at Harvard University, as an assistant professor from 1984 to 1986, associate professor from 1986 to 1988, professor and associate director of the Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government from 1988 to 1990, and director of the center from 1990 to 1993.[18] At the Kennedy School, he became chair of the International and Global Affairs faculty and Ford Foundation Professor of Science and International Affairs. He concurrently was co-director of the Preventive Defense Project of Harvard and Stanford Universities.[18]

Early Department of Defense career

From left, Carter, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, and President Barack Obama in 2012
Carter arrives in Herat, Afghanistan, in 2013.

From 1993 to 1996, Carter served as assistant secretary of defense for international security policy during President Bill Clinton's first term.[26][27] He was responsible for strategic affairs, including dealing with the threat of weapons of mass destruction elsewhere in the world, nuclear weapons policy (including overseeing the U.S. nuclear arsenal and missile defenses), the 1994 Nuclear Posture Review, the Agreed Framework signed in 1994 which froze North Korea's plutonium-producing nuclear reactor program,[28] the 1995 extension of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,[29] the negotiation of the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, and the multibillion-dollar Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program and Project Sapphire that removed all nuclear weapons from Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus.[27][30][31] Carter directed military planning during the 1994 crisis over North Korea's nuclear weapons program.[28] In addition, he was responsible for dealing with the establishment of defense and intelligence relationships with former Soviet countries in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union and its nuclear arsenal, and was chairman of NATO's High Level Group.[13] He was also responsible for the Counter proliferation Initiative, control of sensitive U.S. exports, and negotiations that led to the deployment of Russian troops as part of the Bosnia Peace Plan Implementation Force.[31]

From April 2009 to October 2011, Carter was Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, with responsibility for DOD's procurement reform and innovation agenda and completion of procurements such as the KC-46 tanker.[27] He also led the development and production of thousands of mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles, and other acquisitions.[27] He instituted "Better Buying Power," seeking smarter and leaner purchasing.[27] From October 2011 to December 2013, Carter was Deputy Secretary of Defense, serving as the DOD's chief operating officer, overseeing the department's annual budget and its three million civilian and military personnel, steering strategy and budget through sequester, and directing the reform of DOD's national security export controls.[26][27][32] He was confirmed by Senate voice vote for both positions.[33]

In an April 4, 2013, speech, he affirmed that the 'Shift to Asia' initiative of President Obama was a priority that would not be affected by the budget sequestration in 2013. Carter noted that The Shift to Asia was principally an economic matter with new security implications. India, Australia, and New Zealand were mentioned as forthcoming security partners.[34] His Pentagon arms-control responsibilities included matters involving the START II, ABM, CFE, and other arms-control treaties.[35]

Secretary of Defense

Carter's official portrait

Carter was nominated by President Barack Obama to be the 25th United States secretary of defense on December 5, 2014.[36][37]

In his nomination hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, he said he was "very much inclined" to increase U.S. military aid to Ukraine.[38] Speaking on the Middle East, he said the U.S. must militarily ensure a "lasting defeat" of Islamic State (ISIL) forces in Iraq and Syria.[39] He also opined that the threats posed by Iran were as serious as those posed by the ISIL forces.[38][39] He said he was not in favor of increasing the rate of prisoner releases from Guantanamo Bay.[40]

Carter was approved unanimously on February 1, 2015, by the Senate Armed Services Committee. He was confirmed by the Senate on February 12 by a vote of 93–5[37][41] and sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden on February 17.[42]

Vice President Joe Biden swears in Ash Carter as the 25th defense secretary as Carter's wife, Stephanie, looks on during a private ceremony at the White House.

In May 2015, Carter warned the People's Republic of China to halt its rapid island-building in the South China Sea.[43]

In October 2015, Carter condemned Russian air strikes against ISIL and other rebel groups in Syria. On October 8, 2015, Carter, speaking at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, said he believed Russia would soon start paying the price for its military intervention in Syria in the form of reprisal attacks and casualties.[44]

A controversy arose in December 2015 when it was revealed that Carter had used a personal email account while conducting official business as Secretary of Defense.[45]

In January 2016, at Carter's direction, the Department of Defense opened all military roles to women, overriding a request by the Marine Corps to continue to exempt women from certain positions.[46] In June 2016, Carter announced that transgender individuals would be allowed to join and openly serve in the military.[47]

Other roles

From 1990 to 1993, Carter was chairman of the editorial board of International Security. Previously, he held positions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, and Rockefeller University.[48]

In 1997, Carter and former CIA director John M. Deutch co-chaired the Catastrophic Terrorism Study Group which urged greater attention to terrorism. In 1998, Carter, Deutch, and Philip Zelikow (later executive director of the 9/11 Commission) published an article on "catastrophic terrorism" in Foreign Affairs.[49] From 1998 to 2000, he was deputy to William J. Perry at the North Korea Policy Review and traveled with him to Pyongyang.[28] In 2001–02, he served on the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Science and Technology for Countering Terrorism, and advised on the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.[50] Carter was also co-director of the Preventive Defense Project, which designs and promotes security policies aimed at preventing the emergence of major new threats to the United States.[51]

Carter had been a longtime member of the Defense Science Board and the Defense Policy Board, the principal advisory bodies to the Secretary of Defense. During the Bush administration, he was also a member of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's International Security Advisory Board; co-chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Policy Advisory Group; a consultant to the Defense Science Board; a member of the National Missile Defense White Team, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on International Security and Arms Control. He had testified frequently before the armed services, foreign relations, and homeland security committees of both houses of Congress.[48]

In addition to his public service, Carter was a senior partner at Global Technology Partners, focused on advising investment firms in technology and defense. He was a consultant to Goldman Sachs and Mitretek Systems on international affairs and technology matters, and spoke frequently to business and policy audiences.[52] Carter served as an independent director on the General Electric board of directors from 2020 until his death.[53]

He was also a member of the boards of directors of the Mitre Corporation and Mitretek Systems and the advisory boards of MIT Lincoln Laboratory and Draper Laboratory. Carter was also a member of the Aspen Strategy Group, the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Physical Society, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. Carter was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was named as a Fellow in the American Physical Society (Forum on Physics & Society) in 2015.[48][52]

Carter served as an honorary director on the board of directors at the Atlantic Council.[54] In April 2021, Carter joined Tanium Board of Directors.[55] From 2021, he had been a member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).[56] In 2021, Carter joined Shield Capital's board of Strategic Advisors.[57]

  • Carter at the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea
    Carter at the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea
  • Carter, William Perry and former secretary of state George Shultz, October 12, 2012
    Carter, William Perry and former secretary of state George Shultz, October 12, 2012
  • Carter meeting Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, July 21, 2015
    Carter meeting Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, July 21, 2015

Positions

Views on Iran

Carter's views on Iran had been perceived as hawkish.[58] In 2006, he authored a report for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace advocating use or threat of force to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.[58] Carter had supported diplomacy with Iran and written about methods of containing a nuclear-armed Tehran.[59]

Support for military interventions

Carter meeting with Mohammed bin Salman and his advisor Ahmad Asiri in 2016
Carter departing from the Pentagon on his last day in office

Carter was a supporter of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, as well as an advocate of "preventative" invasions of North Korea and Iran.[60][61][62] In response to increased tension in Ukraine, Carter considered deployment of ground-launched cruise missiles in Europe that could pre-emptively destroy Russian weapons.[63]

Military involvement in presidential elections

In January 2021, Carter, alongside all of the other living former secretaries of defense, published a Washington Post op-ed piece opposing President Donald Trump's summons for military involvement in overturning the 2020 election results, and urging for a peaceful transition of power. [64]

Personal life

Carter was married to Stephanie DeLeeuw Carter.[2] He had been previously married to Clayton Spencer, the eighth president of Bates College, with whom he had two children, Ava and Will.[65]

Carter died from a heart attack at his home in Boston, on October 24, 2022, at age 68.[66][67]

Awards

Carter received the Ten Outstanding Young Americans award from the United States Junior Chamber in 1987.[68] For his service to national security, Carter was awarded the DOD's highest civilian medal, the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, five times.[27] For critical liaison efforts with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the geographic combatant commanders, he was awarded the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award in 2013 and the Defense Intelligence Medal for his contributions to intelligence.[27]

Works

In addition to authoring numerous articles, scientific publications, government studies, and Congressional testimonies, Carter co-edited and co-authored 11 books:

  • MX Missile Basing (1981)[69]
  • Ballistic Missile Defense (1984)[70]
  • Directed Energy Missile Defense in Space (1984)[71]
  • Managing Nuclear Operations (1987)[72]
  • Soviet Nuclear Fission: Control of the Nuclear Arsenal in a Disintegrating Soviet Union (1991)[73]
  • Beyond Spinoff: Military and Commercial Technologies in a Changing World. Harvard Business Review Press. 1992. ISBN 978-0875843186.
  • A New Concept of Cooperative Security. Brookings Institution Press. 1992. ISBN 978-0815781455.
  • Cooperative Denuclearization: From Pledges to Deeds. Harvard University Press. 1993.
  • Preventive Defense: A New Security Strategy for America. Brookings Institution Press. 1997. ISBN 978-0815713081.
  • Keeping the Edge: Managing Defense for the Future. MIT Press. 2001. ISBN 978-0262032902.
  • Inside the Five-Sided Box: Lessons from a Lifetime of Leadership in the Pentagon. E. P. Dutton. 2019. ISBN 978-1524743918.

References

  1. ^ Cooper, Helene; Sanger, David E.; Landler, Mark (December 5, 2014). "In Ashton Carter, Nominee for Defense Secretary, a Change in Direction". The New York Times. Retrieved February 5, 2015. Mr. Carter is a Democrat but not one of the core Obama loyalists, a group that includes Ms. Rice and Denis R. McDonough, the White House chief of staff.
  2. ^ a b c "Ashton Carter Fast Facts". CNN. December 11, 2014.
  3. ^ "Ash Carter | Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs". Belfer Center. December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  4. ^ Carter, Ash (2006). "Faculty Career Profile". Belfer Center.
  5. ^ "Ashton B. Carter – Barack Obama Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office.
  6. ^ "Carter Opens All Military Occupations, Positions to Women". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  7. ^ "Ashton Carter – Foreign Policy Research Institute". www.fpri.org.
  8. ^ Herb Drill (August 14, 1994). "Obituaries". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  9. ^ a b "About Cynthia – Cynthia DeFelice". cynthiadefelice.com.
  10. ^ Sally Jacobs. "Ashton Carter: savvy tactician, independent thinker". Boston Globe.
  11. ^ a b "Abington recalls 'brilliant' alum said in line to lead Pentagon". Philadelphia Daily News.
  12. ^ "Everything You Need to Know About Ashton Carter". wlsam.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2015.
  13. ^ a b c d "Faculty Career Profile; Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; Ashton B. Carter". Belfer Center. Archived from the original on April 16, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  14. ^ "Board of Commissioners Meeting" (PDF). December 11, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 14, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  15. ^ "Abington Graduate Ashton Carter Could Be Next Secretary Of Defense". FOX 29 News Philadelphia – WTXF-TV. December 3, 2014. Archived from the original on February 13, 2015.
  16. ^ a b Devin Dwyer. "Why Obama's New Defense Nominee Ashton Carter Likes 'Charmed Quarks'". ABC News.
  17. ^ Steve Straehley. "Appointments and Resignations – Secretary of Defense: Who Is Ashton Carter?". AllGov.
  18. ^ a b c d e "Ashton B. Carter CV" (PDF). Belfer Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2010. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  19. ^ Carter, Ashton B. (1979). Hard processes in perturbative QCD (Thesis).
  20. ^ "Rhodes Scholar Database". Rhodes House. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  21. ^ a b Byron Tau (December 2, 2014). "Who Is Ashton Carter? A Look at Obama's Leading Defense Secretary Candidate". The Wall Street Journal.
  22. ^ a b "Ashton B. Carter Resume" (PDF). Belfer Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 11, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  23. ^ Bevan, A. J.; et al. (November 19, 2014). The Physics of the B Factories. Vol. 74. Springer Nature. p. 1. doi:10.1140/epjc/s10052-014-3026-9. ISBN 978-3-662-52592-0. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
  24. ^ Carter, Ashton B.; Sanda, A. I. (September 22, 1980). "CP Violation in Cascade Decays of B Meson". Physical Review Letters. 45 (12): 952. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.45.952.
  25. ^ Carter, Ashton B.; Sanda, A. I. (April 1, 1981). "CP violation in B meson decays". Physical Review D. 23 (7): 1567. Bibcode:1981PhRvD..23.1567C. doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.23.1567.
  26. ^ a b "Ashton B. Carter". Belfer Center.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h "Ashton B. Carter; Secretary of Defense". United States Department of Defense.
  28. ^ a b c "Kim's Nuclear Gamble: Interview: Ashton Carter". Frontline. PBS. March 3, 2003. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
  29. ^ Tom Sauer (2005). Nuclear Inertia: US Weapons Policy After the Cold War. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 1850437653.
  30. ^ Carter, Ashton B. (September 2004). "How to Counter WMD". Foreign Affairs. 83 (5): 72–85. doi:10.2307/20034068. JSTOR 20034068. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
  31. ^ a b "Ashton B. Carter; Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics" Archived December 31, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, US House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations
  32. ^ "Defense.gov Transcript: Remarks by Deputy Secretary Carter on the U.S.-India Defense Partnership at the Center for American Progress". United States Department of Defense. September 30, 2013.
  33. ^ "Senate Armed Services Committee". Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  34. ^ "Video: Statesmen's Forum: The Honorable Ashton B. Carter, Deputy Secretary of Defense". Center for Strategic and International Studies. April 9, 2013. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
  35. ^ ""Improving WMD Intelligence," Ashton B. Carter". Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
  36. ^ "Obama picks former Pentagon official Ashton Carter to be defense secretary". Fox News Channel. December 5, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  37. ^ a b Craig Whitlock (February 12, 2015). "Senate confirms Ashton B. Carter as secretary of defense". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  38. ^ a b Dion Nissenbaum (February 4, 2015). "U.S. Defense Nominee Leans Toward Arms for Ukraine in Fight". The Wall Street Journal.
  39. ^ a b W. J. Hennigan (February 12, 2015). "Senate confirms Ashton Carter as new secretary of Defense". Los Angeles Times.
  40. ^ David Lerman (February 12, 2015). "Senate Confirms Ashton Carter as Obama's Fourth Pentagon Chief". Bloomberg.
  41. ^ Emmarie Huetteman (February 12, 2015). "Ashton B. Carter Is Confirmed as Defense Chief, Replacing Chuck Hagel". The New York Times.
  42. ^ Bill Chappell (February 17, 2015). "Ashton Carter Is Sworn In As Obama's 4th Defense Secretary". NPR.
  43. ^ "Defense secretary's warning to China: U.S. military won't change operations Archived October 30, 2018, at the Wayback Machine". The Washington Post. May 27, 2015.
  44. ^ "Russia will pay price for Syrian airstrikes, says US defence secretary". The Guardian. October 8, 2015.
  45. ^ "Defense Secretary Conducted Some Official Business on a Personal Email Account". The New York Times. December 16, 2015.
  46. ^ Cheryl Pellerin (December 3, 2015). "Carter Opens All Military Occupations, Positions to Women". Department of Defense.
  47. ^ "Secretary of Defense Ash Carter Announces Policy for Transgender Service Members". Department of Defense. June 30, 2016.
  48. ^ a b c "Fact Sheet: Ash Carter, Nominee for Secretary of Defense" (PDF). United States Senate. Democratic Polity & Communication Center. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  49. ^ Carter, Ashton B.; Deutch, John; Zelikow, Philip (November 1, 1998). "Catastrophic Terrorism: Tackling the New Danger". Foreign Affairs. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  50. ^ "Harvard Kennedy School's Ashton Carter Nominated as Pentagon's Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics". Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
  51. ^ "Biography of The Honorable Ashton Carter". Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. Archived from the original on December 8, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  52. ^ a b "Ash Carter: Bio" (PDF). Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  53. ^ "GE Nominates Ashton Carter to the Board of Directors | GE News". www.ge.com. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  54. ^ "Board of Directors". Atlantic Council. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  55. ^ "Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter Joins Tanium Board of Directors". Tanium. April 21, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  56. ^ "President Biden Announces Members of President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology". whitehouse.gov. September 22, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  57. ^ "Senior Advisor". Shield Capital. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  58. ^ a b Stoil, Rebecca Shimoni (December 5, 2014). "Obama names Ashton Carter as next defense secretary". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on February 15, 2015.
  59. ^ Crowley, Michael (December 2, 2014). "Can a wonk run a war?; Ash Carter is a scholar, a bureaucrat — and the opposite of Chuck Hagel". Politico. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  60. ^ "If Necessary, Strike and Destroy Archived August 27, 2017, at the Wayback Machine". The Washington Post. June 22, 2006
  61. ^ "Interview: Ashton Carter Archived March 29, 2009, at the Wayback Machine". PBS. March 3, 2003.
  62. ^ "Another victory for Bush Archived December 11, 2015, at the Wayback Machine". The Baltimore Sun. December 24, 2003
  63. ^ "US could potential deploy missiles in Europe to deter Russia Archived June 5, 2015, at the Wayback Machine". Deutsche Welle. June 5, 2015.
  64. ^ "All 10 living former defense secretaries: Involving the military in election disputes would cross into dangerous territory". Washington Post. January 3, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  65. ^ "Atlantic Council Board Member Ashton Carter Opens Testimony to the Senate". Atlantic Council. February 4, 2015.
  66. ^ de Vries, Karl (October 25, 2022). "Ash Carter, former defense secretary under Obama, dies at 68". CNN. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  67. ^ Risen, Clay (October 26, 2022). "Ashton B. Carter, 68, Who Made the Military More Inclusive, Is Dead". The New York Times. p. A23. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  68. ^ "Ten Outstanding Young Americans". Archived from the original on February 19, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  69. ^ "MX Missile Basing" (PDF). Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  70. ^ "Ballistic Missile Defense | Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs". Belfercenter.org. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  71. ^ "Directed Energy Missile Defense in Space | Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs". Belfercenter.org. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  72. ^ "Managing Nuclear Operations | Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs". Belfercenter.org. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  73. ^ "Soviet Nuclear Fission: Control of the Nuclear Arsenal in a Disintegrating Soviet Union | Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs". Belfercenter.org. Retrieved October 25, 2022.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Ash Carter.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ashton Carter.
  • Preventive Defense Project Archived June 15, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
  • Ashton B. Carter expert profile at the Belfer Center of Harvard University
  • Appearances on C-SPAN
  • Collected columns at Foreign Affairs magazine
  • Department of Defense biography
Political offices
Preceded by Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Strategic Affairs
1993–1996
Vacant
Title next held by
Jack Dyer Crouch II
Preceded by Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics
2009–2011
Succeeded by
Preceded by United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
2011–2013
Succeeded by
Preceded by United States Secretary of Defense
2015–2017
Succeeded by
  • v
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  • e
Cabinet of President Barack Obama (2009–2017)
  • v
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  • e
Cabinet
Vice President
Secretary of State
Secretary of the Treasury
Secretary of Defense
Attorney General
Secretary of the Interior
Secretary of Agriculture
Secretary of Commerce
Secretary of Labor
Secretary of Health and Human Services
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Secretary of Transportation
Secretary of Energy
Secretary of Education
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Secretary of Homeland Security
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Cabinet-level
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Trade Representative
Ambassador to the United Nations
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White House Chief of Staff
* took office in 2009, raised to cabinet-rank in 2012
  • v
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  • e
Office Name Term Office Name Term
Secretary of State John Kerry 2013–2017 Secretary of Treasury Jack Lew 2013–2017
Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter 2015–2017 Attorney General Loretta Lynch 2015–2017
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell 2013–2017 Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack 2009–2017
Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker 2013–2017 Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez 2013–2017
Secretary of Health and
  Human Services
Sylvia Mathews Burwell 2014–2017 Secretary of Education
Secretary of Transportation
John King Jr.
Anthony Foxx
2016–2017
2013–2017
Secretary of Housing and Urban
  Development
Julian Castro 2014–2017 Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald 2014–2017
Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz 2013–2017 Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson 2013–2017
Vice President Joe Biden 2009–2017 White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough 2013–2017
Director of the Office of Management and
  Budget
Shaun Donovan 2014–2017 Administrator of the Environmental
  Protection Agency
Gina McCarthy 2013–2017
Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power 2013–2017 Chair of the Council of Economic
  Advisers
Jason Furman 2013–2017
Trade Representative Michael Froman 2013–2017 Administrator of the Small Business Administration Maria Contreras-Sweet 2014–2017
Below solid line: Granted Cabinet rank although not automatically part of the Cabinet. See also: Confirmations of Barack Obama's Cabinet
  • v
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  • e
Office Name Term Office Name Term
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel 2009–10 National Security Advisor James L. Jones 2009–10
Pete Rouse 2010–11 Thomas E. Donilon 2010–13
William M. Daley 2011–12 Susan Rice 2013–17
Jack Lew 2012–13 Deputy National Security Advisor Thomas E. Donilon 2009–10
Denis McDonough 2013–17 Denis McDonough 2010–13
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Mona Sutphen 2009–11 Antony Blinken 2013–14
Nancy-Ann DeParle 2011–13 Avril Haines 2015–17
Rob Nabors 2013–15 Dep. National Security Advisor, Homeland Security John O. Brennan 2009–13
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Jim Messina 2009–11 Lisa Monaco 2013–17
Alyssa Mastromonaco 2011–14 Dep. National Security Advisor, Iraq and Afghanistan Douglas Lute 2009–13
Anita Decker Breckenridge 2014–17 Dep. National Security Advisor, Strategic Comm. Ben Rhodes 2009–17
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Planning Mark B. Childress 2012–14 Dep. National Security Advisor, Chief of Staff Mark Lippert 2009
Kristie Canegallo 2014–17 Denis McDonough 2009–10
Counselor to the President Pete Rouse 2011–13 Brooke D. Anderson 2011–12
John Podesta 2014–15 White House Communications Director Ellen Moran 2009
Senior Advisor to the President David Axelrod 2009–11 Anita Dunn 2009
David Plouffe 2011–13 Daniel Pfeiffer 2009–13
Daniel Pfeiffer 2013–15 Jennifer Palmieri 2013–15
Shailagh Murray 2015–17 Jen Psaki 2015–17
Senior Advisor to the President Pete Rouse 2009–10 Deputy White House Communications Director Jen Psaki 2009–11
Brian Deese 2015–17 Jennifer Palmieri 2011–14
Senior Advisor to the President and Valerie Jarrett 2009–17 Amy Brundage 2014–16
Assistant to the President for Liz Allen 2016–17
Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs 2009–11
Director, Public Engagement Tina Tchen 2009–11 Jay Carney 2011–13
Jon Carson 2011–13 Josh Earnest 2013–17
Paulette L. Aniskoff 2013–17 Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton 2009–11
Director, Intergovernmental Affairs Cecilia Muñoz 2009–12 Josh Earnest 2011–13
David Agnew 2012–14 Eric Schultz 2014–17
Jerry Abramson 2014–17 Director of Special Projects Stephanie Cutter 2010–11
Director, National Economic Council Lawrence Summers 2009–10 Director, Speechwriting Jon Favreau 2009–13
Gene Sperling 2011–14 Cody Keenan 2013–17
Jeff Zients 2014–17 Director, Digital Strategy Macon Phillips 2009–13
Chair, Council of Economic Advisers Christina Romer 2009–10 Chief Digital Officer Jason Goldman 2015–17
Austan Goolsbee 2010–13 Director, Legislative Affairs Phil Schiliro 2009–11
Jason Furman 2013–17 Rob Nabors 2011–13
Chair, Economic Recovery Advisory Board Paul Volcker 2009–11 Katie Beirne Fallon 2013–16
Chair, Council on Jobs and Competitiveness Jeff Immelt 2011–13 Miguel Rodriguez 2016
Director, Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes 2009–12 Amy Rosenbaum 2016–17
Cecilia Muñoz 2012–17 Director, Political Affairs Patrick Gaspard 2009–11
Director, Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Joshua DuBois 2009–13 David Simas 2011–16
Melissa Rogers 2013–17 Director, Presidential Personnel Nancy Hogan 2009–13
Director, Office of Health Reform Nancy-Ann DeParle 2009–11 Johnathan D. McBride 2013–14
Director, Office of National AIDS Policy Jeffrey Crowley 2009–11 Valerie E. Green 2014–15
Grant N. Colfax 2011–13 Rodin A. Mehrbani 2016–17
Douglas M. Brooks 2013–17 White House Staff Secretary Lisa Brown 2009–11
Director, Office of Urban Affairs Adolfo Carrión Jr. 2009–10 Rajesh De 2011–12
Racquel S. Russell 2010–14 Douglas Kramer 2012–13
Roy Austin Jr. 2014–17 Joani Walsh 2014–17
Director, Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy Carol Browner 2009–11 Director, Management and Administration Bradley J. Kiley 2009–11
White House Counsel Greg Craig 2009–10 Katy A. Kale 2011–15
Bob Bauer 2010–11 Maju Varghese 2015–17
Kathryn Ruemmler 2011–14 Director, Scheduling and Advance Alyssa Mastromonaco 2009–11
Neil Eggleston 2014–17 Danielle Crutchfield 2011–14
White House Cabinet Secretary Chris Lu 2009–13 Chase Cushman 2014–17
Danielle C. Gray 2013–14 Director, White House Information Technology David Recordon 2015–17
Broderick D. Johnson 2014–17 Director, Office of Administration Cameron Moody 2009–11
Personal Aide to the President Reggie Love 2009–11 Beth Jones 2011–15
Brian Mosteller 2011–12 Cathy Solomon 2015–17
Marvin D. Nicholson 2012–17 Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy John Holdren 2009–17
Director, Oval Office Operations Brian Mosteller 2012–17 Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra 2009–12
Personal Secretary to the President Katie Johnson 2009–11 Todd Park 2012–14
Anita Decker Breckenridge 2011–14 Megan Smith 2014–17
Ferial Govashiri 2014–17 Director, Office of Management and Budget Peter R. Orszag 2009–10
Chief of Staff to the First Lady Jackie Norris 2009 Jack Lew 2010–12
Susan Sher 2009–11 Jeff Zients 2012–13
Tina Tchen 2011–17 Sylvia Mathews Burwell 2013–14
White House Social Secretary Desirée Rogers 2009–10 Brian Deese 2014
Julianna Smoot 2010–11 Shaun Donovan 2014–17
Jeremy Bernard 2011–15 Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra 2009–11
Deesha Dyer 2015–17 Steven VanRoekel 2011–14
Chief of Staff to the Vice President Ron Klain 2009–11 Tony Scott 2015–17
Bruce Reed 2011–13 United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk 2009–13
Steve Ricchetti 2013–17 Michael Froman 2013–17
White House Chief Usher Stephen W. Rochon 2009–11 Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy Gil Kerlikowske 2009–14
Angella Reid 2011–17 Michael Botticelli 2014–17
Director, White House Military Office George Mulligan 2009–13 Chair, Council on Environmental Quality Nancy Sutley 2009–14
Emmett Beliveau 2013–15 Michael Boots 2014–15
Dabney Kern 2016–17 Christy Goldfuss 2015–17
† Remained from previous administration.
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Position Appointee
Chief of Staff to the Vice President Steve Ricchetti
Counsel to the Vice President Cynthia Hogan
Counselor to the Vice President Mike Donilon
Assistant to the Vice President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison Evan Ryan
Assistant to the Vice President and Director of Communications Shailagh Murray
Deputy Chief of Staff to the Vice President Shailagh Murray
Deputy National Security Adviser to the Vice President Brian P. McKeon
Residence Manager and Social Secretary for the Vice President and Second Lady Carlos Elizondo
National Security Adviser to the Vice President Colin Kahl
Position Appointee
Chief of Staff to the Second Lady Catherine M. Russell
Director of Administration for the Office of the Vice President Moises Vela
Domestic Policy Adviser to the Vice President Terrell McSweeny
Chief Economist and Economic Policy Adviser to the Vice President Jared Bernstein
Press Secretary to the Vice President Elizabeth Alexander
Deputy Press Secretary to the Vice President Annie Tomasini
Director of Legislative Affairs Sudafi Henry
Director of Communications for the Second Lady Courtney O’Donnell
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