U.S. President Barack Obama has tapped a veteran national security expert to become the new associate director for national security and international affairs at the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy.

The nominee, Philip Coyle, currently serves as a senior advisor to the Center for Defense Information, a Washington-based national security think tank.

Coyle expressed skeptical views about North Korea’s testing of a long-range rocket last year. He is also critical of the U.S.-initiated missile defense system.

The associate director for national security and international affairs is in charge of pursuing denuclearization and overseeing issues related to Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.