INSTILLING EXCELLENCE


LEADER OF LEADERS Shyu, flanked by the author and LTG Michael E. Williamson, principal military deputy to the ASA(ALT), joins senior leaders from across the Army acquisition community—primarily program executive officers (PEOs) and deputy assistant secretaries of the Army (DASAs)—at the PEO-DASA Summit in December 2015 in Orlando, FL. (Photo by 1LT Brit- tany Kluck, 143rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) Public Affairs)


Her time in the Office of the ASA(ALT) spanned one of the most austere fiscal climates in the history of the service, with steeply declining budgets across DOD, and saw a significant drawdown of personnel and equipment from two theaters. Despite these challenges, I was always impressed by her commitment to a future that needed preparation: capabilities that required invest- ment, threats that required a planned response and future leaders in the organization that called for mentoring. Troughout it all, she infused our work—the Army’s mission—with an uncom- mon humanity and disarming sense of humor. Working in Army acquisition became more than a noble calling; it became an excit- ing and enjoyable endeavor on behalf of our Soldiers.


MANAGING WELL ON MULTIPLE LEVELS Secretary Shyu’s accomplishments are too numerous to describe here, but three stand out as she leaves ASA(ALT). First, she established a successful emphasis on core competencies for the enterprise. Sound program planning, risk management and detailed execution reviews were her hallmarks. She worked tirelessly on evenings and weekends, often summoning us to technical “deep dives” that lasted hours to help define a program strategy. Te result was a set of programs that were managed well with clear direction and strategy. Tis no-nonsense approach to acquisition offered a lasting counterpoint to critics who pointed to a history of program cancellations and false starts.


A PERSONAL APPROACH Typical of her ASA(ALT) leadership style combining a disarming sense of humor with a solemn dedication to the warfighter, Shyu shares a lighthearted moment with the Soldiers of 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artil- lery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division during Network Integration Evaluation 15.2 in May 2015. (Photo by SGT Jes- sica Littlejohn, 24th Press Camp Headquarters)


Second, Secretary Shyu succeeded in guiding the Army’s equip- ping efforts beyond the immediate needs of current operations to focus on capabilities required in the future. Her push for a comprehensive approach fundamentally changed the processes used to plan investment in research, development and acqui- sition to allow for extended planning over a 30-year horizon.


10 Army AL&T Magazine January-March 2016


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