US President Barack Obama names Ashton Carter his new defense secretary
The US President has officially nominated long-serving Pentagon official Ashton Carter to be the next secretary of defense.
The news comes after several days’ speculation that the announcement would be made. The Associated Press reported that Carter would replace current secretary Chuck Hagel, back on Tuesday.
Hagel handed in his resignation last week.
It is expected that Carter will join the department in dealing with the effects of the budget sequester that caused cuts for various defense programs.