Richard Lawless, a former U.S. National Security Council official, is expected to become deputy assistant defense secretary for Asian and Pacific affairs, a key post for the planning of security policy toward Japan, U.S. government sources said Friday.

Lawless, also a former Central Intelligence Agency operations officer, will replace the outgoing deputy assistant secretary, Peter Brookes, the sources said.

The Defense Department is recommending Lawless for the post, which is important for Japan-U.S. missile defense cooperation and bilateral policy coordination on Asian issues. He is expected to take over the position by the end of September with approval from the White House, they said.

The deputy assistant defense secretary for Asian and Pacific affairs represents the U.S. at working-level security talks between Japan and the U.S.

Lawless is currently the chairman of a Washington-based business consulting company that advises information technology firms doing business in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and other Asian countries.

Before serving on the NSC, under the administration of President Ronald Reagan, he worked at the U.S. embassies in Tokyo and Seoul as the official in charge of military-related satellite and nuclear technologies. He was also a CIA expert on the Korean Peninsula.

Lawless is also familiar with modern Japanese history.