President Barack Obama, left, looking to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, right, as he talks about his resignation. The friction between the president and the Pentagon has been particularly pronounced during his six years in office, and seems to be affecting his ability to find a replacement for Hagel. Previous Pentagon chiefs have criticized Obama’s efforts to micromanage the Pentagon and centralize decision-making in the White House.WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama plans to announce his pick Friday to lead the Pentagon amid the threat from Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, the White House said.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest would not say whom Obama has selected, but administration officials have said former Pentagon official Ashton Carter is expected to replace Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.
Hagel resigned last month under pressure from the president. He is staying on until his successor is confirmed by the Senate.
Other tough issues facing the next defense secretary include Russia’s continued provocations in Ukraine, tensions between the White House and Defense Department over closing the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detention center, concerns at the Pentagon over the impact of deep spending cuts, responding to the Ebola outbreak in Africa and addressing reports of sexual assault in the military.
Carter, 60, was deputy defense secretary from 2011-2013 and previously was the Pentagon’s technology and weapons-buying chief. He has extensive knowledge of the inner workings of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. He has bachelor’s degrees in physics and medieval history from Yale University and received his doctorate in theoretical physics from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He has served on the advisory boards of MIT’s Lincoln Laboratories and the Draper Laboratory.