U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter Admits That The Pentagon's Mosul Briefing Was A Mistake

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter testifies before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2016 on Capitol Hill in Washington March 3, 2015. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

Reuters: U.S. military's Mosul briefing inaccurate, misguided, Carter says

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. military official who briefed news media about Iraq's upcoming offensive to retake Mosul provided inaccurate information but should never have publicly discussed war plans anyway, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Tuesday.

Carter's criticism of the February news briefing by an official from the U.S. military's Central Command was accompanied by an assurance from the top U.S. military officer to Congress that the matter was subject to an internal inquiry.

Update: Pentagon calls Mosul briefing a mistake by CentCom -- AP

WNU Editor: It was not only a mistake, but it was a disaster. Telling your enemy on what are your military plans and strategies .... and then admitting a few days later that they are not feasible .... words completely escape me.

A New Leadership At The Pentagon

Philip Ewing, Politico: The Pentagon's new whiz kids

“It’s a dream team of wonkiness, and I am thrilled," says Sen. Claire McCaskill.

For decades, Defense Department policy wonks have sought to run the Pentagon more efficiently, especially in the acquisition of budget-busting hardware. But their efforts haven’t always been supported by colleagues from the political or military brass.

WNU Editor: They have their work cut out for them. Sequestration is going to hit the Pentagon budget again .... and finding the monies necessary to fund the Pentagon and determining what programs are going to be cut (or not) is going to be a challenge.

Ash Carter Confirmed As U.S. Defense Secretary

Ashton Carter was confirmed Thursday as the new secretary of the Defense Department. Photo: Reuters

Bloomberg: Senate Confirms Ashton Carter as Obama's Fourth Pentagon Chief

The Senate voted to confirm Ashton Carter as the 25th U.S. secretary of defense, giving President Barack Obama his fourth Pentagon chief in six years at a time of turmoil from Iraq to Ukraine.

Carter, 60, a physicist and veteran Pentagon official, was approved, 93-5, on Thursday in a show of support from both political parties. The smooth confirmation contrasted with the fight over his predecessor, departing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who stumbled over policy questions at his confirmation hearing and later had a falling out with White House aides that led to his departure.

More News On Ash Carter Being Confirmed As The Newest U.S. Secretary of Defense

Senate confirms Ashton B. Carter as secretary of defense -- Washington Post
Senate Confirms Obama's Pick for Pentagon Chief -- ABC News/AP
Senate Confirms Ashton Carter as Defense Secretary -- WSJ
Ashton Carter confirmed as next secretary of defense, 93-5 -- Stars and Stripes
Senate votes in Ash Carter to be Defense Secretary -- CNN
US Senate Approves Ashton Carter as New Pentagon Chief -- VOA
Senate confirms new Pentagon chief -- The Hill
Senate Confirms Ashton Carter as Secretary of Defense -- Newsweek
Ashton Carter confirmed by Senate as US defense secretary -- The Guardian
Ash Carter confirmed as defense secretary -- Politico
Senate makes Ashton Carter Pentagon chief -- Deutsche Welle

The U.S. Defense Secretary Nominee Supports Arming The Ukrainian Military

New York Times: Defense Nominee Says He Would Consider More U.S. Military Aid to Ukraine

WNU Editor: The White House disagrees .... White House disagrees with Carter on arms to Ukraine (Washington Times)

More News On The U.S. Defense Secretary Nominee Stating His Support For Arming The Ukrainian Military

Obama's Pentagon nominee suggests support for arming Ukraine -- Reuters
Ukraine crisis: Pentagon 'chief' inclined to send weapons -- BBC
Nominee to Head Pentagon Backs 'Lethal Aid' to Ukraine -- Voice of America
U.S. Defense Nominee Leans Toward Arms for Ukraine in Fight -- Wall Street Journal
Defense Nominee Carter Says He Supports Sending Arms to Ukraine -- Bloomberg
US defense sec. nominee 'inclined' to arm Ukraine, defends ISIS strategy -- RT
Obama's defense pick says he leans toward arming Ukraine against rebels -- Al Jazeera

President Obama Officially Nominates Ashton Carter To Be The Next U.S. Secretary Of Defense

Obama Nominates Ash Carter To Lead Defense, Hagel Not At Ceremony -- CNN

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama will announce Friday that Ash Carter is his pick to replace outgoing-Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, the White House confirms.

"With a record of service that has spanned more than 30 years, Ash is quietly regarded as one of our nation's foremost national security leaders," Obama said Friday from the White House's Roosevelt Room, with Carter standing by his side.

Carter himself said that it was an "honor and a privilege" to be nominated.

"If confirmed in this job, I pledge to you my most candid, strategic advice. I pledge also that you will receive equally candid military advice," Carter said.

Read more ....

More News On President Obama Officially Nominating Ashton Carter To Be The Next U.S. Secretary Of Defense

Text of President Obama's Remarks on Nominating Ashton Carter as Defense Secretary -- VOA
Obama nominates Ashton Carter for Pentagon chief -- Reuters
Hagel Doesn’t Attend Ceremony As Obama Taps New Defense Secretary Nominee -- CBS/AP
Obama nominates new DOD chief -- The Hill
Obama Picks Carter for Pentagon as Hagel Avoids Ceremony -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Obama names Ashton Carter as new defence chief -- France 24/AFP
Hagel skips White House ceremony -- The Hill
Obama Announces Ash Carter As Next Defense Secretary -- Time
Ashton Carter, passed over before, gets picked by Obama to be defense secretary -- Washington Post
Ashton Carter officially nominated as new Secretary of Defense -- Al.com
Obama names Ashton Carter to succeed Hagel at Pentagon -- FOX News/EFE
Carter vows candid advice as defense secretary -- Stars and Stripes
Top generals James Mattis and John Allen offer praise for Ashton Carter -- Washington Post
Defense Nominee: Ashton Carter terrific choice but will Obama listen to him? -- K.T. McFarland, FOX News
Ashton Carter’s advantages as defense secretary -- Jena McGregor, Washington Post

President Obama To Announce His New Defense Secretary Nominee Tomorrow

Obama To Announce Defense Secretary Nominee Friday -- CBS

President Obama will announce his nominee for the next Defense Secretary at the White House on Friday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Thursday.

The nominee is expected to be former Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, who became the sole focus of White House efforts to fill the post earlier this week.

If nominated and confirmed by the Senate to replace outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who resigned last month, Carter would be President Obama's fourth secretary of defense.

Read more ....

Update: Obama to Name Next US Defense Secretary Friday: White House -- Sputnik

My Comment: Everyone is still expecting Ashton Carter to be nominated .... Ash Carter Likely Pick for Next US Defense Secretary (The Diplomat).

Is Ashton Carter The Next U.S. Secretary of Defense. Or A False Story?

An Italian journalist created a fake Twitter account in the name of likely US Defense Secretary nominee Ashton Carter on Tuesday, fooling reporters and bringing a torrent of phone calls to the White House and the Pentagon

White House Won't Confirm Nomination Of Former Pentagon Official Ashton Carter As Defense Secretary After A FAKE Twitter Account Broke News Of His Selection -- Daily Mail

* White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest refused to say if Carter would be the next secretary of defense
* An Italian journalist-hoaxer had claimed to be the former deputy secretary and tweeted about a nonexistent phone call from President Barack Obama
* Tommasso Debenedetti has a history of fooling media into publishing fake interviews with famous authors and has fake-tweeted as world leaders
* Obama is believed to be preparing to name Carter as his next defense secretary, replacing the embattled Chuck Hagel
* Carter has never served in the active military but emerged as a front-runner after several of the most logical picks said they didn't want the job

The Obama administration went into bunker mode on Tuesday after news leaked that the president had selected former Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter as his next Pentagon chief.

An Italian Internet hoaxer created a fake Twitter account in Carter's name Tuesday morning and tweeted that he had gotten the job. And two major news outlets claimed to have inside information that the Carter pick was a done deal.

But White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest was tight-lipped in his press briefing.

'What I can tell you is – not much,' he told reporters. 'Mr. Carter is obviously somebody who has generated a lot of headlines today.'

Read more ....

Update: Pentagon Won’t Confirm Ashton Carter is Next Defense Secretary -- DoD Buzz

My Comment: After Michele Flournoy announced that she did not want the job .... Ashton Carter was (and is) my #2 pick. I still expect President Obama to nominate him in the few days/weeks, and I do expect the new U.S. Senate to approve his nomination at the beginning of 2015.

Former Pentagon Second-in-Command Ashton Carter To Be Nominated As U.S. Defense Secretary

Obama Settles on Ashton Carter as Defense Secretary, Officials Say -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — President Obama has settled on Ashton B. Carter to be the next defense secretary, senior administration officials said on Tuesday, but is not prepared to announce the move because the White House has not completed its vetting of him.

A former deputy defense secretary with a long history at the Pentagon — though no uniformed military service — Mr. Carter was on a short list of prospective defense secretaries from the moment that Chuck Hagel announced his resignation, under pressure, on Nov. 24.

Mr. Obama is not expected to formally announce Mr. Carter as his pick on Monday or Tuesday, but may do so by the end of the week, an administration official said.

Read more ....

More News On Ashton Carter To Be Nominated As U.S. Defense Secretary

Obama expected to nominate Ashton Carter to lead Pentagon: sources -- Reuters
Ashton Carter to be nominated as next defense secretary -- Washington Post
President Obama Plans to Nominate Ashton Carter as Next Defense Secretary -- ABC News
Ashton Carter to be nominated as Defense secretary -- L.A. Times
Senior GOP senator: Obama has chosen Ashton Carter as nominee to be next defense secretary -- UT San Diego/AP
Ex-Pentagon official Carter emerges as leading contender for secretary, amid confusion over pick -- FOX News
Tough Battles Face Ashton Carter, Obama's Reported Pentagon Pick -- US News and World Report
Ashton Carter Likely Choice as Next Defense Secretary Nominee -- NBC
Carter Emerges as Frontrunner for Defense Secretary Nomination -- Military.com
Carter 'leading candidate' to be next Defense secretary -- USA Today
Obama Expected To Pick Ash Carter, Says Report -- Defense One
Former Pentagon Second-in-Command May Become New US Defense Chief: Reports -- Sputnik
Obama appoints Ashton Carter as Pentagon chief -- RT
Ashton Carter: Defense Job Would Raise His Profile -- ABC News
Obama’s pick to lead the Pentagon is big on cybersecurity -- Andrea Peterson, Washington Post
Ashton Carter, presumed defense secretary nominee, has a long history with military technology -- Washington Post
Who Is Ashton Carter? A Look at Obama’s Leading Defense Secretary Candidate -- Wall Street Journal
Obama Leans Toward Tapping a Retread to Run the Pentagon -- Mark Thompson, Time
What to know about Ashton Carter -- Boston Globe
The Pentagon's Top Technocrat -- Bloomberg editorial

BREAKING NEWS: Ashton Carter To Be Named As The New U.S. Secretary Of Defense

Meet Chuck Hagel's Expected Replacement As Defense Secretary -- CNN

Washington (CNN) -- Ashton Carter, the former second-in-command at the Pentagon appears to be the top choice to replace outgoing Secretary Chuck Hagel.

Barring any last minute complications, Ash Carter will be President Barack Obama's choice as the new Secretary of Defense, several U.S. administration officials told CNN.

An administration official had said that Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, a former General Counsel at the Pentagon, was also still on the list of possibilities, but on Tuesday morning, sources said Johnson was no longer being considered. The prospect of an additional confirmation hearing for Johnson's replacement if he were to move to the Pentagon as the Senate switches to Republican control would have been problematic for the White House.

Read more ....

My Comment: No surprise on this selection. After former defense official Michele Flournoy dropped out .... Ashton Carter was number two on the list. And I am also predicting that there will be little if any opposition from the US Senate when he is confirmed.

This story will be updated later today.