Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Defense Secretary Nominee Ashton Carter, the Right Choice for Our Continuous Wars

President Obama’s nomination of Ashton Carter for Secretary of Defense replacing Chuck Hagel is not good news for those of us who yearn for world peace and an end of war.

In light of 13 years of continuous war with no end in sight, the advent of a warmongering Republican controlled Congress, a Defense Secretary nominee described as “hawkish,” Carter’s confirmation is guaranteed.


Carter is “in many ways the flip side of Chuck Hagel.” He is different from former secretaries and will be a strong advocate of using military force.

Carter, born in 1954, came-of-age after the Vietnam War and outside of the Department of Defense has never served in the military.

In comparison, Chuck Hagel, a twice-wounded Vietnam War veteran, is the first secretary to have spent all of his military service as an enlisted soldier. Because of his Vietnam experience, he vowed to “do what [he] could to stop wars.”

But that’s something Carter has no intention of pursuing. Especially if he’s to be confirmed and if confirmed, he wants to keep his job as Secretary of Defense.

Ashton Carter, a Democrat, will be in good company with Republican hawks such as Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham. Carter has said that In Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and the world today, I think we need to recognize that the United States is necessary, but we must use sufficient force to “affect the policy objective we’re seeking.” This is exactly the sentiment of McCain, Graham, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

He will be a Pentagon chief with expertise in budgeting and procurement, which is great for the war industries but not for the rest of us.

Copyright © 2014 Horatio Green