Former US Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter, dies (PHOTOS)

• Former US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter dies.
• He died Monday night and his family released the details.
• He had an illustrious career.

Former Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter dies. Former President Barack Obama is mourning the death of former Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, who was a Harvard professor and prominent physicist.

The death of the former Defense Secretary and Harvard professor was reported on Monday night. Carter was 68 years old and his death was due to sudden cardiac arrest, according to what his family reported on Tuesday, October 25.

Former Defense Secretary Ashton Carter dies

Ashton Carter was Secretary of Defense during the last two years of Barack Obama’s administration. He supervised the launch of a military strategy to push back the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq and ultimately ended the organization, according to the Daily Mail.

After Carter finished his public service, he decided to focus on being the director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School. He issued an important statement following the 2016 presidential election. Filed Under: Former Secretary Ashton Carter Dies

Ashton Carter’s statement after the 2016 election

Ashton Carter issued a statement in which he promised an orderly transition after the 2016 election of Donald Trump. At this time many national security leaders sided with his opponent Hillary Clinton.

The statement the former Defense Secretary wrote reads: «Last night our fellow American citizens voted for a new President. That it happened freely and peacefully is a testament to the great work of this Department.” This statement was released the day after the election. Filed Under: Former Secretary Ashton Carter Dies

“I am very proud”

Carter expressed the pride he felt at the time when people ‘stepped away’ from politics to make a positive decision in terms of focusing on security and, according to the Daily Mail, he also promised to achieve his goals.

«I am very proud of the way each and every one of you conducted yourselves during this campaign, standing apart from politics and instead focusing on our sacred mission of providing security. I am committed to overseeing the orderly transition to the next Commander in Chief,” he wrote. Filed Under: Former Secretary Ashton Carter Dies

He reversed the policy banning transgender people in the military

According the Daily Mail, Carter was named as one of the most important and imposing Defense Secretaries, as he warned Trump against the improper use of armed forces after Trump’s claims about electoral fraud.

During the summer of 2016, Ashton Carter announced a new policy that would allow transgender troops to serve in the military. «This is the right thing to do for our people and for the force,” Carter said when communicating the new change in policy. “We cannot allow barriers not related to the qualifications of a person to prevent us from recruiting and retaining those who can best fulfill the mission,” the Daily Mail quoted him. Filed as: Former Secretary Ashton Carter dies