The Director of S&T Futures champions the CTO S&T enterprise to maintain oversight and awareness of DoD research and development in emerging technology areas and to steward the supporting industrial base.

The Director of S&T Futures also serves as the lead for the DoD Communities of Interest (COIs) under Defense Science and Technology Reliance 21. The mission of Reliance 21 is to ensure integrated and coordinated strategic planning for the DoD S&T program. Through the collaborative efforts of COIs and guided by the S&T Executive Committee, Reliance 21 continuously aligns DoD S&T investments to meet warfighter priorities and fill capability gaps across the Military Departments, the Joint Staff, and Defense Agencies.

The Director of S&T Futures serves as the Deputy for the US-UK Science and Technology Defense Review, also known as the US-UK S&T Stocktake, which strategically directs and balances short- and long-term S&T priorities, responds to emerging threats and opportunities, and ensures that collaborative activities complement those done in wider multilateral engagements.