For Bryan Lopez, the path from Navy cryptologist to emerging technology leader has been shaped by a simple question: How can technology translate into a real advantage for the people carrying out the mission?
Today, as director of emerging technologies for the Department of the Navy’s Office of the CIO and CTO, he focuses on turning breakthroughs in areas such as AI, quantum technologies, 5G and electronic warfare into capabilities that can give warfighters a meaningful operational advantage.
But for Lopez, a career defined by complex technologies and high-stakes missions has always come back to something much more fundamental: service. Born into a Navy family with generations of Naval cryptology and intelligence experience, he followed in his father’s footsteps before transitioning into federal civil service. Along the way, leading sailors in dangerous environments and working alongside people from vastly different backgrounds shaped his philosophy of leadership and public service.
In this Q&A, Lopez reflects on the family legacy that drew him to government, the experiences that shaped his career and why, even after decades in national security and technology, it is the people he has served alongside who continue to motivate him.
Tell us about your current role and the mission you support. What does a typical day look like for you?
My current role is Director of Emerging Technologies for the Department of the Navy Office of the Chief Information Officer and Chief Technology Officer, where I lead a portfolio focused on identifying, evaluating, and accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies that can deliver decision and operational advantage to the warfighter.
My primary responsibility is to bridge the gap between emerging technology and operational needs. I lead multiple geographically dispersed teams that engage extensively with industry, academia, the Services, combatant commands, and other defense organizations to identify technologies with the potential to address validated operational requirements and provide meaningful advantage to commanders in contested environments. This requires balancing an understanding of where technology is going with a clear understanding of what the fleet needs today, and where it will need to be tomorrow.
A typical day begins with engagements with my team leads to review priorities, assess progress across our portfolio, and align resources against the highest-value opportunities. From there, much of my time is spent engaging with industry and technology developers to understand emerging capabilities, assess their maturity and relevance to Navy missions, and determine where they may warrant further evaluation or transition.
I also routinely engage senior leaders across the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy, including OUSW(R&E), the Defense Innovation Unit, OPNAV, Fleet Cyber Command, and other mission partners to share insights, shape technology priorities, and ensure that promising capabilities are aligned with broader operational objectives. Equally important are my engagements with combatant commands and the Type Commanders, including PACOM, Commander Naval Surface Force, and Commander Naval Air Forces, where I work to understand evolving operational challenges and ensure that our technology efforts remain grounded in the needs of commanders and warfighters.
In addition to leading these efforts, I participate in Technical Evaluation Boards and Technical Exchange Meetings with industry and academia, and I am frequently called upon to provide senior-level technical and strategic insight in response to congressional and senatorial inquiries regarding technologies within my portfolio.
Ultimately, my role is more about leading teams and building the relationships, processes, and partnerships necessary to move the right technologies from the emerging stage toward operational relevance, ensuring that the Navy is positioned to adopt and scale capabilities that provide a measurable decision or operational advantage to the warfighter.
What drew you to public service? Was your path into government planned, or did it evolve over time?
I was born into a Navy family with a deep tradition of service in Naval Cryptology and Intelligence. My father was a Russian linguist, and each of his six brothers served in similar roles supporting Naval Intelligence. Growing up, I saw their service not simply as a career, but as a family legacy and a responsibility to something larger than ourselves. It was a legacy I always hoped to become part of.
I eventually had the opportunity to do exactly that, following in my father’s footsteps as a Russian linguist and Navy Cryptologist. As my career progressed, however, I found myself increasingly drawn to the technical side of intelligence and to the emerging technologies that were transforming how we collected, processed, and acted on information. What began as an opportunity to serve, ultimately evolved into a career at the intersection of technology, intelligence, and national security.
After a career in the Navy as a Cryptologist, transitioning into federal civil service was a natural continuation of that commitment to public service. While the roles and responsibilities have evolved considerably over the years, the underlying motivation has remained the same: applying my experience, technical expertise, and leadership to help solve difficult national security challenges and provide our warfighters with an advantage.
So, my path into government was not something I necessarily planned but rather evolved as opportunities presented themselves. The underlying commitment to public service was instilled in me from the beginning. In many ways, I am continuing a family legacy as part of nearly 300 years of Cryptologic service spanning three generations.
Looking back, was there a pivotal moment, decision or experience that shaped your career in government?
I can’t point to a single moment, decision, or experience that defined my career in government. Instead, my perspective was shaped over time by a series of experiences, decisions, and relationships throughout my military and civil service careers.
Early in my career, mentors and leaders showed me what it meant to serve with purpose. They demonstrated that public service was not simply about the position you held, but about the responsibility that came with it, and the people and mission I was entrusted to lead.
That perspective became even more profound when I found myself leading teams of sailors in dangerous war zones, in far-flung corners of the world performing missions crucial to our national security. What moved me most were the people I had the privilege of leading and serving alongside. They came from communities and backgrounds from across the country and represented virtually every demographic, yet they were united by an extraordinary willingness to put the mission and the national interest ahead of themselves.
Those experiences shaped the way I view leadership and public service to this day. They taught me that the most important part of government service is not the technology, organization, or position—it is the people who choose to serve and the mission they are willing to undertake together.
Looking back, it was that cumulative experience, the mentors who invested in me, the missions I was entrusted to lead, and the people who served alongside me, that ultimately shaped my decision to continue a life of service in government.
What does public service mean to you, and why is serving the nation and its citizens important to you?
To me, public service is ultimately about stewardship, the responsibility to give back to those who came before us while helping build a better nation for those who will come after us.
That responsibility is deeply personal to me. I remember my grandmother telling me stories about her younger brother, my uncle, whom she loved dearly. He was just 24 years old when he was killed on Christmas Eve in 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes Forest in Belgium. He is buried in the Santa Fe National Cemetery in our home state of New Mexico. He represents the thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and other Americans who answered the call to serve and ultimately gave their lives in defense of our nation.
For me, a life of public service is one way of honoring that sacrifice. It is my opportunity to give something back to the nation that my family has served for generations, and to ensure that the legacy entrusted to us is carried forward.
I am particularly mindful that public service is not about what the nation owes us; it is about what we owe to the nation and to the citizens we have been entrusted to serve. Every day, I have the privilege of working alongside people who share that commitment. That sense of responsibility—to those who sacrificed before us, to the citizens we serve today, and to the generations that will follow—is what makes public service meaningful to me.
What is one lesson you’ve learned in public service that has stayed with you throughout your career?
One lesson I have learned throughout my career is that public service is ultimately about the word “service”. It is not about how much money you make, the circles you move in, the title on your business card, or the recognition you may receive. Those things can have value, but they are not what makes a career in public service meaningful.
What has stayed with me is that the real measure of service is the mission and the people you serve alongside. Whether I was serving in uniform or as a federal civilian, I have been fortunate to work with people who were willing to put the mission ahead of themselves and who shared a common commitment to something larger than their individual interests.
For me, that mission has always been tied to protecting our national security and preserving the freedoms and way of life that we often take for granted. And the people I have had the privilege to serve with have been as important as the mission itself.
After a career in government, I have come to believe that the greatest rewards of public service are not necessarily the ones that can be measured. They are the knowledge that you contributed to something larger than yourself, the relationships you build with people who share that same commitment, and the opportunity to lead those people in the service of our nation.
What advice would you give to someone considering a career in government today?
Whenever someone asks me about my experience in the military or in government service, and whether they should consider a similar life of service, my answer is always the same: Do it!
Public service offers a perspective on our country and the responsibility of protecting it that they will never experience anywhere else. It gives one the opportunity to see firsthand what goes into preserving our freedom and national security.
You may find yourself working on missions of enormous consequence, traveling to places you never imagined you would see, solving problems you never knew existed, and becoming part of exciting organizations and efforts. There is a genuine sense of adventure and sense of purpose that comes with public service.
You do not have to make government service a lifelong career for it to have a profound impact on you. Even a few years can give you experiences, relationships, perspective, and a deeper appreciation for the freedoms we enjoy. Most importantly, you can be part of something larger than yourself. The people you serve with, the missions you undertake, and the experiences you share will stay with you long after you leave government service.
What continues to motivate and inspire you in your work supporting the public mission?
The short answer is simple: the people.
Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of working with some of the best people our nation has to offer. They have come from every state in the Union and from virtually every walk of life. Some were carpenters, mechanics, chefs, musicians, teachers, engineers, athletes, and business owners. Some were young and just out of high school; others were more experienced and had families of their own. Yet each brought a unique talent, perspective, and contribution to the teams of which I was fortunate enough to be a part.
What has always struck me is that leadership is not simply about finding the most technically capable person in the room. Sometimes the person who makes the greatest contribution is the one who can lift the morale of a team when circumstances are difficult. Sometimes it is the person who can find the motivation to get up every morning and continue doing the mission despite long hours, difficult conditions, and months away from the people they love.
I have seen that kind of commitment throughout my career, and it has had a profound impact on me. It reminds me that public service is ultimately about people who are willing to commit themselves to something larger than their individual interests.
I consider it one of the great privileges of my life that I have been able to serve alongside so many extraordinary people—and that I continue to have the opportunity to work with them today. Their friendship, professionalism, resilience, collaboration, and commitment to the mission continue to motivate and inspire me every day.