Coats Statement on Nomination of Dr. Ashton Carter as Defense Secretary

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Dan Coats (R-Ind.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, released the following statement on President Barack Obama’s nomination of Dr. Ashton Carter to replace Chuck Hagel as the secretary of defense:

“I welcome this nomination and believe it is a good choice. As the former deputy secretary of defense, Ashton Carter understands the inner workings of the Pentagon and the demanding requirements of this important national security position. My concern is that Carter’s experience and well-respected credentials will be squandered by micromanagers in the White House. The president’s indecisive and flawed strategies to address recent crises have put our military and national security in an unsustainable position. As the Senate considers Carter’s nomination, my hope is that he will put forth a candid assessment of the serious issues we face.”

On Thursday, Coats spoke on the Senate floor about his past work with Dr. Carter on a 2008 Bipartisan Policy Center report entitled Meeting the Challenge: U.S. Policy Toward Iranian Nuclear Development. Video of Coats’ remarks is available here.

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