A resolution honoring the life and the legacy of Secretary Ash Carter.

Bill: 117-sres-870
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
Introduced: 2022-12-13
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Congressional tributes

Department of Defense

Federal officials
Latest action: action_date: 2022-12-13
text: Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (Consideration: CR S7150; text: CR S7136)

Summaries:
action_date: 2022-12-13
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p>This resolution honors the life and legacy of former Secretary of Defense&nbsp;Ashton Carter.</p>

action_date: 2022-12-13
action_desc: Passed Senate
text: <p>This resolution honors the life and legacy of former Secretary of Defense&nbsp;Ashton Carter.</p>

tv_txt: III 117th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 870 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES December 13, 2022 Mr. Blumenthal (for himself, Ms. Ernst , Mrs. Shaheen , Ms. Hirono , Mr. Kaine , Ms. Warren , Mr. Peters , Ms. Duckworth , Mr. Kelly , Mr. Reed , Mr. King , and Mr. Manchin ) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Honoring the life and the legacy of Secretary Ash Carter.

Whereas Ashton Ash Baldwin Carter (referred to in this preamble as Secretary Carter ) was born on September 24, 1954, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to William Carter, Jr., and Anne Carter (née Baldwin); Whereas Secretary Carter received dual bachelor's degrees in physics and medieval history at Yale College, summa cum laude, and a doctorate in theoretical physics from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar; Whereas Secretary Carter first entered public service in 1981, serving in the Program Analysis and Evaluation Office of the Department of Defense; Whereas, from 1993 to 1996, Secretary Carter served as Assistant Secretary of Defense (Nuclear Security and Counterproliferation) and Assistant Secretary of Defense (International Security Policy) under President William J. Clinton, during which Secretary Carter oversaw the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, which was responsible for the securing and dismantling of weapons of mass destruction in the former states of the Soviet Union, including the removal of nuclear weapons from Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus; Whereas, from 2009 to 2011, Secretary Carter served as Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics under President Barack H. Obama, during which he led critical procurement and acquisition initiatives, such as the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected family of vehicles, saving the lives of countless service members; Whereas, from 2011 to 2013, Secretary Carter served as Deputy Secretary of Defense under President Barack H. Obama, during which he oversaw the management and personnel of the Department of Defense and steered defense strategy and budget through sequestration; Whereas, from 2015 to 2017, Secretary Carter served as the 25th Secretary of Defense under President Barack H. Obama, and he was revered for his leadership on gender equity and the reinvigoration of United States technology in the defense sector; Whereas Secretary Carter charted a strategic path for the Department of Defense to meet the China challenge by continuing to rebalance the defense presence and security cooperation of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region; Whereas Secretary Carter played a leading role in the United States-led global coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which led to the liberation of strongholds in Mosul, Iraq, and Raqqa, Syria, and the territorial defeat of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria; Whereas Secretary Carter’s focus on innovation led to the creation of the Defense Innovation Unit, the goal of which is to bring the rapid advancement in commercial technologies to the Department of Defense; Whereas, under the direction of Secretary Carter, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency funded mRNA research, later contributing to the development of critical COVID–19 vaccines, saving millions of lives in the United States and abroad; Whereas, under the direction of Secretary Carter, the Department of Defense opened all military roles to women, increased critical paid military maternity leave, and permitted transgender service members to join and serve openly; Whereas Secretary Carter authored and co-authored 11 books and more than 100 articles on physics, technology, national security, and management; Whereas, after Secretary Carter's tenure as Secretary of Defense ended, his dedication to public service continued as the Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he mentored the next generation of national security leaders; Whereas Secretary Carter was a 5-time recipient of the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal, was a 2-time recipient of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award, and received numerous other awards and decorations for public service; Whereas Secretary Carter was known to all as a devoted public servant who was resilient in the face of adversity; Whereas, on October 24, 2022, at the age of 68, Secretary Carter died due to a sudden cardiac event and is survived by his wife, Stephanie, his son, Will, his daughter, Ava, and his sisters, Corinne and Cynthia; and Whereas Secretary Carter will be remembered as a committed teacher, a loving father, a devoted husband, and a loyal friend: Now, therefore, be it

That— (1) the Senate— (A) expresses its deepest sympathy to the family members of the late Secretary Ashton B. Carter; (B) honors the outstanding life and legacy of Secretary Ashton B. Carter; and (C) commends Secretary Ashton B. Carter for his life accomplishments within the United States Government; and (2) when the Senate adjourns today, it stands adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of the late Secretary Ashton B. Carter.