US President Barack Obama has nominated Ashton Carter to be his new Secretary of Defense.
If confirmed, he will be the President's 4th Defense Secretary in the last six years.
He'll follow outgoing Republican Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who recently resigned following reported clashes with the Obama Administration.
Ashton Carter is less well known publicly than many of his predecessors, but he's had a long career within the Pentagon, working in various capacities under eleven previous Secretaries of Defense.
Mr. Carter's nomination is expected to pass smoothly through the Republican-held Congress.
But once confirmed, the new Defense Secretary will face a number of challenges, as the US battles ISIS and global terrorism, the Ebola epidemic, as well as budgetary challenges on the homefront.
President Barack Obama announced Ashton Carter's nomination.
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President Obama said the incoming Secretary of Defense will face many national security challenges.
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Defense Secretary Nominee Ashton Carter promised the President his complete candor.
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OUT: "...military advice."
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