Heather Wilson Unveils Air Force Science & Technology Strategy

Air Force Secretary and 2019 Wash100 Award winner Heather Wilson announced a new strategy for the service to identify, build and deploy technology platforms for the next 10 years and beyond as well as expand its tech superiority amid peer-to-peer threats, the Air Force reported Wednesday. 

“The Science and Technology Strategy isn’t just a list of technologies. Our approach will be to predict where adversaries cannot easily go and make sure the Air Force gets there first,” said Wilson. The 32-page strategy has three objectives: develop and deliver transformational capabilities, reform the way science and technology is managed and expand scientific and technical enterprise.

To bring transformational and operational capabilities, Wilson said the service will focus on five strategic capabilities and keep the ability to dominate space, complexity and time across all operating domains. Those capabilities are global persistent awareness, resilient information sharing, unpredictability and mass, effective decision-making and reach of disruption and lethality. 

The Air Force will name a chief technology officer to guide technical and scientific decisions as part of its goal to change the way it oversees science and technology initiatives. The service will also leverage partnerships and advance workforce development and talent recruitment efforts to deepen the scientific and technical enterprise as part of the strategy.