Excerpt
JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour): President Obama announces a change of command at the Defense Department, as the military faces multiple challenges abroad.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Today, I’m pleased to announce my nominee to be our next secretary of defense, Mr. Ash Carter.
JUDY WOODRUFF: The President’s event in the Roosevelt Room at the White House confirmed what was widely expected. He’s chosen Ash Carter to succeed Chuck Hagel at the Pentagon.
BARACK OBAMA: With a record of service that has spanned more than 30 years as a public servant, as an adviser, as a scholar, Ash is rightly regarded as one of our nation’s foremost national security leaders.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Carter is a Pentagon veteran, although he’s never served in the military himself. He was deputy secretary from October 2011 to December 2013, and, before that, the technology and weapons-buying chief.
ASHTON CARTER, Secretary of Defense Designate: It’s an honor and a privilege for me to be nominated for the position of Secretary of Defense.
JUDY WOODRUFF: The honor brings with it a host of major challenges, including the battle against Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria, winding down the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, the ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine, and the resulting struggle with Russia, and deep budget cuts straining the Defense Department.
There’s also the question of working with the White House. Two previous secretaries, Robert Gates and Leon Panetta, accused Obama aides of micromanagement. And Hagel reportedly complained of a lack of influence.
But Carter made clear he means to have his say.
ASHTON CARTER: If confirmed in this job, I pledge to you my most candid strategic advice. And I pledge also that you will receive equally candid military advice.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Republicans will control the Senate that considers Carter’s nomination. Today, they generally praised his qualifications, but Arizona Senator John McCain warned that he, too, may have limited sway at the White House.
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