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Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, left, talks with U.S. Army General John Campbell, who greeted him upon his arrival at Hamid Karzai International Airport on February 21, 2015 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Pool/Getty Images

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Just days after being sworn in, new Defense Secretary Ashton Carter made his international debut Saturday with a visit to Afghanistan.

Carter, who was sworn in Tuesday as Pentagon chief, planned to see American troops and commanders, meet with Afghan leaders and assess whether U.S. withdrawal plans are too risky to Afghan security.

"We're looking for success in Afghanistan that is lasting," Carter told reporters traveling with him.

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Carter, an experienced defense strategist, revealed little about his thinking on current trends and future prospects for Afghanistan, saying he was using his trip to gather information that will enable him to formulate advice for President Barack Obama. Consulting is his way of "getting my own thinking together," he said.

Carter is Obama's fourth Pentagon chief. He served as the Pentagon's No. 2 official earlier in Obama's tenure and is seen as a technocrat largely untested on the international stage.

Afghanistan's security forces have improved greatly, but the country is still struggling with a resilient insurgency 13 years after U.S. troops invaded and toppled the Taliban regime. Many Afghans worry that Obama is risking an Iraq-like relapse in security by cutting American troop totals in half this year, from the current 10,000, and ending the military mission entirely at the end of 2016.

In an in-flight interview, Carter said he expects to discuss the troop withdrawal plan with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and get his assessment of how the U.S. military can best support the continued development of Afghan forces.

Originally posted here:
New Pentagon chief Ashton Carter visits Afghanistan