Washington, Rabi'II 24, 1436, February 13, 2015, SPA -- The US Senate voted Thursday to approve US President Barack Obama's nominee to lead the Defence Department. Ashton Carter's nomination was approved 93-5 after unanimously clearing the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, dpa reported. Carter, 60, will replace Chuck Hagel, who is widely believed to have been pushed out by the White House. Obama's decision to replace Hagel was widely seen as an effort to change course in the fight against Islamic State. At a confirmation hearing last week, Carter defended the administration's strategy in Iraq and Syria and made headlines by saying he would consider sending weapons to Ukraine in its fight against pro-Russian separatists. Carter was deputy secretary of defence from 2011-13 under Hagel and predecessor Leon Panetta. In the post, Carter was the Pentagon's chief operating officer, overseeing more than 600 billion dollars and 2.4 million military and civilian personnel. -- SPA 12:53 LOCAL TIME 09:53 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w