U.S. defense secretary Carter pledges orderly transition to Trump admin

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter pledged to oversee an orderly transition to a Trump administration on Wednesday and thanked Pentagon employees for staying out of the political fray during the 2016 presidential campaign. "We must stay focused on our duty to confront our current challenges and any that might arise during this period," Carter said in a memorandum to Defense Department employees. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)