Ashton Carter, who served as President Barack Obama’s final defense secretary, has died, his family said. He was 68.
Carter, who led the Defense Department from February 2015 to January 2017, suffered a “sudden cardiac event” on Monday night in Boston, his family said in a statement. He is survived by his wife, Stephanie, and his children, Ava and Will.
Carter was a “a man of extraordinary integrity” who was “guided by a strong, steady moral compass and a vision of using his life for public purpose,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
“I was Vice President at the time, and President Obama and I relied on Ash’s fierce intellect and wise counsel to ensure our military’s readiness, technological edge, and obligation to the women and men of the greatest fighting force in the history of the world,” Biden said.
