“Dr. Aprille Ericsson took the oath-of-office to become the first ever Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology. The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu administered the oath at the Pentagon today,” the statement said.
Ericsson worked at NASA for more than three decades prior to her role at the Pentagon, the statement said. Ericsson was the first African-American woman to earn a PhD in engineering from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the statement said.
In July, the Pentagon established three assistant secretary positions to cover critical technologies, mission capabilities, and science and technology.