President Clinton announced last week his intent to nominate Philip Coyle '56 to be the next Director of Operational Test and Evaluation at the Department of Defense.
In a telephone interview yesterday from Washington, D.C., Coyle said he would be interested in the position if nominated.
Operational Test and Evaluation reviews all operational military systems for the government before they are implemented.
Coyle will be responsible for assessing results of military program testing. He will give input into the selection, testing procedures and effectiveness of military systems such as weapons, equipment and munitions, according to a White House press release.
Coyle said the final decision of nomination should occur sometime in the next month.
In order to begin the nomination process, the President first submits the name of a candidate whose background and history are then investigated by the FBI. A waiting period follows before the actual nomination takes place.
After the nomination is submitted, all paperwork is transferred from the White House to the Senate, according to Pentagon Spokesperson Jan Walker, where the nominee goes through a series of hearings. The nomination is then voted on, needing a 2/3 Senate majority to pass.
Coyle worked at the Department of Energy as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Defense Programs and as Acting Assistant Secretary for Defense Programs. Coyle also worked for Lawrence Laboratory for the last thirty years and was made Principal Laboratory Associate Director in 1988.
Coyle received his master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the College in 1957.
