doi:10.7916/nk4r-a197Oral history interview with Ashton "Ash" B. Carter, 2021Carter, Ashton Boral historiesmixed materialPresidents--United StatesAfghan War, 2001-2021Women in combat--United StatesCarter, Ashton BObama, BarackIS (Organization)United States. Department of Defense. Appropriations and expendituresUnited States. CongressAshton "Ash" Carter reflects on his service in the Obama administration, in which he served as undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics from 2009 to 2011; deputy secretary of defense from 2011 to 2013; and United States secretary of defense from 2015 to 2017. Carter speaks widely about his development and influences as a public servant, views on the relationship between politics and the Department of Defense, and experience in the Obama administration. He describes the broad portfolio of issues and initiatives with which he was closely involved, with particular attention to the international campaign against ISIS; the war in Afghanistan, especially during the final years of the Obama administration; and the administration's Asia rebalance, in which state resources and attention were redirected from the Middle East to the Asia Pacific region. Carter also discusses the consequences of the uncertainty surrounding federal budgets during the Obama years on the operations of the Department of Defense, his relations with Congress, the opening of all combat roles to women, and President Obama's approach to deliberations about security issues