Speakers

Ms. Bethany Harrington serves as the Director of Technology Industrial Base Assessments within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)), Science & Technology Futures. In this role, she leads Department-wide efforts to assess, strengthen, and secure the defense industrial base across critical technology areas, with a focus on hypersonics, space systems, and other key modernization priorities.

As the hypersonics industrial base lead for OUSD(R&E), Ms. Harrington drives initiatives to enhance affordability, scalability, and producibility of advanced capabilities. She also chairs the Space Industrial Base Working Group (SIBWG), where she leads risk assessments and mitigation planning to ensure the resilience and technological superiority of the national security space community. Her work supports the Department’s Protection and Promotion activities, ensuring the long-term health of the U.S. innovation base.

Prior to her current position, Ms. Harrington served as Technical Director in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Engineering & Technical Management Division, where she advised the Service Acquisition Executive and oversaw technical risk management for the Global Power Capability Directorate portfolio. She has also held senior technical roles in government and industry, including positions at NAVAIR, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Acquisition Systems Associates.

With over 15 years of experience in defense systems engineering, Ms. Harrington has led the integration of weapons systems on fifth-generation aircraft and supported the development of countermeasure and avionics systems. She is a certified acquisition professional in Engineering, Test & Evaluation, and Program Management, and holds a NAVAIR AIRSpeed Black Belt.