New US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter today said that these are challenging times for America and pledged that he and his top officials would give President Barack Obama "candid" advice on matters of war and peace.
"We live in challenging times - times that demand leadership and focus," Carter said in his message to the Defence Department personnel soon after he was sworn in as the country's 25th Defence Secretary by US Vice President Joe Biden at the White House.
"We confront a turbulent and dangerous world: continuing turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa, and the malignant and savage terrorism emanating from it, an ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, a reversion to archaic security thinking in parts of Europe, tensions in the Asia-Pacific; the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and intensifying threats in cyberspace," Carter said.
In addressing these challenges, Carter said he has pledged to provide the President his most candid strategic advice.
He has replaced Chuck Hagel. Carter said the US remains the strongest and most resilient nation on earth.
"Because of you, we have the finest fighting force the world has ever known. We have friends and allies in every corner of the world, while our adversaries have few," he said.
"We have long possessed the world's most dynamic and innovative economy. And our values, principles, and leadership continue to inspire hope and progress around the world," he said.
In his remarks before the swearing in ceremony, Biden praised Carter's leadership.
"This man has a driving intellectual force behind all that he does. You've been a fighter for the women and men who serve in uniform," Biden said.
