Pentagon critic tapped to be weapons buyer

[Astrad]

Source: Stars and Stripes

President Barack Obama has nominated Harvard professor Ashton Carter, a leading authority on arms control and a longtime academic, to serve as the Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer, the White House announced Monday.

The choice of Carter to run the office that oversees hundreds of billions of dollars for new weapons and research — and is the focus of intense lobbying by defense firms, retired generals, and members of Congress — sparked concern within the defense industry and parts of the Pentagon bureaucracy when it was first rumored last month, the Boston Globe reported in its Tuesday editions.

<snip>

"He is not being brought in to help the defense industry thrive," Loren Thompson, president of the Lexington Institution think tank told the paper. "He is being brought in to decide what we need and what we can do without."

Read more: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60958

[jonestonesusa]

1. Hurrah!

That's all I can say, along with one more thing: This is change!!!

Thanks for the post!

:toast:

[WatchWhatISay]

6. 180 degree change

From hiring friends of the defense contracting industry (Bush) to hiring their foes (Obama)

[davepc]

2. I hope he's agile enough to outmaneuver those who will seek to sabotage his efforts

I'm sure the old guard in the military-industrial complex will see him as some sort of insurgent.

[chill_wind]

3. Adding that one to the high positives. K & R. n't

[BREMPRO]

4. This is a HUGE change and one of the best appointments he's made so far.

the ingrained military industrial complex has a chance to be broken or at least dented a bit. We spend WAY TOO MUCH MONEY on weapons etc.. that do ABSOLUTLEY nothing but make defense contractors rich and politicians corrupt. lets retrain the workers to make wind turbines and solar panels!

[chill_wind]

8. It's up there in my book with Earl Devaney (for Stimulis Spending Watchdog).

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8227104&mesg_id=8227104

[Renew Deal]

5. "He is being brought in to decide what we need and what we can do without."

Sounds good to me.

[robinlynne]

7. fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!

[Supersedeas]

9. Will McCain salute this appointment or continue to sit on his hands.