Ashton Carter

Ford Foundation Professor of Science and International Affairs
Co-Director, Preventive Defense Project & Chair, International Relations, Science & Security Area
International Security Program,
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Office Address
Littauer-374
Mailing Address
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Mailbox 53
79 JFK Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Contact
Phone: 617-495-1405
Fax: 617-495-9250
Email: ashton_carter@Harvard.Edu
Ashton Carter

Profile

Ashton B. Carter is Ford Foundation Professor of Science and International Affairs; Chair of the International Relations, Security, and Science faculty; and Co-Director, with former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry, of the Preventive Defense Project. From 1993 to 1996 he served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy where he was responsible for national security policy on arms control in the states of the former Soviet Union, for countering weapons of mass destruction worldwide and for overseeing the U.S. nuclear arsenal and missile defense programs. He was twice awarded the Department of Defense's Distinguished Service Medal, the highest award given by the Pentagon. For his contributions to intelligence, he was awarded the Defense Intelligence Medal. Before his government service, Carter was Director of the Center for Science and International Affairs at the Kennedy School. He received bachelor's degrees in physics and medieval history from Yale University and a doctorate in theoretical physics from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He has authored numerous scientific articles, government studies, and books.

Courses

Not Offered

  • IGA-202 American National Security Policy

Media Expertise

Ashton Carter welcomes media inquiries on the following subjects:

Additional experts may be found by clicking on each subject listed. You may contact faculty directly or if you need assistance contact the Communications Office at 617-495-1115.

Research

For a complete list of faculty citations from 2001 - present, please visit the Harvard Kennedy School Research Report Online.

Selected Publication Citations:

  • Academic Journals
    • Carter, Ashton B. "The Architecture of Government in the Face of Terrorism." International Security 26.3 (Winter 2001/2002): 5-23.
    • Carter, Ashton B. "Keeping America's Military Edge." Foreign Affairs 80.1 (January-February 2001): 90-105.
    • Carter, Ashton B. "How to Counter WMD." Foreign Affairs 83.5 (September-October 2004): 72-85.
    • Carter, Ashton B., and Stephen A. LaMontagne. "A Fuel-Cycle Fix." Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 62.1 (January/February 2006): 24-25.
    • Carter, Ashton B. and Stephen LaMontagne. "Toolbox: Containing the Nuclear Red Zone Threat." The American Interest 1.3 (Spring 2006): 28-40.
    • Carter, Ashton B. "America's New Strategic Partner?" Foreign Affairs 85.4 (July/August 2006): 33-44.
    • Carter, Ashton B. "How Washington Learned to Stop Worrying and Love India's Bomb." Foreign Affairs (online only) (January 10, 2007).
  • Book Chapters
    • Carter, Ashton B. "National Security Strategy." American Military Strategy: Memos to a President. Ed. Philip D. Zelikow. Norton, 2001, 33-48.
    • Carter, Ashton B. "National Innovation to Combat Catastrophic Terrorism." Firepower in the Lab: Automation in the Fight Against Infectious Diseases and Bioterrorism. Ed. Scott P. Layne, Tony J. Beugelsdijk, and C. Kumar N. Patel. Henry, 2001, 187-191.
    • Carter, Ashton B., and L. Celeste Johnson. "Beyond the Counterproliferation Initiative." Twenty-First Century Weapons Proliferation: Are We Ready? Ed. Henry Sokolski and James M. Ludes. Cass, 2001.
    • Carter, Ashton B. "Keeping the Edge: Managing Defense for the Future." Keeping the Edge: Managing Defense for the Future. Ed. Ashton B. Carter and John P. White. MIT Press, 2001, 1-26.
    • Carter, Ashton B., Marcel Lettre, and Shane Smith. "Countering Asymmetric Threats." Keeping the Edge: Managing Defense for the Future. Ed. Ashton B. Carter and John P. White. MIT Press, 2001, 119-128.
    • Carter, Ashton B., Marcel Lettre, and Shane Smith. "Keeping the Technological Edge." Keeping the Edge: Managing Defense for the Future. Ed. Ashton B. Carter and John P. White. MIT Press, 2001, 129-164.
    • Carter, Ashton B. "The Architecture of Government in the Face of Terrorism." Countering Terrorism: Dimensions of Preparedness. Ed. Arnold M. Howitt and Robyn L. Pangi. MIT Press, 2003, 17-36.
    • Carter, Ashton B., and Gerald L. Epstein. "A Dedicated Organization in Congress." Science and Technology Advice for Congress. Ed. M. Granger Morgan and Jon M. Peha. RFF, 2003, 157-163.
    • Carter, Ashton B. “Overhauling Counterproliferation." Technology in Society: An International Journal – Special Issue: Technology and Science: Entering the 21st Century. Ed. George Bugliarello and A. George Schillinger. Elsevier, April/August 2004, 257-269.
    • Carter, Ashton B. "The Essential Features of a Focused Strategy to Deal with the Proliferation Challenge: What Has Been Done and What Is to Be Done?" The Challenge of Proliferation: A Report of the Aspen Strategy Group. Ed. Kurt M. Campbell. Washington, D.C.: The Aspen Institute, 2005, 141-152.
    • Carter, Ashton B., and William J. Perry. "China's Rise in American Military Strategy." China's March on the 21st Century: A Report of the Aspen Strategy Group. Ed. Kurt M. Campbell and Willow Darsie. Washington, D.C.: The Aspen Institute, 2007, 107-117.
  • Books
    • Committee on Science and Technology for Countering Terrorism (Lewis M. Branscomb (co-chair), Richard D. Klausner (co-chair), Ashton B. Carter, et al.). Making the Nation Safer: The Role of Science and Technology in Countering Terrorism. National Academies Press, 2002.
    • Carter, Ashton B., and William J. Perry. Preventive Defense: A New Security Strategy for America, Russian Edition. Brookings Institution, 2003.
  • Edited Volumes
    • Carter, Ashton B., and John P. White, eds. Keeping the Edge: Managing Defense for the Future. MIT Press, 2001.
  • Magazine and Newspaper Articles
    • Bellin, Eva, Ashton B. Carter, Philip B. Heyman, David Little, Louise M. Richardson, and Jessica Stern. "Understanding Terrorism: A Harvard Magazine Rountable." Harvard Magazine January-February 2002: 36-49.
    • Carter, Ashton B. "The Korean Nuclear Crisis: Preventing the Truly Dangerous Spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction." Harvard Magazine September/October 2003: 38-41.
    • Carter, Ashton B., and William J. Perry. "The Case for a Preemptive Strike on North Korea's Missiles." TIME.com July 8, 2006.
  • Op-Eds
    • Carter, Ashton B. "Countering Sokolski." Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, May/June 2001.
    • Carter, Ashton B. "How Ridge Can Secure the Homeland." Boston Globe, October 4, 2001.
    • Carter, Ashton B., and Richard Lugar. "A New Era, A New Threat." Financial Times, May 23, 2002.
    • Carter, Ashton B. "Counterterror's Management Style." New York Times, June 8, 2002.
    • Carter, Ashton B. "Throw the Net Worldwide." Washington Post, June 12, 2002.
    • Carter, Ashton B. "Nuclear Over North Korea: Back to the Brink." Washington Post, October 20, 2002.
    • Carter, Ashton B., and William J. Perry. "The Crisis Last Time." New York Times, January 19, 2003.
    • Carter, Ashton B., William J. Perry, and John M. Shalikashvili. "A Scary Thought: Loose Nukes in North Korea." Wall Street Journal, February 6, 2003.
    • Carter, Ashton B., Arnold Kanter, William J. Perry, and Brent Scowcroft. "Good Nukes, Bad Nukes." New York Times, December 22, 2003.
    • Carter, Ashton B. "A Failure of Policy, Not Spying." Washington Post, April 5, 2005.
    • Carter, Ashton B., and William J. Perry. "If Necessary, Strike and Destroy: North Korea Cannot Be Allowed to Test This Missile." Washington Post, June 22, 2006.
    • Perry, William, Ashton B. Carter, and Michael May. "After the Bomb." New York Times, June 12, 2007: A-24.
  • Research Papers/Reports
    • The Markle Foundation Task Force on National Security in the Information Age. "Protecting America's Freedom in the Information Age." Markle Foundation, October 2002.
    • Perry, William J. (chair), with Madeleine K. Albright, Samuel R. Berger, Louis Caldera, Ashton B. Carter, Gen. Wesley K. Clark, Michele A. Flournoy, Alfonso E. Lenhardt, John D. Podesta, Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, and Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall. "The Loose Nukes Crisis in North Korea." National Security Advisory Group Report, March 2003.
    • Perry, William J. (chair), with Madeleine K. Albright, Samuel R. Berger, Louis Caldera, Ashton B. Carter, Gen. Wesley K. Clark, Michele A. Flournoy, Alfonso E. Lenhardt, John D. Podesta, Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, and Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall. “An American Security Policy: Challenge, Opportunity, Commitment." National Security Advisory Group Report, July 2003.
    • Perry, William J. (chair), with Madeleine K. Albright, Graham T. Allison, Samuel R. Berger, Ashton B. Carter, Gen. Wesley K. Clark, Thomas E. Donilon, Michele A. Flournoy, John D. Podesta, Susan E. Rice, Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, Wendy R. Sherman, Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, and James B. Steinberg. "Worst Weapons in Worst Hands: U.S. Inaction on the Nuclear Terror Threat Since 9/11, and a Path of Action." National Security Advisory Group Report, July 2005.
    • Carter, Ashton B., Ronald Lehman II, Robert Einhorn, Alan A. Foley, Arnold Kanter, David Kay, et al. "Interim Report on Nuclear Threat Reduction and the Fuel Cycle." Policy Advisory Group on Nonproliferation, July 2005.
    • Perry, William J. (chair), with Madeleine K. Albright, Graham T. Allison, Samuel R. Berger, Ashton B. Carter, Gen. Wesley K. Clark, Thomas E. Donilon, Michele A. Flournoy, John D. Podesta, Susan E. Rice, Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, Wendy R. Sherman, Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, and James B. Steinberg. "The U.S. Military: Under Strain and at Risk." National Security Advisory Group Report, January 2006.
    • Carter, Ashton B., and William J. Perry. "Plan B for Iran: What if Nuclear Diplomacy Fails?" Preventive Defense Project, September 2006.
    • Carter, Ashton B., and William J. Perry. "China's Rise in American Military Strategy." Conference Paper, Preventive Defense Project, October 2006.
  • Reviews
    • Carter, Ashton B. "A Prescription for Peace." Review of No More Killing Fields: Preventing Deadly Conflict, by David A. Hamburg. Science, 300.5624 May 30, 2003: 1374.