Heidi Shyu: US Needs to Invest More in Missile Defense Capabilities

Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, said that the U.S. needs to increase investments in missile defense amid the growing number of intermediate and long-range missile technologies used by foreign adversaries.

Speaking at the National Defense Industrial Association’s 2024 Missile Defense Conference on Tuesday, Shyu, a past Potomac Officers Club speaker and Wash100 awardee, said that the whole world is currently in a dangerous phase, with short-, intermediate- and long-range missile threats rising in every part of the planet.

Shyu’s remarks follow Iran’s air strike against Israel using dozens of land-attack cruise missiles, Defense .gov reported.

At the same event, John F. Plumb, assistant secretary of defense for space policy, emphasized the need to develop space-based detection systems to help intercept missiles.

The power of space has long been discussed at the Pentagon. In 2022, Mike McCord, comptroller at the Pentagon, revealed that the agency expects to see increased spending on space programs to ensure the country has reliable space assets during critical times.