Pentagon nominee supports increased spending on defense

WASHINGTON, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Ashton Carter, President Barack Obama's nominee to lead the Pentagon, said on Wednesday he would work hard to remove congressional budget caps on military spending and supported further increases in the U.S. defense budget.

Carter told the Senate Armed Services Committee the caps, known as 'sequestration,' caused risk, turbulence and waste, adding:

"I would like to see more spending on defense. I think we're having to accept risk in the execution of our strategy as a result of our funding problems, which I would rather see us not accept."

Carter said he was not familiar with the Pentagon budget submitted to Congress on Monday but would return to answer questions about it if confirmed as defense secretary. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by James Dalgleish)