Ash Carter staying at Pentagon
Ashton Carter, the deputy secretary of defense, will stay in his position, Foreign Policy’s National Security channel has learned. "Ash Carter plans to stay at the Pentagon at the President’s request," a senior administration official emails us. "He’s doing an outstanding job for Secretary Panetta and has been a friend of Senator Hagel for years. ...
Ashton Carter, the deputy secretary of defense, will stay in his position, Foreign Policy's National Security channel has learned.
Ashton Carter, the deputy secretary of defense, will stay in his position, Foreign Policy’s National Security channel has learned.
"Ash Carter plans to stay at the Pentagon at the President’s request," a senior administration official emails us. "He’s doing an outstanding job for Secretary Panetta and has been a friend of Senator Hagel for years. Carter is playing a key role in the transition process in getting Hagel up to speed on Defense Department issues as he prepares for the confirmation process. Wendy Anderson, Carter’s chief of staff, has also known Hagel for a long time and is part of the transition team. For this and other reasons, Pentagon insiders see a smooth, seamless handover from Panetta and Hagel after Hagel is confirmed."
Carter was rumored to be in line for a Cabinet post, either as defense secretary or as energy secretary. As the Pentagon’s former "weapons buyer," he is widely viewed as the top government official on defense spending and procurement issues. His continuance gives Obama — and Hagel — a resource in managing the lingering budget fight with Congress.
On Thursday, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said a "perfect storm" of budgetary uncertainty faced the Pentagon, due to the continuing resolution funding fiscal 2013, the sequester threat in March, and the unresolved debt ceiling crisis. Carter will be front and center with Hagel to weather that storm.
For more, see Gordon Lubold’s Friday edition of the Situation Report.
Kevin Baron is a former staff writer at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @FPBaron
More from Foreign Policy

America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose
Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.

The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy
The reality of fighting Hamas in Gaza makes this war terrible one way or another.

Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now
In tying Washington to Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. president now shares responsibility for the broader conflict’s fate.

Taiwan’s Room to Maneuver Shrinks as Biden and Xi Meet
As the latest crisis in the straits wraps up, Taipei is on the back foot.