Ashton Carter, U.S. Secretary of Defense

Dr. Ashton B. Carter, 25th U.S. Secretary of Defense

Remarks followed by conversation with Dr. Gloria Duffy, President and CEO, The Commonwealth Club

How does the U.S. plan to combat ISIS? How will we know if we are succeeding? What is our future role in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan? How should we be approaching Russia—as a threat or an ally, or both? Why did the U.S. finally just decide to admit women to combat roles in our armed forces? Is North Korea in a new round of nuclear weapons development, and how should the U.S. respond? Is the U.S. defense budget too large or too small? Will we need to spend more or less in the future, and on what kinds of technology? How can “soft power” help to further U.S. security goals? Do we need more nuclear weapons, or fewer, or to improve and update those we have? Where are the future hotspots that could threaten U.S. and global security? How is the Pentagon dealing with climate change? What countries are the closest allies and collaborators for the U.S.?

Here’s a rare chance to hear first-hand from the U.S. secretary of defense on these and many other topics.

A physicist and Rhodes Scholar, Defense Secretary Ashton "Ash" Carter has spent more than three decades applying his knowledge of science and technology, global strategy, and policy in leadership roles during both Democratic and Republican administrations. Secretary Carter served as deputy secretary of defense from 2011 to 2013, essentially the Department of Defense’s chief operating officer. From 2009 to 2011, he was under-secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics. From 1993-1996, he served as assistant secretary of defense for international security policy, where he was responsible for strategic affairs, nuclear weapons policy, and the Nunn-Lugar program that dismantled nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia. Prior to his appointment as secretary of defense, Dr. Carter was a distinguished visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and a lecturer at Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. Previously, at Harvard’s Kennedy School, he was professor and chair of the international and global affairs faculty. Secretary Carter earned his bachelor’s degrees in physics and medieval history at Yale University and his doctorate in theoretical physics at Oxford University. For his government service, Secretary Carter has been awarded the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal, DoD’s highest honor, on five separate occasions. Secretary Carter is author or co-author of 11 books and more than 100 articles on physics, technology, national security and management. Join us for what promises to be a provocative and informative discussion.