Christine Fox: from Top Gun inspiration to the Pentagon
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Version 0 of 1. <strong>Name:</strong> Christine Fox. <strong>Age: </strong>You haven't got the clearance for that information, but let's say late 50s. <strong>Clearance? Who is she?</strong> She's America's brand-new acting deputy secretary of defence. <strong>Wow. What is that, exactly?</strong> It's the highest rank ever held by a woman at the Pentagon. <strong>So is she, like, a general or something?</strong> No, she's a civilian, and the former director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation at the Department of Defence. She's basically a budget expert. <strong>Does she not have any stars, or medals, or a gun?</strong> No. She evaluates US defence objectives in the light of resource constraints. <strong>She does the cuts, you mean. </strong>Well, yes, but she has decades of experience and a master's degree in applied mathematics <strong>No offence, but she sounds boring. </strong>She was also the inspiration for Kelly McGillis' character in the film Top Gun. <strong>Charlie? The beautiful but buttoned-down flight instructor who falls for Tom Cruise's reckless aviator Maverick?</strong> The same. <br />Reading on a mobile? Click here to watch video<br /><strong>How did that happen, pray tell?</strong> Back in the 1980s, while working for the Centre for Naval Analyses, Fox was seconded to the Miramar Naval Air Station, home of the fighter pilot school informally known as TOPGUN. During her time there, she became known for the sound of her high heels in the hallway, and was given the call sign "Legs". <strong>That is so sexist.</strong> True, but before the Top Gun producers met Fox, they wanted Kelly McGillis's character to be a gymnast, or possibly a groupie. <strong>I guess they were different times.</strong> Indeed. "I later read a review panning Top Gun," said Fox, "as being completely unrealistic that a civilian woman would work in such a macho environment." <strong>And now she's head of the Pentagon.</strong> Well, she's acting deputy secretary. <strong>But soon she'll become the actual deputy secretary! </strong>Apparently she's just there temporarily, until a permanent successor is found. <strong>Blazing a trail for other women!</strong> There are no women on the current shortlist. <strong>Do say: </strong>"Her experience and knowledge of the department's global operations make her the ideal choice to fill this position, if only for a little while." <strong>Don't say: </strong>"You've come a long way, Legs." Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |