DEFENSE LEADERS FROM U.S. AND SAUDI ARABIA MEET OVER SECURITY ISSUES

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Right:  Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Saudi Arabian Defense Minister Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud say their mutual farewells in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, July 22, 2015. The two leaders met and spoke about issues of mutual importance. DoD photo by Army Sgt. 1st Class Clydell Kinchen.  

Carter, Saudi Leaders Discuss Security, New Challenges
By Cheryl Pellerin
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2015 – Defense Secretary Ash Carter had “exceptionally substantive” meetings with Saudi Arabia’s king and defense minister on regional security issues and new challenges, he said yesterday in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia.

The secretary is in the Middle East on a weeklong trip to Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

Carter met in Jeddah with King and Prime Minister Salman bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud, Defense Minister Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud and others. He later briefed reporters about the discussions.

Closer Relations

“We really rolled up our sleeves on the topics … discussed at the [U.S.-Gulf Cooperation Council] Camp David summit in May,” Carter said, adding that the reason for his visit was to follow up on commitments by all countries at the summit to build closer relations in fields that include defense and security cooperation.

Carter characterized the U.S.-Saudi relationship as one that is longstanding and faces new challenges in the region.

“The two new challenges that preoccupy both the United States and Saudi Arabia today are, first of all, Iran and its malign activities in the region and potential for aggression. And No. 2, [the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant] and other forms of violent extremism in the region,” the secretary said.

Iran, ISIL

The leaders discussed Iran and ISIL along with regional issues of concern involving Yemen, Syria, Iraq, and others, Carter said. They also talked about several capabilities the United States and Saudi Arabia work on together “to bolster our joint deterrent and response capabilities in the Gulf region,” he added, including special operations and other ground forces, maritime and air forces, cyber forces, ballistic missile defense forces and others.

“We'll have an opportunity to follow up on many of these issues, both with President Obama with the king, when the king visits the United States in the fall,” Carter said, adding that he invited the defense minister to the United States in association with the king's visit or at another time.

Regional Security

The secretary said both the king and the defense minister reiterated their support for the Iranian nuclear deal.

Carter said the leaders also discussed strengthening training and other kinds of planning.

On Yemen, the secretary said they talked about the need that both the Saudis and the U.S. shares for a political settlement to the problem. "That's the way to keep the peace," he said. "That's the way to restore the humanitarian situation there. They see that as we see that: as the key.”

DEFENSE SECRETARY CARTER WILL DISCUSS RUSSIA, SOUTHERN THREATS WHILE IN EUROPE

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Right:  U.S. Defense Attaché to Germany Army Col. Greg Broecker, left, greets U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter as he arrives in Berlin while German Army Lt. Col. Frank Gaebel, center, a representative from the German Defense Ministry looks on, June 21, 2015. Carter plans to meet with European defense ministers and participate in his first NATO ministerial as defense secretary during the trip to Germany, Estonia and Belgium. DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz.  
Carter Arrives in Europe to Discuss Russia, Southern Threats
By Jim Garamone
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, June 22, 2015 – The challenges to NATO from Russia and on the alliance’s southern flank will be the focus of Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s trip to the continent this week.

Carter arrived in Berlin yesterday for talks with the German defense minister. From Germany, he will travel to Estonia and then end his trip at the NATO defense ministerial in Brussels.

Yesterday, the secretary spoke to reporters traveling with him.

NATO is Changing

The secretary said NATO must, and is, changing to confront the new threats. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggressive behavior in Georgia and Ukraine must be countered, and further aggression must be deterred, he said.

The secretary said he’ll explain America’s “strong but balanced approach” to dealing with Russia.

“It's strong, in the sense that we are cognizant of the needs to deter and be prepared to respond to Russian aggression, if it occurs, around the world, but also especially in NATO and with NATO,” Carter told reporters.

NATO is countering Russian behavior with the Spearhead Force designed to move quickly and powerfully to the scene of an incident, the secretary said.

“Another part of that is helping the states, both NATO members and non-NATO members, at the periphery of Russia … to harden themselves to malign influence or destabilization of the kind that Russia has fomented in eastern Ukraine,” he said.

Adapting to Challenges

The balance comes from needing to work with Russia on other issues, Carter said. Russia is a part of the P5-plus-1 talks with Iran. Russia also has a role in countering terrorism.

In short, Russia’s interests do in some areas align with those of the rest of the world, the secretary said.

“The United States, at least, continues to hold out the prospect that Russia -- maybe not under Vladimir Putin, but maybe some time in the future -- will return to a forward-moving course rather than a backward-looking course,” Carter said.

Southern Europe is threatened by extremism, the secretary said, noting that NATO defense ministers will discuss this threat. The dangers of extremism in the Middle East, he said, is manifested by increasing streams of refugees seeking to escape ungoverned or poorly governed areas of North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.

“In both of those areas NATO needs to, and is, adapting,” Carter said. “These are challenges that are different in kind from the old Fulda Gap, Cold War challenge. They are different in their own ways from Afghanistan and the kinds of things that we've been doing there. So it's new, but NATO … is adapting for both of them.”

DEFENSE SECRETARY CARTER, UAE CROWN PRINCE AL NAHYAN DISCUSS DEFENSE

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Right:  U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, left, meets with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates to discuss the U.S.-UAE bilateral defense relationship and other issues in Washington, D.C., April 20, 2015.  DoD photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Clydell Kinchen. 

Carter, UAE Crown Prince Discuss Bilateral Defense Relationship
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2015 – Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates discussed the U.S.-UAE bilateral defense relationship and other issues during a meeting here yesterday, according to a Defense Department statement.

Carter emphasized the importance of the U.S.-UAE strategic partnership and reiterated both countries’ shared commitment to ensuring a stable and secure Middle East, the statement said.

The secretary also lauded bilateral security cooperation between the two countries and commended the UAE's efforts to work with the United States to expand regional military collaboration, according to the statement.

The meeting ended with a discussion of regional issues, including the Gulf Cooperation Council-led air campaign in Yemen, the coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and ongoing regional negotiations.

FACING CHALLENGES: THE U.S. DOD SHIFT TO ASIA-PACIFIC

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Right:  Defense Secretary Ash Carter speaks with Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III at U.S. Pacific Command headquarters at Camp Smith, Hawaii April 12, 2015. Three days later, Locklear joined other Defense Department leaders on Capitol Hill for a hearing on maintaining the U.S. military’s technological edge. DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Sean Hurt.  

Asia-Pacific Shift Creates Opportunities, Security Needs
By Cheryl Pellerin
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, April 15, 2015 – The Defense Department’s ongoing rebalance to the thriving Asia-Pacific region comes with many opportunities and a few pressing requirements: to upgrade security relationships, maintain specific military capabilities and redouble efforts to boost U.S. technological superiority, defense officials said today.

Christine Wormuth, undersecretary of defense for policy, testified before the House Armed Services Committee on implications for aspects of the department’s Asia-Pacific rebalance of losing military technological superiority.
Joining the undersecretary were Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, and Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, commander of U.S. Forces Korea.

The past seven years have been a time of tremendous change and opportunity for the Asia-Pacific region, Wormuth told the panel.

“As nations there rise and become more prosperous,” she said, “it's created a lot of opportunity at the same time that dynamism in the region has created a much more complex security environment in which we are now operating.”
Challenges in the Region

The department faces several challenges in the region, including those that come from China, she said.

“China's very rapid military modernization, its opaque defense budget, its actions in space and cyberspace and its behavior in places like the East and South China Seas,” she added, raise serious questions for the department.

China's expanding interests are a natural part of its rise, Wormuth said, but its behavior in the maritime domain, for example, has created friction for its neighbors.

“The government's efforts to incrementally advance its claims in the East and South China Seas and its extensive land reclamation activities, particularly the prospect of further militarizing those outposts, are very concerning to us,” she said.

China and North Korea

The United States and China are not allies, but they don’t have to be adversaries, Wormuth added, noting that the department is speaking with China about its concerning actions and about activities to improve understanding, especially through military-to-military engagement with the People’s Liberation Army.
Elsewhere in the region, she said, DoD’s greatest concern is North Korea's pursuit of ballistic missiles and its weapons of mass destruction program.

Other challenges in the region, Wormuth told the panel, “are magnified by a growing range of nontraditional threats, such as the increased flow of foreign fighters both to and from Asia, the trafficking of illegal goods and people, and devastating natural disasters such as the cyclone we saw last month in Vanuatu.”
DoD is focused on the rebalance along several lines of effort, Wormuth said.
Strengthening Security Relationships

These include strengthening security relationships with allies and partners, including Japan, South Korea, Australia and the Philippines, and strengthening new relationships in South and Southeast Asia. These include Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

The department also is investing in its partnership with the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which leads an effort to build a more robust regional security architecture, the undersecretary said. The U.S-India relationship also is an important partnership, she added.

The department is updating its forward presence, putting more assets into the region and using its assets in new ways, Wormuth said.

“We've developed a more distributed model for our Marine Corps that is reducing our concentrated presence in Okinawa [by] relocating Marines to Australia, Guam, Hawaii and mainland Japan,” she added.

Sustaining the U.S. Technological Edge

The Navy is working on its rotational-presence concept, including being on track to have four littoral combat ships rotating through Singapore by 2017. Two ships are already there, the undersecretary said.

And the Army will initiate its first rotational deployment of a brigade combat team to the Korean Peninsula later this spring.

“We're making significant investments to sustain our American technological edge into the future in the air, land, sea and undersea domains,” Wormuth added, investing in precision munitions and working on new capabilities for operating freely in space and cyberspace.

In his remarks to the panel, Locklear said that the United States is a Pacific nation, but also an island nation.

“We rely very heavily on power projection, which means we have to be able to get the forces forward [and] sustain them forward,” he said.

U.S. forces “rely heavily on systems that several decades ago weren't even known about or thought about too much, and that exist now in the cyber world and in the space world,” Locklear said.

Dominant Military Power

Such systems also could reveal vulnerabilities that the department will have to pace with technological advancements, the admiral said.

“It's my assessment that we remain the most dominant military power in the world in all aspects,” Locklear said. “And I think that not a country in the world would disagree with that today, even though I think they would recognize that … the relative gap between how good we are versus how some of the other forces may be developing is shrinking.”

But Locklear said he believes the United States clearly has the best ships, the best submarines, the best aircraft carriers, “and the best people running them in the world.”

He added, “What’s important to me is making sure that the force we have, number one, is dominant … and it needs to be technologically superior across multiple domains.”

Relevant in All Domains

From space to cyber to air to integrated air and missile defense, to sea, maritime, subsurface maritime, the admiral said, there are technological challenges as all the militaries of the world get better in these domains. “We must continue apace to be relevant in the domains that allow us to project U.S. power in defense of U.S. interests,” he said.

In his remarks, Scaparrotti focused on the Korean Peninsula.
The North Koreans are developing asymmetric capabilities, he said, “and specifically orienting on what they consider to be some of our vulnerabilities, and through their development they are trying to close our dominance.”

Specific asymmetric capabilities that Scaparrotti said he thinks about most are North Korea’s ballistic missile capability and the continued ability to counter it, along with its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
Maintaining Dominance

“Many of our adversaries are becoming more proficient in determining how to work inside our capabilities -- our intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities -- and also how to use deception and other means in order to limit the advantage we have today,” the general said.

The Defense Department has to continue to develop its capabilities, to change its posture, its concepts and its employment to ensure that we maintain dominance, Scaparrotti added.

“My top concern is that we will have little to no warning of a North Korean asymmetric provocation, which could start a cycle of action and counteraction leading to unintended escalation,” Scaparrotti said.

This underscores the need for the alliance to maintain a high level of readiness and vigilance, he added, noting that last year the alliance took significant steps to improve its capabilities and capacities to deter aggression and reduce operational risk.

Steadfast Strategic Partner

“But our work is not done,” the general said. “In 2015, we will maintain this momentum by focusing on my top priority -- sustaining and strengthening the alliance -- with an emphasis on our combined readiness.”

Strengthening the alliance includes ensuring the rapid flow of ready forces into Korea in the early phases of hostilities, he said, and improving ISR capabilities and critical munitions.

Based on both nations’ national security strategies, Scaparrotti said, the United States will continue to be a steadfast strategic partner to South Korea, “and South Korea is poised to be a long-lasting and important ally to America.”

U.S.-SOUTH KOREA ALLIANCE SOLID

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Right:  Defense Secretary Ash Carter meets with South Korean Minister of Defense Han Min-Koo on Pyeongtaek Naval Base, South Korea, April 10, 2015. DoD photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Sean Hurt.  

Carter, South Korea’s Han Solidify Alliance
By Terri Moon Cronk
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, April 10, 2015 – The U.S.-South Korea alliance has a global reach based on mutual trust and common values, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in a joint press conference after meeting with South Korean Minister of Defense Han Min-Koo today.

As Carter begins to wrap up his first official visit to the region as defense secretary, he met with his military counterpart in Seoul.

“We've worked together [with South Korea] to counter [the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant], combat Ebola and help rebuild Afghanistan,” Carter said.
“The gains for our national, regional and global security have been impressive, and I thank the Republic of Korea for all it’s doing to ensure peace and security around the world,” the secretary added.

Defense Secretary Reaffirms Resolve, Support

Carter reaffirmed the United States' resolve and support for the alliance and the defense of the Republic of Korea, and he emphasized America's unwavering commitment to its rebalancing strategy in the Asia-Pacific region.

“In light of this, I assessed that the U.S. strategy to rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific will contribute to promoting the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia,” Han said.

The defense leaders reaffirmed their countries’ commitments to the strong alliance and to deepening their collaboration in the years ahead, Carter noted, adding there is particular emphasis on new domains such as space and cyberspace.

North Korea Threats Pivotal to Talks

North Korea’s threats were also key to the leaders’ talk. Carter said they made a candid assessment of the growing North Korean nuclear weapon of mass destruction and ballistic missile threats, “which continue to put at risk the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula, the region, and the U.S. homeland,” he said.

And as North Korea again demonstrated with its recent missile launches, the country is intent on continued provocation, Carter said.

Han added, “Secretary Carter and I reaffirmed that we will continue to work together on reinforcing the alliance's comprehensive capabilities in response to North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile threats.”

Carter and Han also agree on the importance of trilateral information sharing to deter North Korea nuclear missile provocations, Han said.

South Korea, U.S., Japan Cooperation

“[Carter] concurred that Korea, the United States, and Japan should cooperate closely to contribute to peace and stability in Northeast Asia and the world,” the South Korean leader said.

“On the peninsula, deterrence and readiness are at a premium,” Carter said. “So, we're investing in advanced capabilities to make sure that our top, new investments are tailored to this dynamic security environment and can play a role in … assuring security here.”

To that end, he said, the United States is beginning to rotationally deploy Army brigade combat teams to Korea, providing a more ready set of forces for the peninsula.

“And we're working hard to ensure interoperability with our Korean allies, including thorough training and exercises, like Key Resolve and Foal Eagle,” Carter noted.

The defense leaders also talked about their decision to adopt a conditions-based approach to the transition of wartime operational control, Carter pointed out.
The secretary called it a significant alliance decision, and said both he and Han remain committed to the objectives their nations established at the last security consultative meeting in October 2014.

Looking at America's lasting presence in the Asia-Pacific region, Carter said, “As secretary of defense, I'm personally committed to overseeing the next phase of our rebalance to the region, which will deepen and diversify our engagement throughout the Asia Pacific.”

DEFENSE SECRETARY SPEAKS AT ASU ON STRONG LINKS

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

DEFENSE SECRETARY CARTER SAYS ASIA'S DEMOGRAPHICS INCREASING GLOBAL PROFILE

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Carter: Demographics, Economics Boost Asia’s Global Profile
By Jim Garamone
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, April 3, 2015 – Demographic changes in Asia will make the region more important to the United States, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said at the State Department recently.

As Carter prepared to depart April 6 for his first trip to Asia as defense secretary, he reiterated that the United States is a Pacific power and will remain one, adding that this is in the best interests of Asian nations and of the United States.

Demographic trends show that Asian nations will only become more important globally in the 21st century, as Asian nations -- enjoying peace provided by American presence -- prosper and grow, Carter said. In the future, he added, no region will affect U.S. prosperity more, and it is in American interests to maintain a strong security presence in the region.

The math is inescapable, Carter said at the State Department.

“We know that 95 percent of the world’s customers live beyond our borders, and the spending power of middle-class consumers in today’s emerging markets is expected to increase by $20 trillion over the next decade,” he said.

Rising Middle-class Consumption

Just five years ago, the United States and Europe accounted for around 50 percent of global middle class consumption, and Asia accounted for about 20 percent, he said.

“Five years from now, the U.S. and European share of middle-class consumption will shrink to about 30 percent, while Asia’s will rise to 40 percent,” the secretary said. “And this trend will continue as Asia’s 570-million-strong middle class grows to about 2.7 billion consumers over the next 15 years.”

So, from an economic standpoint, Asia will become more important to American manufacturers, American jobs and American consumers. The central premise of America’s overall Asia-Pacific strategy is the recognition that, in the 21st century, no region holds more potential for growth, development and prosperity, Carter said.

Growing Populations

Roughly 7 billion people live in the world today. In 25 years, demographers estimate that number will grow to 9 billion, with much of the growth occurring in Asia, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics and the CIA World Factbook.
China and India are the world’s two most populous countries and will remain so through 2050. Today, China has around 1.355 billion people, and India has around 1.236 billion. By 2050, officials expect India to be the most populous country in the world with 1.65 billion people, and China’s population will be 1.303 billion.

Economic progress in both countries has been building. Today, China has about 150 million people earning between $10 and $100 per day -- the amount economists calculate as putting a person in the global middle class. If the country continues its current growth, as many as 500 million Chinese could enter the global middle class over the next decade. This means that by 2030, 1 billion Chinese people could be in the economic middle class.

India’s middle class is much smaller -- about 50 million people. But economists expect India’s middle class to reach 200 million by 2020 and 475 million by 2030.

Both countries have systemic problems they need to overcome, and projections may fall short, officials said, but they added that the projections have the potential to prove accurate.

This growth is not limited to the two largest countries in Asia. Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines also are posed for an incredible growth in their middle classes.

Capable Militaries

From a security standpoint, Asia is home to some of the largest and strongest militaries on the globe. China, Russia, North Korea, India and Pakistan have large and capable militaries. With the exception of North Korea, the U.S. military is working to improve relations with each. American military leaders also are working with traditional allies such as South Korea, Japan, Australia, the Philippines and New Zealand to strengthen multilateral cooperation in the region.
Other nations -- Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Burma -- also are working to preserve stability in the region.

Snapshot of Military Powers

Here’s a snapshot of the various military powers in the region:

-- China spends at least 2 percent of its gross domestic product on defense and has the world’s largest armed forces, with 2.333 million active duty forces and 2.3 million reserves. Its stated defense budget is $145 billion. China has about 3,000 aircraft in its armed forces, has bought an aircraft carrier from Russia, and is building one of its own. The Chinese have more than 9,000 tanks and almost 5,000 armored fighting vehicles and are modernizing across all services.

-- South Korea spends 2.88 percent of its GDP on defense. The republic has 624,465 people on active duty and almost 3 million in the reserves. South Korea has 1,412 total aircraft and a naval strength of 166 ships. The South Korean military is extremely capable and has a defense budget of $33.1 billion.

-- Japan spends about 1 percent of its GDP on defense. There are 247,173 personnel in the Japanese Self-Defense Force, with about 58,000 active reserve personnel. The Japanese military has 678 tanks, 2,850 armored fighting vehicles, 1,613 aircraft and 131 ships. The defense budget is $41.6 billion.

-- India spends 2.43 percent of its GDP on defense. The nation has 1.325 million people under arms, with 2.1 million more in reserve status. India’s military has about 2,000 aircraft, two aircraft carriers, 202 ships, more than 6,400 tanks and 6,700 armored fighting vehicles. The Indian defense budget is $38 billion.

DEFENSE SECRETARY CARTER VISITS HIS FORMER HIGH SCHOOL IN ABINGTON, PA

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Defense Secretary Ash Carter delivers remarks to students at his high school alma mater, Abington Senior High School in Abington, Pa., March 30, 2015. Carter spoke about building "the force of the future" and what the Defense Department must do to maintain its superiority well into the 21st century. DoD screen shot.
 
Carter: New Generation is Future of National Security
By Cheryl Pellerin
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, March 30, 2015 – On the first day of a two-day domestic trip, Defense Secretary Ash Carter today visited the high school he attended in Abington, Pennsylvania, to speak with students whose generation, he said, represents the future of national security.

Carter -- Abington class of 1972 -- got a standing ovation as he took the podium. After he spoke and answered a round of questions from students in the packed high school auditorium, they stood, clapped and cheered as he thanked them for their attention.

On his first domestic trip as defense secretary, Carter is also scheduled to visit Fort Drum in Jefferson County, New York -- home of the 10th Mountain Division. There, he plans to meet with troops who recently served in Afghanistan.

Before traveling back to Washington, the secretary will stop at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, to discuss the department’s commitment to building what he calls the “force of the future.”

Joining the Military

In his remarks, Carter referenced the 150-plus Abington graduates who had joined the military before and after attending college since 2000.
The secretary mentioned of some of his favorite high school teachers and coaches, some of whom were in the audience. He also named Lt. Matt Capps, a Navy helicopter pilot and 2000 graduate, whose mother Carole, a school employee, was in the audience.

“Movies like ‘American Sniper,’ video games like ‘Call of Duty’ and TV commercials with troops coming home are most likely where you see our military in your everyday lives, unless you have a family member or friend who is serving,” Carter said. Those images are somewhat true, he added, but they’re only part of what the 2.3 million men and women in uniform do every day in their jobs and in their lives.

The Future of National Security

“I wanted to come here today because your generation represents the future of our country and the future of our national security,” Carter told his audience.
“We now have the finest fighting force the world has ever known,” he said to applause, “and they’re not just defending our country against terrorists in such places as Afghanistan and Syria and Iraq -- they’re helping defend cyberspace, too.”

Service members work with cutting-edge technologies such as robotics and in fields such as biomedical engineering, the secretary said.

When disaster strikes, military forces deliver aid all over the world, he added, from the 2011 nuclear reactor meltdown in Japan to super storm Sandy in the United States. And they mobilized to Africa to save thousands of lives, helping to keep the deadly Ebola virus disease from spreading around the world.
Evolving Military Missions

“Our country’s military missions continue to evolve rapidly as our world changes and technology continues to revolutionize everything we do,” Carter said, “and … the institution I lead, the Department of Defense, must keep pace with that change as well to keep our nation secure.”

The secretary told the students that some people join the service right after high school and pursue a college education over time while serving. Some in college participate in the ROTC, a college-based program for training commissioned officers.

“In all cases, college and higher learning are encouraged, because we need our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines to be the best and the brightest this country has to offer,” Carter said.

Nearly 40 percent of military officers come from ROTC programs at colleges and universities, he added, noting that the services send many members to top-notch graduate programs, such as civil engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, medical school at Stanford University, and business school at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
The New GI Bill

Everyone who serves, Carter added, can get college benefits through the GI Bill –- now called the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 -- which over the past five and a half years has helped more than 1.3 million Americans pay for college.

“You don’t have to join the military to serve your country –- I didn’t,” Carter said. “But Matt and all those other Abington graduates are the foundation of our future force.”

The future force has other pieces too, he added, such as having the best technology and the best planes, ships and tanks. “But it all starts and ends with our people,” he added. “If we can’t continue to attract, inspire and excite talented young Americans like you, then nothing else will matter.”

To help build the future force, the department must be able to attract young people and put the current generation’s command of technology to work for the nation, the secretary said.

Building the Future Force

Carter mentioned the kind of data-driven technology that allows Netflix to suggest movies and TV shows, Twitter to suggest who to follow and Facebook to suggest who to add as a friend. He said the same technology could be applied to chart how people are doing every day in all aspects of their jobs.

“We also need to use 21st-century technologies –- similar to LinkedIn and Monster.com –- to help develop 21st-century leaders and give our people even more flexibility and choice in deciding their next job when they’re in the military,” he added.

The department has internships, fellowships and pilot programs that allow people to pause their military service for a few years while they get a degree, learn a new skill or start a family, the secretary said, but he added that such programs are still small.

“These programs are good for us and our people, because they help people bring new skills and talents from outside back into the military,” Carter said. “So we need to look not only at ways we can improve and expand those programs, but also think about completely new ideas to help our people gain new skills and experiences.”

Equal Opportunity, Better World

Carter said the department also plans to keep making sure that anyone who is able and willing to serve their country has a full and equal opportunity to do so, drawing talent from a range of gender, racial, religious, cultural, economic, and educational backgrounds.

“Whether you’re a man or woman, gay, lesbian or straight -- no matter what walk of life your family comes from -– we’ll make sure you’re treated with dignity and respect,” Carter told them.

The secretary said the services will be competing hard around the country for talent like that represented by the students at Abington.

“I know that not everyone here is thinking about military service, and that’s okay,” he said. “If you’re like I was and you’re still interested in serving your country and making a better world, we need to be ready to help with ways you can serve as a civilian. Right now that’s not something our local recruiters offer, but we have to rethink that.”

The department wants people to consider military and public service because, “when it comes to working in national security, no matter what you do –- military or civilian –- you will be better off for having been a part of this incredible mission,” Carter said. “Whether it’s the people, the skills or the experiences, nothing else compares. I guarantee it.”

HHS, USDA, DOD SECRETARIES DISCUSS COMBATING ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT BACTERIA

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Our Plan to Combat and Prevent Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
Mar 27, 2015
By: Sylvia Mathews Burwell, HHS Secretary
Co-Authored by: USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, Defense Secretary Ash Carter.

Antibiotics save millions of lives every year. Today, however, the emergence of drug resistance in bacteria is undermining the effectiveness of current antibiotics and our ability to treat and prevent disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that drug-resistant bacteria cause two million illnesses and approximately 23,000 deaths each year in the United States alone. Antibiotic resistance also limits our ability to perform a range of modern medical procedures, such as chemotherapy, surgery, and organ transplants. That’s why fighting antibiotic resistance is a national priority.

Over the past year, the Administration has taken important steps to address the threat of antibiotic resistance. In September 2014, the President issued Executive Order (EO) 13676: Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, which outlines steps for implementing the National Strategy on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and addressing the policy recommendations of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST)’s report on Combating Antibiotic Resistance. Furthermore, the President’s FY 2016 Budget released earlier this year proposed nearly doubling the amount of Federal funding for combating and preventing antibiotic resistance to more than $1.2 billion.

Combating and preventing antibiotic resistance, however, will be a long-term effort. That’s why, today, the Administration is releasing the National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria (NAP). The NAP outlines a whole-of-government approach over the next five years targeted at addressing this threat:

1. Slow the emergence of resistant bacteria and prevent the spread of resistant infections

The judicious use of antibiotics in health care and agriculture settings is essential to combating the rise in antibiotic resistance. We can help slow the emergence of resistant bacteria by being smarter about prescribing practices across all human and animal health care settings, and by continuing to eliminate the use of medically-important antibiotics for growth promotion in animals.

2. Strengthen national "One-Health" surveillance efforts

A “One-Health” approach to disease surveillance will improve detection and control of antibiotic resistance by integrating data from multiple monitoring networks, and by providing high-quality information, such as detailed genomic data, necessary to tracking resistant bacteria in diverse settings in a timely fashion.

3. Advance development and use of rapid and innovative diagnostic tests
The development of rapid “point-of-need” diagnostic tests could significantly reduce unnecessary antibiotic use by allowing health care providers to distinguish between viral and bacterial infections, and identify bacterial drug susceptibilities during a single health care visit making it easier for providers to recommend appropriate, targeted treatment.

4. Accelerate basic and applied research and development

New antibiotics and alternative treatments for both humans and animals are critical to maintaining our capacity to treat and prevent disease. This involves supporting and streamlining the drug development process, as well as increasing the number of candidate drugs at all stages of the development pipeline. Additionally, boosting basic research to better understand the ecology of antibiotic resistance will help us develop effective mitigation strategies.
5. Improve international collaboration and capacities

Antibiotic resistance is a global problem that requires global solutions. The United States will engage with foreign ministries and institutions to strengthen national and international capacities to detect, monitor, analyze, and report antibiotic resistance; provide resources and incentives to spur the development of therapeutics and diagnostics for use in humans and animals; and strengthen regional networks and global partnerships that help prevent and control the emergence and spread of resistance.

The NAP is a comprehensive effort that will require the coordinated and complementary efforts of individuals and groups around the world, including public- and private-sector partners, health care providers, health care leaders, veterinarians, agriculture industry leaders, manufacturers, policymakers, and patients. Working together, we can turn the tide against the rise in antibiotic resistance and make the world a healthier and safer place for the next generation.
Sylvia Mathews Burwell is the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Tom Vilsack is the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture. Ash Carter is the Secretary of the Department of Defense.

SECRETARY CARTER, SECRETARY KERRY ANNOUNCE MORE MONEY TO STRENGTHEN U.S. AFGHAN PARTNERSHIP

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Right:  Defense Secretary Ash Carter speaks during a joint news conference at Camp David, Md., with Secretary of State John F. Kerry, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, March 23, 2015. DoD photo by Air Force Master Sgt, Adrian Cadiz.  

Carter, Kerry Announce New Afghan Initiatives at Camp David
By Cheryl Pellerin
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2015 – Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Secretary of State John Kerry announced new funding and initiatives to strengthen a renewed U.S.-Afghanistan partnership after meeting today with Afghan leaders at the Camp David presidential retreat.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah participated in a series of meetings with President Barack Obama’s national security team to discuss developments in NATO's train, advise and assist mission, counterterrorism, and Afghanistan's long-term security objectives.

Joining Carter and Kerry at the formally named Naval Support Facility Thurmont in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountain Park were Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, CIA Director John E. Brennan, Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper and others.

“As many of you know, I saw President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah in Kabul last month, where I was also able to thank the nearly 10,000 American troops still serving there and to assess the changed circumstances on the ground,” Carter said during a news conference after the Camp David meetings.
Progress and Challenges

Today the leaders continued the discussion on progress made and challenges facing Afghan forces as they prepare for the coming fighting season and beyond, Carter said.

“Being here with Secretary Kerry and Secretary Lew puts Afghanistan's security challenges in the broader context of its political and economic development,” Carter noted, adding that Ghani himself says the U.S.-Afghan relationship is defined by the partnership’s comprehensive nature, not by numbers of troops.

Carter said that Obama has been clear that while U.S. and coalition troops have transitioned to a new mission in Afghanistan, “the United States maintains an unwavering commitment to a strong and enduring strategic partnership with Afghanistan.”

Ghani and Abdullah will meet with Obama tomorrow at the White House.
As what he called one part of the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan, Carter announced that the Defense Department will seek funding for Afghan forces to sustain an end strength of 352,000 through 2017.

Ensuring Lasting Security Gains

“Afghan and coalition military commanders have jointly recommended this force size, at least through 2017, to ensure that the security gains we've made together are lasting,” the secretary added.

After a three-year interruption, the U.S.-Afghanistan Security Consultative Forum will be reinstated, Carter said, led by DoD along with the Afghan ministries of defense and interior.

In Kerry’s remarks at the news conference, he said the U.S. and Afghan delegations held three separate sessions on security; issues of reconciliation and regional cooperation; and economic matters.

“The depth of our discussions today reflects the critical nature of this moment,” he said, “with Afghanistan's government of national unity now fully responsible for the security of its people, and moving ahead on a reform agenda of its own design.”

A New Development Partnership

Kerry also announced a new initiative -- a plan to create a new development partnership aligned with the unity government's reform agenda.

“This initiative reflects the strategic importance of the U.S.-Afghan relationship, and it recognizes a new era of cooperation between our governments,” he said.

The partnership, Kerry added, will promote Afghan self-reliance by using up to $800 million in U.S. aid to encourage and measure Afghan-led reform and development activities and strengthen Afghan institutions' sustainability and fiscal transparency.

Also in the discussion, Kerry said, the leaders committed to forming an energy working group that will focus on synergies of the regional energy market.

Ghani, in his remarks, welcomed the energy initiative, which he described as “the difference between the Afghanistan of today and the Afghanistan of the future.”

The Afghanistan of the Future

The initiative, he said, will turn Afghanistan into a hub where energy from Central Asia, and increasingly generated from Afghanistan, will flow into south Asia.

“It would make the dream of Asian integration a reality,” Ghani said, “and I look very much forward to working with you.”

The Afghan president also expressed appreciation for Carter’s announcement that DoD will seek funding to bolster Afghan forces through 2017.

“This is a major statement of support,” Ghani said. “Our armed forces and security forces are going to greet this with enormous welcome, because it gives them the assurance that the Resolute Support mission is continuing and that we are able to focus on our key priorities.”

Enduring Partners

Ghani said that he, Abdullah and their colleagues were privileged to engage in discussions at Camp David that characterized discussions among enduring partners.

He also told a story about a 1956 Afghanistan visit by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who named Camp David after his grandson.

“I was 10 years old when President Eisenhower visited Afghanistan,” he said.

All the schoolchildren lined up to greet the president of the United States, he recalled, and what impressed them most was that Eisenhower chose to ride in an open car. None of the other heads of state who visited Afghanistan would show their faces to the public or stand in open cars, the Afghan president noted.

“That openness is what has characterized the American attitude to life, to politics and to engagement,” Ghani said.

An Enduring Phenomenon

The Afghan government of national unity is an enduring phenomenon, he added, and a key characteristic is its honesty in dealing with its inherited balance sheet.

“We have had accomplishments but we also have inherited corruption, impunity regarding rule of law, gender disparities, disparities between rich and poor, and enduring poverty,” he said, adding that 36 percent of the Afghan population lives under the poverty line.

“Our determination is to make sure that our people live not just in peace but with dignity and prosperity,” Ghani said.

“So I welcome the new developmental framework,” he added, “because this is a framework that will incentivize the Afghan public and the Afghan government to put our house in order.”

DEFENSE SECRETARY CARTER SAYS U.S. AND U.K. SECURITY TIES STRONG

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Right:  U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and British Defense Secretary Michael C. Fallon brief reporters during a joint news conference at the Pentagon, March 11, 2015. The leaders met beforehand to discuss security and other matters of mutual importance. DoD photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Sean Hurt. 
Carter: U.S., U.K. Maintain Strong Security Ties
By Claudette Roulo
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, March 11, 2015 – The security ties between the United States and the United Kingdom are enduring and exceptional, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said today in a joint news conference with British Defense Secretary Michael C. Fallon.

For 200 years -- since the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, ending the war of 1812 -- service members from the U.S. and the U.K. have flown together, sailed together and fought together, Carter said.

“And our military collaboration in so many different areas -- from Iraq to Afghanistan -- reinforces the fact that our ‘special relationship’ is a cornerstone of both of our nations’ security,” he said.

The news conference was a first for both leaders -- it was Fallon’s first visit to the Pentagon and Carter’s first trip to the briefing room as defense secretary.
During their meeting before the news conference, the two secretaries discussed the “full scope of issues on which the United States and the United Kingdom are leading together around the world,” Carter said.

Multifaceted Partnership

The U.K. is a stalwart member of the global coalition fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Carter said, noting British contributions in the air and on the ground.

“As we continue to support local forces, the United States is fortunate to have our British allies by our side,” he said.

From the beginning of combat operations in Afghanistan, the U.K. was steadfast in its support, Carter said, and it continues that support as the mission evolves by providing hundreds of troops to train, advise and assist Afghan security forces.
“Their efforts will be critical to making sure that our progress there sticks,” Carter said.

In the Baltics, the U.S. and U.K. are working together to reassure their transatlantic allies and deter further Russian aggression, he said.
Support to Ukraine

“The United States has been clear from the outset of the crisis in Ukraine that we support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Carter said. “And we’ve been very clear that if Russia continues to flout the commitments it made in the September and February Minsk agreements, the costs to Russia will continue to rise -- including and especially through sanctions in coordination with our European allies and partners.”

The United States will continue to support Ukraine’s right to defend itself, he said. The White House announced today that it plans to provide Kiev with an additional $75 million in nonlethal security assistance and more than 200 Humvees, Carter noted.

“This brings U.S. security assistance to Ukraine to a total of nearly $200 million, with the new funds going towards unmanned aerial vehicles for improved surveillance, a variety of radios and other secure communications equipment, counter-mortar radars, military ambulances, first-aid kits and other medical supplies,” he said.

The additional assistance underscores the reassurance mission, Carter said, noting the impending arrival of troops and equipment from the U.S. Army’s 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division to train with regional allies as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve.

“And since Russia’s aggression began last year, the United Kingdom has also stepped up militarily, contributing to NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission and serving as a framework nation for NATO’s Very-high Readiness Joint Task Force,” he said.

NATO Endures

The NATO mission’s importance is demonstrated by alliance members’ commitment, agreed to last year in Wales, to invest two percent of their gross domestic product in defense, Carter said.

“Seventy years after we declared victory in Europe, our NATO allies -- and indeed the world -- still look to both [the U.S. and UK] as leaders,” he said. “And it’s clear that the threats and challenges we face -- whether they manifest through cyberattacks, ISIL’s foreign fighters, or Russian aircraft flying aggressively close to NATO’s airspace -- all of those will continue to demand our leadership.”

Leadership requires investment in innovation and modernized capabilities, in prudent reforms and in the forces necessary to meet national security obligations, Carter said.

“These are investments that both our nations -- and both our defense institutions -- must not only make, but embrace in the months and years to come,” he said.

DEFENSE SECRETARY CARTER TESTIFIES ON PRESIDENT'S PROPOSED AUTHORIZATION TU USE FORCE AGAINST ISIL

Above:  DOD video 
FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Carter: Proposed Authorization Gives Flexibility to Fight ISIL
By Cheryl Pellerin
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, March 11, 2015 – President Barack Obama’s proposed authorization to use military force against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is flexible enough to allow for the full range of military scenarios, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told a Senate panel this morning.
Carter testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee alongside Secretary of State John F. Kerry and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey.

In reviewing the president’s proposed AUMF as secretary of defense, Carter said he asked himself two questions.

“First, does it provide the necessary authority and flexibility to wage our campaign, allowing for a full range of likely military scenarios?” Carter said.
Sending a Message

Second, he added, “will it send a message to the people I’m responsible for -- our brave men and women in uniform and civilian personnel who will wage this campaign -- that the country is behind them?”

Carter said he believes the AUMF accomplishes both, and urged Congress to pass the proposal.

Left:  Defense Secretary Ash Carter testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today alongside Secretary of State John Kerry and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey. The topic was President Barack Obama’s proposed authorization for the use of military force. DoD file photo by Glenn Fawcett.


The proposed AUMF takes into account the reality that ISIL as an organization is likely to evolve strategically, he said, morphing, rebranding and associating with other terrorist groups as it continues to threaten the United States and its allies.

The AUMF wisely does not include geographical restrictions, Carter said, “because ISIL already shows signs of metastasizing outside of Syria and Iraq.”
Military Flexibility

The proposed AUMF provides flexibility in military means to prevail against ISIL, with one exception, the secretary added.

“The proposed AUMF does not authorize long-term, large-scale offensive ground combat operations like those we conducted in Iraq and Afghanistan, because our strategy does not call for them,” he added. “Instead, local forces must provide the enduring presence needed for an enduring victory against ISIL.”

The proposed AUMF expires in three years, although no one knows if the campaign will be completed over that time, the secretary said, adding that he understands the reason for the proposed sunset provision.

“It derives from the important principle stemming from the Constitution that makes the grave matter of enacting an authorization for the use of military force a shared responsibility of the president and Congress,” Carter said.
A Chance to Assess Progress

The president’s proposed authorization gives the American people a chance to assess progress in three years’ time, he added, and gives the next president and the next Congress a chance, if they choose, to reauthorize the AUMF.

Carter said another key consideration for approving the AUMF is that it sends the right signals, most importantly to the troops, and also to partner nations.
“It will signal to our coalition partners and to our adversary that the United States government has come together to address a serious challenge,” he said.

Carter again urged Congress to pass the president’s AUMF because, he said, “it provides the necessary authority and flexibility to wage our current campaign. And because it will demonstrate to our men and women in uniform –- some of whom are in harm’s way right now –- that all of us stand unflinchingly behind them.”

ASHTON CARTER SWORN IN AS SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Right Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan administers the oath of office to Defense Secretary Ash Carter as his wife, Stephanie, holds the Bible and their children, Ava and Will, look on during a ceremonial swearing-in at the Pentagon, March 6, 2015. Vice President Joe Biden officially swore in Carter as the 25th secretary of defense last month. DoD screen shot .

Carter: It’s Time to Seize ‘Bright Opportunities’
By Claudette Roulo
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, March 6, 2015 – Focusing on the difficulties that lie ahead of the Defense Department is easy, but now is also the time to embrace opportunity, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said today.

“Being back, I’m reminded how easy it is in Washington -- and in this building -- to focus solely on our challenges,” Carter said. “And it is indeed a turbulent, rough world out there. But as a nation and as a department, this is also a moment to continue to shine the beacon of American leadership and to seize the many bright opportunities in front of us.”

Carter was speaking at his ceremonial swearing in as the 25th secretary of defense, an event hosted by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey at the Pentagon.

"As we know from Secretary Carter's long experience in the department, he is the right person to lead the Department of Defense at this point in our history -- not just for what he's done, but in particular for how he's done it,” Dempsey said.
“Secretary Carter's known for bringing judgment and candor to decisions, and for explaining those decisions in clear and honest language. This is something those of us in the armed forces very much appreciate,” the general noted.

Besides Dempsey, speakers included William J. Perry, the 19th defense secretary, and Justice Elena Kagan, who swore Carter in at the ceremony.
"Since 1947, there have been 24 people sworn in as the secretary of defense. None of them, none of them better qualified for this job than Ash Carter. Qualified by intellect, by temperament and by experience," Perry said before Carter was sworn in.

Carter served under Perry during the Clinton administration, and today called him “the model of a modern secretary of defense.”

“Our nation and the world are safer because of your leadership and intellect -- and also because of your civility,” Carter said of Perry.

Kagan said of Carter that, “If you walk around this town and talk to people, what everybody says is … he is the perfect man for this job, the consummate public servant, the person who by virtue of his experience and his judgment and his good sense and his brilliance will be able to deal with the challenges that this important office has.”

Highest Honor

It is the highest honor to serve as America's 25th secretary of defense, Carter said.

“The men and women of this department will not only continue to protect our country, but also ensure we leave a more peaceful, prosperous and promising world to our children to live their lives, raise their families, dream their dreams,” he said.

American service members, DoD civilian employees and contractors are serving at home and abroad in support of U.S. national security interests, the secretary said.

“We are standing with our friends and allies against savagery in the Middle East,” Carter said. “In the Asia-Pacific, where new powers rise and old tensions still simmer and where half of humanity resides, we are standing up for a continuation of a decades-long miracle of development and progress underwritten by the United States.

“And in cyberspace,” he added, “we are standing with those who create and innovate against those who seek to steal, destroy and exploit.”
Think Outside the ‘Five-sided Box’

With budgets tightening and technology and globalization revolutionizing how the world works, the Pentagon has an opportunity to open itself to new ways of operating, recruiting, buying, innovating and much more, the secretary said.

“America is home to the world’s most dynamic businesses and universities. We have to think outside this five-sided box and be open to their best practices, ideas and technologies,” he said.

“… In realizing all these opportunities, previous generations and my recent predecessors … have blessed us with a remarkable inheritance: a more secure country, a stronger institution, and the world’s greatest military,” Carter said.
This generation owes the same legacy to those who come after it, the defense secretary said, something he will remember every day he is in office.

“Just as I wake up every day committed to putting in a day of service worthy of our extraordinary men and women in uniform,” he added.

Carter said his greatest obligations as defense secretary will be to help the commander in chief make wise and caring decisions about sending troops into harm’s way, to ensure troops have what they need to fight and win, and to ensure the welfare and dignity of service members and their families.

“Thank you for all that you do,” the defense secretary said to service members in the audience. “Thank you for the trust that you place in me. I will do my best to live up to it.”

DEFENSE SECRETARY CARTER MAKES REMARKS TO TROOPS AT CAMP ARIFJAN, KUWAIT

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Right:  U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter holds a press conference after meeting with senior commanders attending a regional security conference on Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, Feb. 23, 2015. During the meeting, Carter and other defense leaders discussed strategies for dealing with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, and other regional threats to partner and ally nations. DoD photo by Glenn Fawcett.  

Defeating ISIL Takes Diplomatic, Military Effort, Carter Says
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23, 2015 – Dealing a lasting defeat to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant will require “a combined diplomatic and military effort,” Defense Secretary Ash Carter told reporters today at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, after he concluded a conference there with ambassadors and senior U.S. and regional military leaders.

Earlier in the day during a troop talk at Camp Arifjan, Carter said he convened the conference to “begin to make my own assessment of the campaign to counter ISIL.”

Carter thanked the conference participants, noting that “many traveled a significant distance on short notice to be here, and I sincerely appreciate it.”
Wide-ranging Discussion

He added, “We had an incisive, candid, wide-ranging discussion.”

There were no briefings during the conference, said Carter, noting it featured participants’ sharing “of experience and ideas and expertise, and it made me very proud of the American team here in this region working on this problem of ISIL.”

Conference participants reflected on the “seriousness and the complexity of the threat posed by ISIL, especially in an interconnected and networked world,” the secretary said.

“Lasting defeat of this brutal group can and will be accomplished,” he said. “But I learned some things that we'll need to guide our effort to do so.
“First, doing so, that is achieving the lasting defeat of ISIL, will require a combined diplomatic and military effort,” Carter continued. “That was abundantly confirmed by our discussion, and was affirmed or rather affirms the bringing together of this unique grouping of political and military leaders.”

Second, although he’s cognizant “of the great strength of the coalition the United States has assembled and leads in this struggle,” Carter said there’s a need “to leverage further the individual contributions of each.”

Third, he added, while the center of gravity of the anti-ISIL campaign is in Iraq and Syria, “it has ramifications in other regions of the world that need to be taken into account also in our approach.”

Fourth, ISIL's “use of social media will be pressing us to be more creative in combating it in the information dimension as well as the physical dimension,” Carter said.

The secretary also said that discussion among conference participants indicated to him that ISIL “is hardly invincible.”

Anti-ISIL Efforts ‘Having Some Important Impacts’

Coalition anti-ISIL efforts to date “have already been having some important impacts,” Carter said.

He added, “Our global coalition is up to the task, and so is American leadership, which has shone through -- throughout the course of this campaign.”

Carter described today’s conference as “very productive and very valuable, and you should expect to see more consultations like this by me in the future, convening senior leaders from across our government and sometimes experts from outside of it to ensure that our nation's defense is as dynamic as the challenges before it.”

At the conclusion of his remarks, Carter took questions from the press. One reporter asked him about the importance of a political-military balance in the fight against ISIL.

Political-Military Dimensions ‘Closely Interconnected’

Carter acknowledged that the anti-ISIL campaign in Syria does have both political and military dimensions.

“They're closely interconnected,” the secretary said. “We had an opportunity to review today the train and equip effort that is beginning in Syria, but I need to remind you and very much in the spirit of your question that -- and as the discussion certainly indicated there, our campaign in Syria, like our campaign in Iraq, has an important political dimension to it. And we discussed that also: they're both important, they're both essential, both the political and the military dimension.”

Another reporter asked Carter if there would be any fundamental changes to the anti-ISIL strategy.

The secretary replied that the coalition recognizes the need to employ a combined political and military effort against ISIL.

“I think that's crucial, and I think that's understood by all, and it's reflected in what we're trying to do,” Carter explained. “I think that we have clearly in focus the idea that this can't be a purely American thing, that it truly is a coalition effort and needs to be a coalition effort to succeed. I think it was clear to us that we can't neatly partition it geographically, that it has global evocations.”

Conference participants’ discussions “reinforced the idea of the need to stitch all of the different aspects of this together, and that the leaders that I met with today are to a remarkable degree doing that,” Carter said.

‘Working Closely Together’

He added, “And this bringing them together was a further effort to work across geographies and work across functions to make sure that we are in fact all working closely together. And to a large extent, these folks have been doing that already. But I think today's meeting reinforced that and gave them yet [another] opportunity to do that, and me to do that with them.”

Carter was also asked about his confidence level of building an anti-ISIL force. The secretary responded that providing good military training to people from other lands is a core skill of the U.S. military.

“It's become a skill of many of our coalition partners, knowing how to train others, how to work with and through others, how to enable and use U.S. capabilities to enable the capabilities of others and to make sure that –… we conduct all these activities in a way that's consistent with American values,” the secretary said. “We're good at all that. We've been doing that in many contexts for quite awhile.”

Providing training is “one of the key lessons that we learned in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Carter said. “It's one of the key skills we honed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I don't think there's any military that does it better.”

DEFENSE SECRETARY CARTER MEETS WITH THE AMIR OF KUWAIT

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Right:  Defense Secretary Ash Carter, left, meets with the Amir of Kuwait Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah in Kuwait City, Kuwait, Feb. 23, 2015. DoD photo by Glenn Fawcett.  

Carter Thanks Kuwait's Leaders for Strategic Partnership
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23, 2015 – In Kuwait, Defense Secretary Ash Carter expressed U.S. appreciation for the strategic partnership between the United States and Kuwait during his meetings with His Highness Amir Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Khalid al-Jarrah al-Sabah, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said in a statement issued today.

Appreciation for Strategic Partnership

Carter also expressed his thanks for Kuwait's willingness to host U.S. and coalition forces in support of military operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Kirby said in the statement.

The leaders also discussed their shared commitment to continue the two nations' close security cooperation during Carter’s leadership of the defense department, Kirby said.

Afghanistan, Middle East Visit

The meetings come at the end of the defense secretary’s first week in office, the admiral said, during which he made it a priority to travel to Afghanistan and the Middle East.

VP BIDEN SWEARS IN ASHTON CARTER AS U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Right:  Vice President Joe Biden swears in Ash Carter as the 25th defense secretary as Carter's wife, Stephanie, looks on during a private ceremony at the White House, Feb. 17, 2015. DoD screen shot.  
Carter Takes Oath of Office in White House Ceremony
By Cheryl Pellerin
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2015 – With his wife, Stephanie, holding the Bible upon which he swore to support and defend the U.S. Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic, Ash Carter took the oath of office as the 25th secretary of defense in a ceremony at the White House today.

Vice President Joe Biden administered the oath in the Roosevelt Room, characterizing Carter as a genuine scholar of strategic military affairs and nuclear weapons policy and as a profoundly capable manager “with universal respect and affection from the people you work with, reflected in a near-unanimous vote in the U.S. Senate.”

“For me,” Carter said after taking the oath, “this is the highest honor, to be the 25th secretary of defense. I'm grateful to [President Barack Obama] and the vice president for your trust and confidence, and to the U.S. Senate as well for their trust and confidence.”

Attending the ceremony were Carter’s son, Will, Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr., members of Carter’s transition team, and several men and women in uniform.

A Driving Intellectual Force

In his introduction, Biden called Carter a “physicist and a genuine expert on the acquisition and technical capabilities that are going to help guarantee the U.S. military is second to none in the world.”

Carter has a driving intellectual force behind all he does and all the administration has been doing, the vice president added, including strengthening the nation's cyber capabilities, improving the way the Pentagon does business, and implementing the Asia-Pacific rebalance, including deepening defense cooperation with India.

“Most important of all, you've been a fighter,” Biden told Carter, “like the men and women in uniform here today, for the women and men who serve in uniform.”

The defense secretary, like his predecessor, Biden added, “understands that while this country has many obligations, it only has one truly sacred obligation, and that's to equip and protect those we send to war, care for their families while they're there, and care for them and their families when they come home.”

Tough Missions Ahead

Many tough missions lie ahead, the vice president said, from fighting against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, strengthening NATO, and rebalancing to the Asia-Pacific region, to maintaining the nation’s technological edge and continuous efforts to make the most out of every dollar invested in defense.
“Dr. Carter,” Biden said, “as you take leadership of the greatest military in the history of mankind, … you do so with the confidence of everyone in your building, confidence of the United States Senate, confidence of President Obama and me, and so many other people who admire your work.”

Carter thanked his wife and children, his transition team and the team he joins at the Pentagon, including Work, Dempsey, Winnefeld and others.

The defense secretary characterized the defense of the nation as “the highest calling,” and he made three commitments to the men and women of the Defense Department, to the president and vice president, and to his fellow citizens.
Three Commitments

“The first is to help our president make the best possible decisions about our security and the [world’s] security, and then to ensure that our department executes those decisions with its long accustomed competence and effectiveness,” he said.

While dealing with challenges to national security, Carter said, he wants to help the nation’s leadership grab hold of opportunities that lie before the country, and to help make the world safer and a better place for the next generation.
“My second commitment is to the men and women of the Department of Defense, whom I will lead, to reflect in everything I do and to honor the commitment and dedication that brought them into service,” Carter said, “and to protect their dignity, their safety, their well-being, [and] to make decisions about sending them into harm’s way with the greatest reflection and care.”

A Force for the Future

Carter’s third commitment was to the future, he said, “to building a force for our future that involves not only securing the resources we need but making … the best use of the taxpayers’ dollar, making sure we embrace change so that years from now, … we continue to be a place where America's finest want to serve, and a place that is a beacon to the rest of the world.”

As Obama enters the fourth quarter of his presidency, the defense secretary added, “these commitments, … I think, will help me help him and help the vice president to ensure that those years are productive, and that they leave our country's future in the best possible place -- in the best possible hands.”