Neel Mehta
Ashton Carter, former secretary of the Defense Department, has been named director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Gazette reported Tuesday.
He will succeed Graham Allison, who will continue to serve as Douglas Dillon professor of government, and serve as professor of technology and global affairs at the Belfer Center.
Carter will direct the center’s programs toward efforts that aim to promote the use of technology and innovation in addressing domestic and international challenges.
Eric Rosenbach, former chief of staff at DoD, will serve as co-director of the Belfer Center and public policy lecturer at Kennedy School.
During his tenure at the Pentagon, Carter was responsible for DoD’s cyber strategy, development of the coalition campaign to counter threats posed by the Islamic State militant organization and creation of a new playbook to help NATO address Russian aggression in Europe.
He also helped launch “Force of the Future†programs and establish DoD tech hubs in Silicon Valley, Boston and other areas to facilitate collaboration between industry and government.
Carter is former secretary defense secretary for international security policy and serves as a member of the Defense Policy Board.
The Belfer Center provides research, training and teaching support to scholars across the areas of science and technology, resource, international security, environmental issues and diplomacy.
