Ashton Carter, a hard-charging intellectual known for blunt talk, was confirmed as US secretary of Defense on Thursday, and he could soon find himself at odds with a White House that clashed with previous Pentagon chiefs.
The US Senate — by a vote of 93 to five — overwhelmingly approved Carter, an accomplished defense technocrat with degrees in medieval history and theoretical physics.
However, at his confirmation hearing last week, Carter signaled an independent streak, venturing beyond the White House’s stated policy on Ukraine and promising a fresh look at troop withdrawal plans in Afghanistan.
Photo: AFP
His comments provoked a quick response from a White House known for its penchant for exerting tight control. Spokesman Josh Earnest said any decision on arming Ukraine’s army or other issues would be up to the “commander-in-chief” and not Carter.
Obama welcomed the Senate’s swift confirmation of Carter’s nomination.
“With his decades of experience, Ash will help keep our military strong as we continue the fight against terrorist networks, modernize our alliances and invest in new capabilities to keep our armed forces prepared for long-term threats,” Obama said in a statement.
Carter has gained a reputation as a bona fide expert on high-tech weapons and defense budgets, portraying himself as a reformer determined to shake up the Pentagon’s vast bureaucracy.
However, much of his time is expected to be taken up with a new war against extremists in the Middle East, with the US leading an open-ended bombing campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.
He would also have to contend with upheaval in Yemen, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, a resurgent Russia that has rattled Eastern European allies and an expanding Chinese military that could jeopardize the US Navy’s dominance in the Pacific.
Two previous Pentagon chiefs to serve in the Obama administration, Robert Gates and Leon Panetta, bitterly complained of White House “micro-management” and meddling. Gates has referred to “the increasing desire of the White House to control and manage every aspect of military affairs.”
The new Pentagon chief will take the helm as US Congress takes up a proposal from Obama to back the use of military force against Islamic State militants, and as the White House weighs proposals from commanders to slow the pace of a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
With Iraqi forces preparing for a counter-offensive against militants later this year, Carter could soon face a request from senior officers to deploy US forward air controllers in combat to help guide air strikes. That move would undercut Obama’s promise not to put US “boots on the ground.”
Carter replaces Chuck Hagel, who resigned under pressure in November last year. Hagel has acknowledged the White House was frustrated that he would not move faster on decisions to transfer some inmates out of the US-run prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Asked if he would resist White House pressure to release Guantanamo inmates if he thought they would rejoin extremists, Carter told senators: “As in everything else I do, I’ll play it absolutely straight.”
However, Carter’s hands might be tied by legislation that imposes automatic budget cuts, including across-the-board reductions for the Pentagon. The top brass has urged Congress to scrap the “sequester” rules, but in the meantime, Carter would have to plan for strict limits on defense spending next year.
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS