Obama announces nominee for Secretary of US Air Force

President Barack Obama nominated Deborah Lee James as Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, the White House said on Thursday evening. Obama said James' "strong record of public service and leadership in the private sector makes her uniquely qualified to be my nominee for Secretary of the Air Force." James is president of the Technology and Engineering Sector at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). From 2004 to 2013, she was the senior vice president of the C4IT Business Unit, then the executive vice president of Communications and Government Affairs at SAIC. From 2000 to 2001, she was executive vice president and chief operating officer at Business Executives for National Security. From 1998 to 2000, she was the vice president in the International Operations and Marketing division at United Technologies. From 1993 to 1998, she served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs at the Department of Defense. She began her career in national security as a staff member in the U.S. House of Representatives on the House Armed Services Committee from 1983 to 1993.