National | Politics

President Obama nominates Cherokee citizen to Defense position

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Brad Carson. Photo from Department of Defense

President Barack Obama has nominated Brad Carson, a member of the Cherokee Nation, to serve in yet another high-level position at the Department of Defense.

Carson, a U.S. Navy veteran who fought in Iraq, has served as Under Secretary of the U.S. Army since March 2014. Obama nominated him in November 2013 and he was confirmed by the Senate in February 2014.

Before that, Carson served as general counsel of the U.S. Army, the agency's top legal post. He was nominated by Obama in September 2011 and confirmed in December of that year.

Obama's confidence in Carson continues with his nomination as Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, in which he has been serving in an acting capacity in addition to his other post. The announcement was made by the White House today.

“I am grateful that these talented and dedicated individuals have agreed to take on these important roles and devote their talents to serving the American people," said Obama, referring to Carson and four other nominees. "I look forward to working with them.”

Carson represented Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional district from 2000 to 2005. The district has the highest percentage of American Indians and Alaska Natives in the U.S.

Carson made a run for Senate but lost in 2004. He then went to work as chief executive officer for Cherokee Nation Businesses, his tribe's economic development enterprise, before returning to Washington, D.C., during the Obama administration.