Christine Fox


Christine Fox is an American military official and politician, who served as the Acting United States Deputy Secretary of Defense from December 3, 2013 until Robert Work's confirmation on May 1, 2014. With her appointment, Fox became the highest-ranking female official in history to serve in the United States Department of Defense.

Career

Fox graduated from George Mason University. She was a civilian employee at Naval Air Station Miramar and worked for the CNA Corporation for nearly three decades as a research analyst, manager, and President of the Center for Naval Analyses.
From 2009 until 2013, she was the Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation in the Office of the Secretary of Defense—one of the most senior civilian positions in the Department of Defense. In her role as Acting Deputy Secretary, she became the highest-ranking woman ever to work in The Pentagon. She officially retired from the Pentagon in May 2014.
Since 2014, Fox has worked as the Assistant Director for Policy and Analysis at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
Fox has also served on the Board of the United States Naval Academy, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Honors

Fox is a three-time recipient of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal and received the Department of the Army Distinguished Civilian Service Award.

In popular culture

Fox gained notability during her work at Naval Air Station Miramar, where she was the inspiration for the Top Gun character "Charlie", played by Kelly McGillis in the movie.
In April 2018 Fox was interviewed in the documentary Do You Trust This Computer?