Top Gun Inspiration Makes History at Pentagon

For someone who has spent a chunk of her career in the wonky position of budget strategist for the Pentagon, Christine Fox now has two decidedly unwonky gems on her resume:

• President Obama today appointed her as the acting No. 2 at the Pentagon, an "unprecedented move" that gives her the highest position ever held by a woman in the defense department, reports DefenseNews.com. Fox will be Chuck Hagel's deputy chief until a permanent successor is named.

• The other gem came back in the mid-1980s, when Fox became the inspiration for Kelly McGillis' character in the Tom Cruise movie Top Gun, reports NBC News. At the time, Fox worked as a civilian analyst for a military think tank, and she helped prepare Navy aviators for missions, according to an old People profile now in wide circulation.

(More Christine Fox stories.)