Heidi Shyu in 2013 as assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology in Kandahar with Gen. Dennis Via. (DOD photo by Spc. Isaac Adams) Software and elevating small businesses in the defense industry base top the list of priorities of the Biden administration's pick to lead the Defense Department's technology efforts. Heidi Shyu, who previously served as the Army's assistant secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology, debuted her priorities to modernize the military with a strong emphasis on software during her Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing on May 25. "In order to rapidly transition the latest software, we need to have an open architecture that isolates the software from the hardware then allows rapid user testing," she wrote in policy question responses.