The appointment of former MIT provost John M. Deutch as deputy secretary of defense, the No. 2 job in the Pentagon, was confirmed last week by the Senate Armed Services Committee.
As reported in The Boston Globe, the committee hearings, chaired by Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Georgia), were "largely a formality," with committee members from both parties praising Dr. Deutch.
In introducing Dr. Deutch to the committee, Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy spoke of his "extraordinary qualities of understanding of tough, difficult, complex defense policy issues" and his "extraordinary record of achievement in scientific matters."
Dr. Deutch had been the third-ranking member of the Department of Defense for the past year as undersecretary for acquisition and technology.
Dr. Deutch, Institute Professor and professor of chemistry who served as provost from 1985 to October1990, replaces William Perry, who moved from deputy secretary to secretary following the resignation of Les Aspin from the top defense post.
Dr. Deutch has held advisory or consulting posts in seven presidential administrations.
While on leave from MIT from October 1977 to March 1980, he was at the US Department of Energy as director of the Office of Energy Research, as acting assistant secretary for energy technology, and as undersecretary of the department.
At other times he has served as a member of the President's Nuclear Safety Oversight Committee, the President's Commission on Strategic Forces, the Defense Science Board, the White House Council and the President's Foreign Intelligence Board.
A version of this article appeared in the March 16, 1994 issue of MIT Tech Talk (Volume 38, Number 26).
