Ashton Carter, a hard-charging intellectual known for blunt talk, has been confirmed as US Defence Secretary.
The Senate - by a vote of 93 to five - overwhelmingly approved Carter, an accomplished defence technocrat with degrees in medieval history and theoretical physics.
But at his confirmation hearing last week, Carter signalled an independent streak, venturing beyond the White House's stated policy on Ukraine and promising a fresh look at troop withdrawal plans in Afghanistan.
He could soon find himself at odds with a White House that clashed with previous Pentagon chiefs.
Obama welcomed the Senate's swift confirmation of Carter's nomination.
"With his decades of experience, Ash will help keep our military strong as we continue the fight against terrorist networks, modernise our alliances, and invest in new capabilities to keep our armed forces prepared for long-term threats," Obama said in a statement on Thursday (local time).
Carter has gained a reputation as a bona-fide expert on hi-tech weapons and defence budgets, portraying himself as a reformer determined to shake up the Pentagon's vast bureaucracy.
But much of his time will be taken up with a new war against extremists in the Middle East, with the US leading an open-ended bombing campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.
He also will have to contend with upheaval in Yemen, Iran's nuclear ambitions, a resurgent Russia that has rattled eastern European allies, and an expanding Chinese military that could jeopardise the US Navy's dominance in the Pacific.
Carter's nomination encountered negligible opposition and he sailed through to confirmation with bipartisan support.
"I think Dr Carter will be a good secretary of defence," but "I must candidly express concern about the task that faces Dr Carter, and the limited influence he may have", said Republican Senator John McCain, a hawk who has slammed Obama over his handling of the military.
Two previous Pentagon chiefs to serve in the Obama administration, Robert Gates and Leon Panetta, bitterly complained of White House "micro-management" and meddling.
Carter will not be prepared to simply rubber stamp White House decisions, said Stephen Biddle, a professor at George Washington University who befriended Carter while at Harvard.
"I'm sure he'll want to be an architect and not just a carpenter," Biddle said.
The new Pentagon chief will take the helm as congress takes up a proposal from Obama to back the use of military force against the IS jihadists, and as the White House weighs proposals from commanders to slow the pace of a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Carter replaces Chuck Hagel, who resigned under pressure in November. Hagel has acknowledged the White House was frustrated that he would not move faster on decisions to transfer some inmates out of the US-run prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
AFPsource: newshub archive
