Outgoing U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel met with the nominee to succeed him on Thursday and discussed wide-ranging issues facing the department, an official said.
It marked the first time Hagel has met with former Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter since President Barack Obama named Carter last month to take over as defense secretary. Since the nomination, Carter has undergone back surgery.
Thursday’s meeting means that Cater has recovered and kicked off preparations to take over the Pentagon. His nomination has yet to be endorsed by the Senate, but the widespread view is that he would have little problem passing the confirmation hearing.
“Secretary Hagel met at the Pentagon this afternoon with Dr. Ashton Carter as Dr. Carter begins to prepare for the confirmation process,” Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said. “This was the first face-to-face meeting between Secretary Hagel and Dr. Carter since Dr. Carter’s nomination as the next secretary of defense.”
Carter has had three stints at the Pentagon, most recently as deputy secretary from 2011 to 2013. Though he has no military experience, Carter has a good reputation and his nomination is unlikely to face strong opposition from the Senate.
He is considered a hawk on North Korea issues.
In 2006, he openly called for a preemptive strike on a North Korean long-range missile that was being readied for a test-launch, claiming that the risk of inaction in the face of North Korea’s race to threaten the U.S. would be greater than the risk associated with a preemptive strike. (Yonhap)
