Up With People

Ashton Carter was confirmed by the Senate yesterday for the post of under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics.

He'll succeed John Young, who made a lot of waves -- and a lot of news -- during his tenure as the Pentagon acquisition chief.

More to come on both.

And while we're on the topic of Obama appointees, there's an item in The Washington Post today about Arnold Punaro's case for Army secretary. You might recall we covered Punaro's possible nomination for the post back in early February.

Also: Inside the Air Force today has this noteworthy story:

USAF HOLDOVERS TO STEP DOWN LEAVING SEVERAL KEY POSITIONS VACANT
A White House demand that Bush administration political appointees in the Pentagon abide by new ethics rules may prompt three senior Air Force officials to vacate their positions by the end of the month, Inside the Air Force has learned.

The appointees’ departure will leave several holes in the service’s senior leadership structure until the White House nominates replacements. Three assistant secretaries -- John Vonglis, Craig Duehring and Kevin Billings -- are expected to vacate their posts by April 30 rather than sign an Obama administration-required “ethics pledge” that prohibits the appointees from working on Defense Department-related projects for two years after leaving the Pentagon.