Obama to nominate Pentagon chief Friday

President Barack Obama on Friday will announce his choice to replace Chuck Hagel as Pentagon chief, the White House said. Favored for the post is Ashton Carter, a former deputy defense secretary under Leon Panetta from October 2011 to December 2013. While stopping short of confirming the pick, the White House has hailed Carter's "detailed understanding" of the Pentagon's inner workings, and recalled that the Senate had unanimously confirmed his nomination as the Defense Depar