By Emelie Rutherford
The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) cast yesterday a voice vote in favor of confirming Harvard University professor Ashton Carter to be under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics.
The full Senate is expected to confirm Carter to the high-profile Pentagon post this week, before a congressional recess starts. He would replace John Young, a holdover from the Bush administration.
Carter told the SASC at his confirmation hearing last week that he is primed to launch a “program-by-program” review of current defense programs to identify savings. He also insisted he has sufficient weapons-acquisition experience, when questioned by SASC Ranking Member John McCain (R-Ariz.). McCain and SASC Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said they look forward to working with Carter to identify savings in the Pentgon’s current weapon-systems portfolio.
Carter is a physicist and has been the chair of the International & Global Affairs faculty at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He has spent his career in academia and government, and has an extensive arms-control and strategic-posture background. He served as assistant secretary of defense for international security policy in the Clinton administration, from 1993 to 1996.