Washington, D.C. ­– U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today released the following statement on the nomination of Dr. Ashton Carter to serve as Secretary of Defense:

“Dr. Ashton Carter is a highly competent, experienced, hard-working, and committed public servant. Throughout Dr. Carter’s previous tenure at the Pentagon, I have worked closely with him on a number of issues, including defense acquisition reform.

“However, I hope that Dr. Carter fully understands that – as previous Secretaries of Defense have strongly attested – he will likely have limited influence over the tight circle around the president who apparently control the entire strategic decision-making process. As former Secretaries Bob Gates and Leon Panetta recently suggested, the next Secretary of Defense may also be subject to incessant micro-management by the White House on a level not seen since the Vietnam War. These are serious challenges which will face the next leader of the Department of Defense, piled on top of the myriad challenges confronting American military readiness here at home and our nation’s security across the world.

“I look forward to Dr. Carter's confirmation hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee next year, which will provide a valuable opportunity to fully ventilate all of issues around this Administration's feckless foreign policy, and its grave consequences for the safety and security of our nation.”

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