Heidi Shyu

Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Department of Defense

As the Pentagon’s chief technology officer, Heidi Shyu’s job is twofold: develop new capabilities for U.S. warfighters and focus the investments necessary for future success. “You need to set a vision for the team and common goals so the entire team can all go in the same direction,” she told FedScoop. “It is also critical for leaders to have an ability and willingness to listen. Many senior leaders are talented at presenting ideas, but the most successful leaders are those who are just as skilled at receiving information. The reality is that the people who know the most are almost always the people who work for you, especially in these highly technical areas.” Shyu has released a list of 14 technologies critical to the nation’s armed forces, including Integrated Network Systems-of-Systems. “It’s bigger than just IT,” she said. “We must develop a diverse set of communication pathways to enable secure and resilient communication in a highly contested environment. We must be able to command and control at the tactical edge with limited communication. We need to seamlessly connect disparate systems that were never designed to talk to each other. We can then enable the vision of any sensor to any shooter.”