Ashton Carter to replace 'outgoing' Chuck Hagel as US Defense Secretary

The United States has reportedly named Ashton Carter as the next defense secretary by a vote of 93 to five.

The five senators who voted against Carter were Republicans Roy Blunt of Missouri, John Boozman of Arkansas, Mike Crapo of Idaho, Mark Kirk of Illinois and James Risch of Idaho. Two senators, Republican Jerry Moran of Kansas and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat from Nevada, abstained from voting, reported CBS News.

Carter was also unanimously approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this week. President Barack Obama's nominee will replace outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and will be his fourth secretary of defense.

Carter served as the deputy secretary of defense between 2011 and 2013, under both Hagel and Hagel's predecessor, Leon Panetta. Before that, he had also held a number of positions in the Pentagon under Obama and former President Bill Clinton, along with long stints in academia and the private sector.

He signaled his support for delivering lethal arms to the Ukrainian military to defend the country against Russia-backed rebels during his confirmation hearing before the Armed Services committee last week.