Top Gun inspiration gets top Pentagon job

Dec. 4 (UPI) -- The world knows her as Charlie, Tom Cruise's love interest in Top Gun, but Christine Fox is far more than a pretty face.

Fox is the new acting deputy secretary of defense, the second-in-command at the Pentagon, after Ash Carter retired Monday afternoon.

"Christine is a brilliant defense thinker and proven manager," said Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, who recommended Fox to President Barack Obama for the job, in a statement Tuesday.

Fox served as the budget director for defense, helping to prioritize spending and manage the sequester-tightened budget.

Before she moved to the Pentagon, Fox worked for the Center for Naval Analyses, developing tactics for aircraft carrier defense, similar to Kelly McGillis' character in Top Gun.

Except they didn't call Fox "Charlie." Her call sign was "Legs."

[US News and World Report]