October 25, 2022

Former Defense Secretary Ash Carter Dies at 68

Source: The Hill

Journalist: Ellen Mitchell

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Carter was a key figure in the development of the U.S. initiative to disarm the nuclear arsenals of former Soviet states, helping craft and implement what is called the Nunn-Lugar Threat Reduction Program.

“One of his great legacies was securing for the world, securing the nuclear materials and the intellectual property of the Soviet Union, securing it so it didn’t spread, and it didn’t give capability to the countries that we would have to deal with,” said Jim Townsend, who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO policy under Carter when he was leading the Pentagon. “That’s a great legacy for him.”

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Author

  • Jim Townsend

    Adjunct Senior Fellow, Transatlantic Security Program

    James Joye Townsend Jr. is an adjunct senior fellow in the CNAS Transatlantic Security Program. After eight years as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for European ...