Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, said the Department of Defense is set to release a national strategy that outlines its science and technology priorities to maintain a technological advantage over adversaries, including China and Russia, C4ISRNET reported Friday.
Speaking during a virtual National Defense Industrial Association, the 2023 Wash100 awardee said the National Defense Science and Technology Strategy primarily focuses on supporting the development of capabilities to enable joint missions.
“Everything we’ve been doing is very much focused in on joint warfighting capabilities and what we need to do as a joint force,” Shyu said.
“The capability that we need to develop in that arena is what’s driving a lot of our focus, especially in prototyping [and] experimentation,” the official added.
The strategy also aims to advance the deployment of warfighting technology demonstrated in experimentation campaigns to military users. This priority aligns with the recommendation of the Atlantic Council’s Commission on Defense Innovation Adoption to bridge the gap between technology demonstration and fielding efforts.
The third focus of the strategy is to expand the Pentagon’s research and development workforce through outreach to universities.
