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Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering

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Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering

News & Events

Senior Officials Announced for the War Department’s Six Critical Technology Areas

OUSW(R&E) has appointed six accountable senior officials to oversee the tangible sprints within the War Department’s six critical technology areas.

SecWar-Hegseth-announced-DoW-AI-Acceleration-Strategy

Release of the War Department's AI Acceleration Strategy

This strategy is built on three pillars: warfighting, intelligence, and enterprise operations. It will be executed through seven key "Pace-Setting Projects" designed to rapidly advance capabilities.

SecWar-Hegseth-and-USDRE-Emil-Michael-visit-DARPA

DoW's Innovation Ecosystem

Secretary Pete Hegseth announced an overhaul of the War Department’s innovation ecosystem, which will now be led by Emil Michael, the Under Secretary of Research and Engineering and the Department’s CTO.

R&E Strengthens Measures to Protect DoW Funded Research

R&E announces the publication of the Fundamental Research Security Initiatives and Implementation memorandum. This memorandum establishes new actions to protect DoW funded research from malign foreign influence, intellectual property theft, and other forms of exploitation that threaten the security and economic interests of the United States.

GENAI.MIL

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the launch of GenAI.mil, the War Department's new AI platform. This initiative is designed to create an “AI-first” enterprise by embedding generative AI into daily operations for all 3 million DoW personnel.

Hon Emil Michael

New CTA Announcement

Under Secretary of War for Research & Engineering Emil Michael officially released 6 new Critical Technology Areas (CTAs) to guide Department-wide technology priorities: Applied Artificial Intelligence (AAI), Biomanufacturing (BIO), Contested Logistics Technology (LOG), Quantum and Battlefield Information Dominance (Q-BID), Scaled Directed Energy (SCADE), and Scaled Hypersonics (SHY).

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and USD(R&E) Emil Michael toured our "drone petting zoo" in the Pentagon courtyard today to see American-made prototypes that have been rapidly developed in 12-24 months. Mr. Alex Lovett of R&E's Mission Capabilities Office showcased low-cost, high-performance UAS platforms, including the XQ-58 Valkyrie, LUCAS, and Vanilla, highlighting their unique launch methods, payload versatility, and long-endurance capabilities.

Unleashing U.S. Drone Dominance

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and USW(R&E) Emil Michael toured our "drone petting zoo" in the Pentagon courtyard on July 16th, 2025, to see American-made prototypes that have been rapidly developed in 12-24 months.

APFIT Program Breaks Records

The Littoral Explosive Ordinance and Neutralization (LEON) Amphibious Unmanned Ground Vehicle, an FY25 APFIT project, exits the water after clearing surf-zone mines in an exercise.

Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Hon. Emil Michael met with new Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Director Stephen Winchell yesterday to discuss the exciting innovation breakthroughs of the future.

DARPA Connection

The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Hon. Emil Michael, met with new Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Director Stephen Winchell on June 10th, 2025 to discuss the exciting innovation breakthroughs of the future.

Photo by Dawn Hooghouse.

Value Engineering Leader Jeffrey Hooghouse Wins OSW Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service

Mr. Jeffrey T. Hooghouse has been awarded the Office of the Secretary of War Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service, the highest honor for a civilian employee.

The award recognizes Mr. Hooghouse’s distinguished 35-year career and his decade of service, from 2015 to 2025, as the Chief Value Officer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and its Senior Accountable Official for Value Engineering.

The award was presented by Mr. Thomas Simms, Executive Director, Systems Engineering and Architecture, on behalf of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering and the DoW Senior Accountable Official for Value Engineering.

Mr. Hooghouse’s visionary leadership has fundamentally transformed the DoW decision-making culture. His focus on fiscal responsibility and innovation led the USACE Value Engineering program to generate more than $5.4 billion in validated cost avoidance. This represents an unprecedented 262-to-1 return on investment—the highest of any Value Engineering program within the Department during this period.

Among his achievements, Mr. Hooghouse revitalized the USACE’s Enterprise Value program, established the Office of Value Expertise, and created robust development programs to cultivate future value leaders. His expertise was instrumental in modernizing the Department's own Value Engineering program, solidifying his legacy as a leader in business process optimization. His work ensures smarter, more effective decisions that benefit taxpayers, empower warfighters, and strengthen the nation.

The distinctive accomplishments of Mr. Hooghouse reflect great credit upon himself and the DoW. Please join us in congratulating him on this well-deserved honor.

Updates from Across the R&E Enterprise

DOD Launches Centers of Excellence at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

October 22, 2021

October 22, 2021 The Department of Defense (DoD), through the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)), is pleased to announce awards totaling $15 million for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to establish Centers of Excellence (COEs) in Biotechnology and Materials Science. A merit competition conducted by the OUSD(R&E)’s…

FY 2022 SMART Scholar SEED Grant Program Awardees

October 21, 2021

October 21, 2021 The Department of Defense (DoD) Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) program recently announced awards to 21 SMART PhD scholars as part of its competitive SMART Scholar SEED Grant program for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. The SMART Scholar SEED Grant Program awards research grants worth up to $100,000 per year for…

Ms. Heidi Shyu Delivers Keynote at Women in Technology Event

October 20, 2021

October 20, 2021 On Friday, October 15, 2021, the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)), Heidi Shyu, delivered keynote remarks at the Laboratory for Physical Sciences 3rd Bi-Annual Women in Technology: Building Tomorrow Together. Founded in 1956 in partnership with the University of Maryland, LPS has evolved into a model of basic…

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The Pentagon

Office of the Under Secretary of War,
Research and Engineering (OUSW(R&E))
3030 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-3030