Ashton B. Carter, Defense Secretary Under Obama, Dies at 68
Trained as a physicist, he opened the U.S. military to transgender service members and
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Ashton B. Carter, Defense Secretary Under Obama, Dies at 68
Trained as a physicist, he opened the U.S. military to transgender service members and removed barriers to women in combat roles
By Clay Risen
Oct. 25, 2022
Updated 12:30 p.m. ET
Ashton B. Carter, a theoretical physicist who later climbed the leadership ranks at the Pentagon, culminating in two years as secretary of defense under President Barack Obama, a position he used to further open the military to women and transgender service members, died on Monday at his home in Boston. He was 68.
The cause was a heart attack, his family said in a statement.
Dr. Carter was widely regarded for his prowess in military technology and policy. After teaching at Harvard and directing the Center for Science and International Affairs at its John F. Kennedy School of Government, he joined the Clinton administration in 1993 as assistant secretary of defense for international security policy. In that position, he directed efforts to assist post-Soviet states in securing their stockpiles of nuclear weapons.
Later, in the first Obama administration, he first served as the under secretary responsible for acquisition and logistics, and then deputy secretary of defense under Chuck Hagel. In the first position, he streamlined the purchase of thousands of mine-resistant vehicles; in the second, he helped carry out the president’s shift to Asia, reshuffling defense resources and priorities to the Pacific Rim in an effort to counter China.
He is survived by his wife, Stephanie; his daughter, Ava; his son, Will; and his sisters, Corinne Greene and Cynthia DeFelice.
A complete obituary will follow.
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