Defense pick Carter says he will give Obama candid advice
WASHINGTON — Ashton Carter, President Obama's choice for Defense secretary, has "promised President Obama that if I am confirmed, I will furnish him my most candid strategic advice," Carter told a Senate panel Wednesday.
Carter said he would ensure "that the president receives candid professional military advice."
For example, Carter said he would recommend changes to the planned withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan if conditions there deteriorated.
Obama's choice to be his fourth Defense secretary has multiple challenges to confront, said Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
He must deal with "micromanagement" of the Pentagon from the White House; sequestrations, automatic cuts to the defense budget set to begin in October; and diverse threats, including Islamic State militants, Russian aggression and China's rise.
Joining Carter was former senator Joseph Lieberman, a Democrat turned independent who was one of McCain's closest colleagues.
Lieberman called it a privilege to introduce Carter, noting it was the third time he had done so. Carter previously had been confirmed as the Pentagon's top weapons buyer and later as deputy secretary.
The same panel grilled current Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel two years ago, and most Republicans voted against his nomination. Hagel never really recovered from that performance.
McCain, a former Vietnam prisoner of war and the 2008 GOP nominee for president, took Hagel to task for his tepid support for the surge of troops in Iraq that temporarily stemmed sectarian violence there. He has spoken positively of Carter.
McCain called Carter "one of America's most respected and experienced defense professionals."
The hearing had a far more cordial tone than Hagel's. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., for instance, said he looked forward to Carter's confirmation.
Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., pressed Carter on releasing prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention center. She noted that at least 107 released detainees had re-engaged in terrorism, according to the Director of National Intelligence.
She asked Carter if he would not succumb to pressure from the White House to speed up releases.
"Absolutely," Carter said.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., has led a fight to reform the military justice system to confront sexual assault in the military. She quizzed Carter on the issue, which military brass has called a crisis. Last year, troops in a survey reported about 20,000 instances of unwanted sexual contact, ranging from groping to rape.
Carter called the problem "particularly offensive in the military community."
Carter, 60, had worked at the Pentagon in a variety of posts under 11 Defense secretaries. He left in 2013 after reaching the No. 2 position there. A physicist by training, Carter has a reputation for being brainy and committed to the welfare of troops in combat. He shepherded the delivery of equipment, such as Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles to Afghanistan.
Lieberman said Carter was the "driving force" in rushing 6,500 MRAPs to Afghanistan. That sent the message to troops that there was "someone in Washington who was working for them." Lieberman credited the vehicles with saving lives there.
Carter has met with each member of the Armed Services Committee in recent weeks to seek their support.
Former Defense secretary Robert Gates told Paste BN in an interview last week that he views Carter as the best qualified choice to lead the Pentagon.