The U.S. Senate will hold a confirmation hearing for Defense Secretary nominee Ashton Carter this week amid widespread views that he will have no problem winning endorsement from the Republican-controlled Senate.

Carter, who was nominated last month to succeed Chuck Hagel, is expected to outline his views on many challenges the Pentagon is facing around the world, such as defense budget cuts and the fight against the Islamic State, when he appears at the confirmation hearing set for Wednesday.

Also to be watched closely are his views on North Korea because he is considered a hawk on Pyongyang's provocations and pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, though he basically embraces a two-track approach of dialogue and pressure toward the communist nation.

In 2006, Carter openly called for a preemptive strike on a North Korean long-range missile that was being readied for a test-launch, claiming that the risk of inaction in the face of North Korea's race to threaten the U.S. would be greater than the risk associated with a preemptive strike.

Carter has had three stints at the Pentagon, most recently as deputy secretary from 2011 to 2013. Though he has no military experience, Carter has a good reputation and his nomination is unlikely to face strong opposition from the Senate.

His two other previous stints at the Pentagon are as under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics from 2009 to 2011, and assistant secretary for international security policy from 1993 to 1996. As assistant secretary, he also participated in negotiations to defuse the first North Korean nuclear crisis. (Yonhap)