On Friday, President Barack Obama nominated Ashton Carter as the new Secretary of Defense, following Chuck Hagel's resignation last month.

Carter has served as the deputy secretary of defense since 2011 under Leon Panetta, and acted as the DOD's chief operating officer. Carter has won the DOD's Distinguished Service Medal five times, never served in the military, and received his doctorate in theoretical physics from Oxford University.

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Chuck Hagel, who was awarded two Purple Hearts during the Vietnam War, resigned after several months of outspoken disagreement with the president's strategy in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

The Senate will need to confirm Carter's nomination before he can become the new Secretary of Defense.

Read more at The New York Times.

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