John McNellis, formerly corporate senior vice president at L-3 Communications, has been named deputy assistant secretary for space, strategic and intelligence systems at Defense Department.
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced McNellis’ appointment to the Senior Executive Service role in a Defense Department release published Friday.
McNellis most recently led L-3’s aerospace systems group as president and previously served in the same capacity at the company’s integrated systems group and link simulation and training business.
He also held senior executive positions at Lockheed Martin‘s tactical systems unit, IBM and Loral.
Carter also announced that Melissa Flagg, former senior program officer at the MacArthur Foundation, joined the SES to serve as deputy assistant defense secretary for research.
She oversees the Pentagon’s science and technology programs and laboratories in her new role.
Flagg previously served as director for the technical intelligence office under the Office of Defense Undersecretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics.
