For the US Defense Secretary Nominee, a Lack of Veteran’s Scars is Not the Point

In 2011, Ashton B. Carter rose to the position of deputy secretary of defense. As a bookish technocrat, in the past half-decade his primary political achievements have been his relatively successful management of the army’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and the allocation of funds to where they were most needed at a time when the military faced significant budget cuts.

On Dec. 5, U.S. President Barack Obama announced his nomination of Carter for the post of defense secretary. He is to replace Chuck Hagel, who recently announced his own retirement. If the nomination is approved, the 60-year-old Carter will become the fourth defense secretary to serve under President Obama.

Carter “knows the Department of Defense inside and out.” Having donned the mantle of undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics in April 2009, he was promoted to deputy secretary of defense in 2011, and following Leon Panetta’s resignation in 2013, became a likely candidate to compete against Hagel. In the past half-decade, Carter’s primary political achievements have been his relatively successful management of the army’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and the allocation of funds to where they were most needed at a time when the military faced significant budget cuts.

In Obama’s assessment, Carter is firm, decisive, intelligent and capable, well-equipped to handle the complex security challenges that the nation faces. At the same time, he is known to be cautious and prudent, and in previous postings has consistently stayed within his bounds. Carter particularly concerns himself with the construction of U.S. missile defense systems and has in the past advocated taking more hardline measures against North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons, a stance that is not so dissimilar to those of the more hawkish Republicans. Next to other democratic candidates, therefore, his nomination will not as likely run aground against stiff opposition. In filling the most important office to be reshuffled following the post-midterm elections, Carter would certainly serve a political mission of substantial import.

The president’s most desired traits in his top advisers are intelligence, obedience and political savvy. In the coming two years, Carter’s greatest challenge will be how to pursue Obama’s policies in such a way that they retain their teeth. With a good head for “the game,” one can expect him to give a fair performance.

On Asia-Pacific policy, Carter actively supports the administration’s “pivot to Asia” strategy, but given his style, he will not be likely to package his own opinions more prettily than the president’s as Hillary Clinton did, nor will he resemble Hagel in feeling that his personal views are more sound. The next two years will see increased military deployments, an avoidance of unwanted involvements, a more judicious application of military pressure and the pursuit of peace through “drawing lines.” This sort of rebalancing strategy will allow the more technically-inclined Carter to truly get his feet wet.

And as a technocrat, Carter’s advantage is that he will not become overly involved in the various doings of Obama’s core team, albeit at the expense of not being a member of Obama’s most trusted inner circle. The post of defense secretary is a position of heavy responsibility, and working with a strong national security advisor in Susan Rice will not be easy. But at the same time, as more of a scientist with no real war experience, implementing the cabinet’s decisions as practical policy while preserving their original spirit will be an even greater challenge.

Shi Zehua (Associate Professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University)