'Ash' Carter: SECDEF lean

Deputy Defense Secretary Robert “Bob” Work traveled to Afghanistan to visit U.S. service members during the Thanksgiving holiday, It was his second trip since being named deputy to outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel – and third overall. Hagel has resigned as the Obama Administration’s third SECDEF in six years. Work is among a handful of potential replacements. Among others are Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, former Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, former Mississippi governor and current Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. (Source: Politico, 11/26/14) Gulf Coast Shipbuilding Note: Work, who could serve in an acting capacity, was undersecretary of the Navy from 2009-13 and is considered a leading sea power expert and has advocated for the Littoral Combat Ship program. Mobile, Ala., shipyard Austal USA is one of the two builders of LCS. Mabus has recently attracted scrutiny for spending nearly $5 million on travel around the world. 2nd Gulf Coast Shipbuilding Note: President Obama has selected Ashton B. ‘Ash’ Carter to be the next defense secretary, senior White House officials said Dec. 2, elevating the physicist and former DOD chief weapons buyer to succeed Chuck Hagel. As a former deputy defense secretary, Carter helped accelerate the production and shipment of weaponry and armored vehicles to American troops during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Carter’s formal nomination is expected in the next few days, aides said. He is the only one of several top prospects who did not take himself out of the running for the job. Jeh Johnson – a contentious figure among Obama’s supporters on the political left - took his name out of play Dec. 1. (Source: NY Times, 12/03/14)