He’s the “superhero of sequestration,” a theoretical physicist and a favorite of Republicans on Capitol Hill.
And soon, Ashton Carter is likely to be President Obama’s fourth secretary of Defense.
The veteran official is expected to be named as the replacement for Chuck Hagel at the Pentagon, with the White House singing his praises ahead of an announcement that could come any day.
The selection of Carter, a Rhodes Scholar who last served as deputy secretary of Defense, is seen as a safe choice that is likely to satisfy Republican critics of Obama’s foreign policy.
{mosads}By tapping someone with years of experience in defense policy, the president could allay concerns that Hagel’s forced resignation was an attempt to marginalize military leaders across the Potomac.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest on Tuesday praised Carter as someone who had served “ably” at the Pentagon, including a long stint as leader of the all-important weapons procurement program.
“He is somebody that does have detailed understanding of the way that the Department of Defense works,” Earnest said.
But White House officials also stressed that Carter has fans on both sides of the aisle — something that will be particularly important when Republicans take over the Senate next year.
GOP senators are expected to bombard the Defense nominee with questions about Obama’s foreign policy, particularly when it comes to the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
“I think that the next defense secretary has to be able to explain his views or her views of what the president’s policy is and how you carry out that policy,” said Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Blunt said he was impressed by Carter’s previous work at the Pentagon and that Carter was “well prepared” for a confirmation hearing.
Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) said she had “a lot of respect” for Carter and that he had “a strong resume for the position.”
And Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said that unlike Hagel — a nominee he voted against — Carter “served in the Defense Department in several other positions and has established a record of service there.”
“Look, he’s qualified. He’s been in the Pentagon, and I might ask him how much influence he thinks he’s going to have on decisionmaking, because it will be none,” McCain said.
Carter has plenty of boosters in Washington, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey, who, during a farewell ceremony last year, hailed the Oxford Ph.D. as an “uber-wonk” and a “superhero of sequestration.”
Carter helped lead the Pentagon as it put in place the $500 billion in mandatory spending cuts that will stretch over 10 years.
“It’s lucky for us that you have worked without glamour or fame behind the scenes to make sure through good management and common sense and discipline that we are an organization that continues to adapt to the challenge that we find in front of us,” Dempsey said.
“He did it all, again, without fanfare. In fact, I think he’s been called the most important, least known figure in Washington, or some language to that effect, and I agree with that.”
But Carter’s exacting standards have rubbed some the wrong way, with one former defense official characterizing him as unpopular with staff and “a diva.”
“Really has all his staff wound up right to the point they become miserable [people] to work around or with,” the former official said.
A current Defense Department official dismissed the criticism, saying Carter demands the best of himself and the people who work for him.
“I wouldn’t say diva. I would say he is a very smart man with very high standards that, as far as I could see, he followed himself,” the DOD official said.
If Carter has any detractors on Capitol Hill, they aren’t speaking out.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said Tuesday he’d “heard no criticism so far” of Carter and that he believed he was “a really solid and sound choice for that role.”
Enthusiasm for Carter’s nomination even led Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, to suggest the likely nominee’s confirmation could be dramatically accelerated and completed before the end of the lame-duck session.
“I’ve seen crazier things happen. Everyone knows him here,” Levin said.