As expected, President Barack Obama has officially nominated Ashton Carter to be the next U.S. secretary of defense.
Carter is the former second-in-command at the Pentagon and will replace Chuck Hagel, who served in the position for two years.
Hagel's resignation was announced Nov. 24. Reports circulated Dec. 2 that Carter would likely be Obama's next choice.
Carter served as deputy defense secretary under Hagel, and prior to that, under Leon Panetta. His strength, according to CNN, is managing a large budget, and understanding trends and technology of warfare.
