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WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2013 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced today that President Barack Obama has appointed Christine H. Fox to serve as acting deputy defense secretary.
Fox is a “brilliant defense thinker and proven manager,” Hagel said.
Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter departs tomorrow, and Fox is scheduled to assume her duties the following day, making her the highest-ranking woman ever to serve in the Defense Department. Until June, she served as the director of DOD’s Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation.
"Over the last five years, Christine has played a key role in helping shape solutions to the core challenges facing the Department of Defense,” a senior defense official said.
Secretary Hagel relied on Fox’s judgment and deep analytical expertise during the Strategic Choices and Management Review earlier this year, the official said.
“As a key leader of the Strategic Choices and Management Review, she helped identify the challenges, choices, and opportunities for reform facing the department during this period of unprecedented budget uncertainty,” Hagel said.
Fox’s appointment enables Hagel to add a senior manager to his leadership team at a pivotal moment for the department and permits the existing senior management team to remain in place and continue their critical leadership of the military services and DOD components, the official said.
“She will be able to help me shape our priorities from day one because she knows the intricacies of the department's budget, programs and global operations better than anyone,” Hagel said.