Heidi Shyu

Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Defense Department

Formerly the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, Heidi Shyu was confirmed as the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering USD in July 2021. She’s also dual-hatted as the chief technology officer.

Before her government career, she spent over 6 years at Raytheon Co.’s Space and Airborne Systems. She was a member of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board from 2000-2010, serving as its vice chair from 2003-2005 and as chair 2005-2008.

President Barack Obama nominated her to be assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology and after the Senate confirmed her, Shyu took office June 4, 2011, and stayed in that role until the end of the Obama administration.  

Among her many honors, Shyu is the recipient of the DOD Medal for Distinguished Public Service, Department of the Army Medal for Distinguished Civilian Service and the Department of the Air Force Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service.

Why Watch

In January, Shyu announced her priorities as DOD CTO, which emphasizes people and teamwork as a way for the nation to keep its technological edge.

“I want to leverage the incredible amount of technology innovation that’s across our nation to be able to solve difficult operational challenges,” she said Jan. 14.

DOD’s technology vision, released Feb. 3, stays true to her vision. Its three strategic pillars of mission focus, foundation building and succeeding through teamwork will be used to create a National Defense Science and Technology strategy based on an updated National Defense Strategy.

“To maintain the United States military’s technological advantage, the Department will champion research, science, technology, engineering, and innovation,” Shyu said then. “The demands of the present era call for new operational concepts, increasingly joint operations, and quickly fielding emerging science and technology opportunities.”