Second senator drops hold on Pentagon nominee

WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions on Thursday joined Senator Richard Shelby in dropping their holds on the nomination of a new Pentagon chief arms buyer after a meeting with Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Gates assured the senators in a 30-minute meeting that he was committed to fair and transparent aerial tanker competition, said Sessions' spokesman Steven Boyd.

The move should pave the way for the full Senate to vote in coming days on the nomination of Ashton Carter, a Harvard professor, to succeed John Young as defense undersecretary for acquisitions, technology and logistics. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa; Editing Bernard Orr)