Pentagon’s R&E office stands up 3 new assistant secretaries, 8 new DASDs

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has created a trio of new assistant secretaries of defense who will report up to the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, replacing three deputy chief technology officer positions.

The creation of the three new roles was driven by Congressional language in last year’s defense authorization bill, but represents a major reorganization of the office tasked with accelerating technologies for the department. 

“The establishment of these roles within Research & Engineering better positions our team to execute upon our mission of preserving our nation’s technological edge, now and into the future,” Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, said. “We thank our partners in Congress and across the DOD for getting us to this point.”

“Congress established the three new ASD positions in last year’s NDAA and the Department is acting consistent with Congressional direction and in partnership with our defense committees,” a spokesman for the R&E office told Breaking Defense.

Spokesperson added that while the deputy chief technology officer positions will be going away, there will be no change to the the scope and responsibilities.

“This change will help clarify the organization of R&E and how it falls in the Department at large to our partners, in government, outside government, and abroad,” the spokesman said. “No new responsibilities are associated with this change.”

All ASDs are in their roles until “an individual is first appointed to the position by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate,” according to the press release. Eight new deputy ASD (DASD) positions have also been established, with a number of individuals tapped to fill those in an acting capacity. 

Maynard Holliday, formerly the deputy chief technology officer for critical technologies, will now be the ASD for critical technologies. Under Holliday’s role, two DASDs are established for applied technology and enabling technology. According to the press release, Michael Holthe will fill the position for DASD for enabling technology and serve in an acting capacity as DASD for applied technology. 

Steven Wax, former acting deputy chief technology officer for science and technology, has been assigned ASD for science and technology and will still perform his role of principal deputy ASD for science and technology, according to the press release. Under his role, three DASDs are established: Jagadeesh Pamulapati for science and technology foundations, Kevin Geiss for science and technology futures and Robert Irie for science and technology program protection.

The third role, ASD for mission capabilities, will be led by Thomas Browning, who was the deputy chief technology officer for mission capabilities, and Marcia Holmes will serve as principal DASD for mission capabilities. Paul Zablocky has been assigned DASD for multi-domain joint operations, Alex Lovett will serve as DASD for prototypes and experiments and Elmer Roman will lead the DASD for mission integration. 

The decision to create new ASD level positions is notable, given how R&E was initially stood up in 2018. Under then-undersecretary Mike Griffin, the office was created with a series of “directors” instead of ASDs, in what was widely viewed as a move to circumvent having to have individuals go through the confirmation process. (In comparison, the Acquisition & Sustainment office, which like R&E was created out of the legacy Acquisition, Technology and Logistics office, had ASD roles from the start.)

The reorganization comes as House lawmakers propose renaming and expanding Shyu’s role. In the final version of the House’s fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, lawmakers proposed renaming the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering position to undersecretary of defense for science and innovation integration.

When House lawmakers first proposed the renamed role, which was initially the undersecretary of defense for technology integration and innovation, the role seemed to retain much of the responsibilities Shyu already had, but would also establish “an alternate path to integrate commercial technology into the Department that does not include applying the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System process to the acquisition of technology that readily exists in the commercial sector” — though that alternate path was not defined.