By Ann Roosevelt
The Bush administration on Tuesday tapped Army Maj. Gen. Patrick O’Reilly for a third star–appointment to the rank of lieutenant general–and assignment as director of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) in Washington, D.C. O’Reilly is currently deputy director.
O’Reilly would succeed Air Force Lt. Gen. Trey Obering.
Arriving at MDA in October 2005, O’Reilly was the program executive officer for Combat Support and Combat Service Support. A West Point graduate, O’Reilly has a background in missile defense and acquisition, having served as project manager for directed energy programs, product manager for the Patriot PAC-3 missile, and project manager for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system.