’Israel’s’ Friend, Ashton Carter, New US War Secretary

US President Barack Obama tapped policy wonk Ashton Carter to head the sprawling Military Department Friday, heralding his new nominee as one of the US’ “foremost national security leaders.”

Ashton Carter New US War SecretaryObama announced Carter’s nomination during a ceremony at the White House. A Pentagon veteran who is seen as a centrist, Carter is expected to be easily confirmed by the Senate, putting him at the helm of a department moving back into military conflict in the Middle East even as it grapples with budget cuts.
The leadership shake-up at the Pentagon marks the only major change Obama has made to his national security team during his second term.

While White House officials haven’t fully ruled out other changes, Obama appears highly unlikely to replace national security adviser Susan Rice or White House chief of staff Denis McDonough, who plays a significant role in foreign policy decision-making.

In discussing the Pentagon post with Carter, Obama said he emphasized the need “to make smart choices, precisely because there are so many challenges out there.”

Carter would replace Chuck Hagel, who resigned last week after a bumpy tenure.
Hagel did not attend Friday’s event. A military official said the outgoing secretary did not want to distract from Carter’s nomination, though the two men did speak by phone Friday.

In brief remarks Friday, Carter signaled that he would not shy away from expressing his opinion in his new role.
Carter is known for his support to the Zionist entity. His first official trip to “Israel” was in 2013. Carter met with “Israeli” War minister Moshe Ya’alon,
He further told “Israeli” soldiers that “protecting America means protecting “Israel”, and that’s why we’re here in the first place.”

In 2004, Carter wrote an article for Foreign Affairs proposing that US strategy be applied to an effort to stop production of fissile material. To that end, he called for “establishing a clear US strategy – diplomatic at first, but coercive if necessary – for the complete and verifiable elimination of Iran’s and North Korea’s nuclear programs.”

In the same article, Carter also accused a “distracted” Bush administration of having “left the initiative for curbing Iran’s evident nuclear ambitions to two groups that failed to support the Iraq invasion: the Europeans and the UN.”