Senate approves Defense nominees

While the Senate still mulls over President Bush's selection for Defense Department CIO, legislators recently signed off on several Defense appointments before they took their August recess.

Last week the Senate confirmed Phillip Jackson Bell of Georgia to be deputy undersecretary for logistics and materiel readiness, Ronald M. Sega of Colorado as undersecretary of the Air Force and Keith E. Eastin of Texas as the assistant secretary of the Army.

The Senate also confirmed John S. Redd of Georgia as director of the National Counterterrorism Center in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

But Senate leaders sent John G. Grimes, the president's selection for Defense chief information officer, on a fact-finding mission to determine whether DOD could reap any benefits by centralizing its information technology spending. Senators asked Grimes to provide them with a report by fall?within three months of his confirmation.

In other news, President Bush announced his intent to nominate Robert Joseph Henke of Virginia to be assistant secretary of Veterans Affairs for management.

Henke currently serves as principal deputy undersecretary of Defense in the comptroller's office. Previously, Henke worked as a professional staff member with the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.

Henke received his bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame and his master's degree from Syracuse University.

Dawn S. Onley is a staff writer for Washington Technology's sister publication, Government Computer News.