Kennedy School Administrator Is Tapped for High Post at Pentagon

John White, the director of the Kennedy School of Government's Center for Business and Government, was chosen last week to fill the No. 2 position at the Pentagon, according to the Boston Globe.

White currently serves as the chair of the Pentagon's special commission on roles and missions.

He was unavailable for comment yesterday.

Pentagon spokesperson Kenneth bacon told the Globe that White is "an imaginative choice" for the job.

"He is a very bright guy," Bacon said. "His background is extraordinary."

White, a former Eastman Kodak executive, worked as an assistant secretary of defense during the Carter administration.

He also wrote the economic program for Ross Perot's 1992 presidential campaign.

Defense Secretary William Perry cannot formally nominate White until his predecessor, John M. Deutch, gains Senate approval for his own nomination to the directorship of the Central Intelligence Agency. The Senate Intelligence Committee is scheduled to hold Deutch's confirmation hearing on April 26.