WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Oct. 4, 2012) -- Following her Senate confirmation as assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, Heidi Shyu was formally sworn into office Thursday by Under Secretary of the Army Joseph W. Westphal.
The ceremony at the Pentagon, attended by numerous senior Defense officials and members of the Army's acquisition workforce, was marked by a recognition for the vital mission of equipping and modernizing the Army.
As the assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, or ASA(ALT), Shyu serves as the Army acquisition executive, the senior procurement executive, the science advisor to the secretary of the Army and the Army's senior research and development official. She also has the principal responsibility for all Department of the Army matters related to logistics.
Shyu's job includes the management of a 42,000-strong acquisition workforce and leadership of 13 Program Executive Offices tasked with developing technologies and managing acquisition programs.
Frank Kendall, under secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, expressed his pleasure with Shyu's formal confirmation and noted her many accomplishments spanning her career as a leader, innovator and engineer.
"It is a great pleasure for me to be able to do this today. If there is one word I could use to describe Heidi, it would be professional. She is a woman who has had a remarkable career. Now, she is dealing with some of our toughest problems. She is a dedicated worker and dedicated to the workforce. I'm delighted to have her as a partner," Kendall told the audience.
Westphal also praised Shyu's character and many accomplishments before swearing her in as ASA (ALT). In particular, Westphal cited Shyu's focus, management skills, attention to detail and overall professionalism.
"You have been improving the efficiency of the workforce and providing a sense of professionalism, bringing creativity and innovation to the business side of our portfolios," he added."We really appreciate your leadership and direction and we look forward to tremendous new efforts."
After being formally sworn in, Shyu thanked many who supported her through the process and said she was honored and humbled to assume her duties as ASA(ALT).
"For 237 years, the Army has answered the nation's call wherever and whenever our Soldiers are deployed. Here in this building, our paramount responsibility is to provide the equipment needed for missions and return the Soldier home safely. I humbly accept the significant responsibility that comes with this job to ensure that we maintain the best-equipped Army in the world," Shyu said.
Shyu also re-iterated her longstanding support for the servicemen and servicewomen who serve and sacrifice in combat, praised the dedication of the acquisition workforce and credited her grandparents for inspiring her to pursue excellence and service to others.
"I would like to thank my grandmother who turned 103 last month. She taught me the value of tenacity and the value of never giving up," Shyu said.
Shyu briefly touched upon her leadership vision for the future, articulating a few concepts fundamental to her investment and modernization strategy.
"I will continue determined efforts and close coordination with the Army's military and civilian leadership to develop a systemic process for setting long-term equipping priorities. I refer to this as the strategic outlook which combines intel analysis of our current and planned investments in S&T [Science and Technology] and material development - linking it to emerging threats and capability gaps across a 30-year timeframe," Shyu said.
Prior to her current role, Shyu served as the acting ASA(ALT) beginning in June 2011, and functioned as the ASA(ALT) principal deputy beginning in November 2010. Shyu came to ASA(ALT) after holding a number of leadership positions, including roles as the vice president of technology strategy for Raytheon's Space and Airborne Systems.
She also held several other senior leadership positions at Raytheon, including corporate vice president of technology and research, vice president and technical director of Space and Airborne Systems, vice president of Unmanned and Reconnaissance Systems, senior director of Unmanned Combat Vehicles, senior director of Joint Strike Fighter, and director of JSF Integrated Radar/Electronic Warfare Sensors.
In addition to her experience at Raytheon, Shyu served as a project manager at Litton Industries and was the principal engineer for the Joint STARS Self Defense Study at Grumman. She began her career at the Hughes Aircraft Company.
Shyu holds a bachelor's of science degree in mathematics from the University of New Brunswick in Canada, a master of science degree in mathematics from the University of Toronto, master of science degree in system science (electrical engineering) from the University of California, Los Angeles, and also an engineer degree from UCLA. She is also a graduate of the UCLA Executive Management Course and the University of Chicago Business Leadership Program.
A member of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board from 2000 to 2010, Shyu served as the vice chairman from 2003 to 2005 and as chairman from 2005 to 2008.