Ash Carter could start his new job by the end of the week.
On Tuesday, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted unanimously to forward Carter’s nomination to be the next secretary of defense to the full Senate.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the committee, has said he hopes to have the final confirmation vote by Friday, to get Carter on the job in the Pentagon as soon as possible.
Carter’s start date also will be the final goodbye for the man he will replace, Chuck Hagel, who announced his intention to step down in November.
Carter, a Rhodes scholar with degrees in theoretical physics and medieval history, faced little opposition from senators during his confirmation hearing last week. The only pushback was in reference to the president’s strategy — or lack thereof, according to Republican panel members — in Syria and Ukraine.
But lawmakers also made it clear that they strongly supported the nomination of Carter, a popular former deputy defense secretary. He has spent the last month meeting privately with senators to discuss his new role, and has received much more support than his predecessor did during a contentious confirmation process two years ago.
If the Senate doesn’t vote on Carter’s confirmation this week, he will not be able to take over the role formally until the last week in February. The Senate is out of session the week of Feb. 16.
