<u+201c>last night, our fellow american citizens voted for a new president,<u+201d> ash carter wrote. <u+201c>that it happened freely and peacefully is a testament to the great work of this department.<u+201d> | ap photo by jeremy herb 11/09/16 12:17 pm est defense secretary ash carter says he<u+2019>s committed to <u+201c>overseeing the orderly transition to the next commander in chief,<u+201d> in a transition memo sent to defense department employees wednesday. carter didn't mention president-elect donald trump by name in his memo. but he told pentagon civilian employees and military service members that he was proud of them during the campaign for <u+201c>standing apart from politics and instead focusing on our sacred mission of providing security.<u+201d> story continued below <u+201c>last night, our fellow american citizens voted for a new president,<u+201d> carter wrote. <u+201c>that it happened freely and peacefully is a testament to the great work of this department.<u+201d> there will be major changes in the civilian ranks of the pentagon in the new trump administration, but service members <u+2014> from joint chiefs chairman gen. joe dunford on down <u+2014> stay in their roles when a new administration takes power on jan. 20. there<u+2019>s built-in tension in the relationship between trump and the team of admirals and generals he'll inherit, as he repeatedly slammed them on the campaign trail for losing in the war against the islamic state and contended he knew more than the military brass. in his memo, carter acknowledged the military<u+2019>s role across the globe is not ending as the presidential transition begins. <u+201c>i know i can count on you to execute all your duties with the excellence our citizens know they can expect,<u+201d> he wrote. <u+201c>i am mindful every moment of the day that you are carrying out your weighty mission in each and every time zone of the globe,<u+201d> he added. by bill scher by thomas wright by joshua zeitz by jack shafer
carter pledges military cooperation with trump transition - politico
jeremy herb jack shafer