Bush nominates Pollett for head of DISA

Maj. Gen. Carroll F. Pollett

President Bush nominated Army Maj. Gen. Carroll F. Pollett for director of the Defense Information System Agency, filling a job vacant since the Senate rejected the nomination of Rear Adm. Elizabeth Hight for the DISA director post in June. The position comes with a promotion to lieutenant general.

A career signal officer, Pollett served as operations chief for DISA in 2003. He also served as commanding general of the Network Enterprise Technology Command's 9th Signal Command at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., and headed the Army's 5th Signal Command in Germany. Both of those posts are viewed as steppingstones to DISA's top job.

The Senate must confirm Pollett before he takes the post, a process that Defense sources say most likely will not happen before Congress adjourns for its fall break at the end of the week.

Hight currently serves as the acting DISA director. The Senate rejected her nomination due to a perceived conflict of interest with her husband, retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Gary Salisbury, who is vice president of business development and sales for Northrop Grumman Corp.'s mission systems sector, defense mission systems division.