Defense Secretary Carter sworn in, calls for 'better use' of tax dollars

United States Vice President Joe Biden (L) swears in Ashton Carter (R) as the new U.S. Secretary of Defense in Washington February 17, 2015. REUTERS/Gary Cameron

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter was sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden in a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday after the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly voted to confirm him last week. Carter, 60, served from 2011 to 2013 as deputy defense secretary, the Pentagon's No. 2 position. He was confirmed by a vote of 93-5 on Thursday. In a message to Department of Defense staff that was made public by the Pentagon, Carter said a top priority would be dealing with congressional funding limits that create "wasteful uncertainty" for defense programs. "To win support from our fellow citizens for the resources we need, we must show that we can make better use of every taxpayer dollar," Carter said. (Reporting by Emily Stephenson; Editing by Bill Trott)