President Barack Obama said he wants a former senior Army official with a career in intelligence to lead the Transportation Security Administration.

The president announced his choice, retired Gen. Robert Harding, on Monday.

The decision to appoint someone with an extensive intelligence background comes after the attempted Christmas airliner attack. That attempt, foiled by passengers, led to scrutiny of government intelligence programs and criticism that the Obama administration wasn't doing enough to foil would-be terrorists. The incident prompted a review of U.S. security policies.