Senate Confirms Heidi Shyu as DOD's Undersecretary for Research & Engineering

The Senate has confirmed Heidi Shyu‘s nomination to become the undersecretary of the Department of Defense for research and engineering, a role first held by Michael Griffin since the fiscal year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act elevated it at undersecretary level.

As USD(R&E), Shyu will be responsible for setting the strategy for DOD’s investments in research, technology and engineering to address technical warfighting challenges, and driving accelerated delivery of next-generation technologies.

The confirmation came nearly three months after President Joe Biden nominated Shyu for the role.

She brings to the role her experience in serving as assistant secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology at the U.S. Army from 2012 to 2016 and holding the ASA(ALT) position in an acting capacity from mid-2011 to September 2012.

Shyu, a previous Wash100 awardee, also worked in the private industry, including time as vice president of technology strategy for space and airborne systems at the former Raytheon company, where she also assumed the roles of corporate VP of technology and research, VP and technical director of SAS, as well as VP of unmanned and reconnaissance systems.

According to a Congress posting, Shyu’s confirmation on Wednesday was through a voice vote.

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