Obama makes picks for comptroller, policy posts

The White House on Thursday announced several nominations to fill senior-level Pentagon posts.

Michael McCord was tapped to be the next Pentagon comptroller and Christine Wormuth was selected as undersecretary of Defense for policy.

{mosads}Brian McKeon was also nominated to be the principal deputy undersecretary of Defense for policy.

The nominees, if confirmed, would represent the beginning of a new crop of senior-level civilian officials at the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

The one other major position that needs to be filled is deputy defense secretary. Christine Fox has been the acting deputy defense secretary since December, but no one has been nominated to fill the position after Ash Carter left the department.

McCord, the current deputy Pentagon comptroller, would succeed his boss Robert Hale, who has been comptroller since 2009.

Wormuth is currently the deputy undersecretary for strategy, plans and forces. She would replace James Miller, who left the Pentagon late last year.

McKeon, a deputy assistant on the National Security Council, was picked to replace Kathleen Hicks, who left the deputy undersecretary for policy post last year.