At age 74, U.S. Air Force ups its innovation game

2021-09-23T14:01:20-04:00

The U.S. Air Force turned 74 on Sept. 18. On that day in 1947, President Harry Truman signed the National Security Act, establishing the service branch as a coequal entity separate from the U.S. Army.

Even before that time and since, U.S. military aviators and members of the Air Force had a reputation for innovation, contributing to advancements in aerial technology, strategic reconnaissance, air defense, precision weaponry, global positioning systems, robotics and more.

In recent years, however, Air Force leaders have acknowledged that as it aged, the service’s innovation chops have stagnated.

“The world is changing in many ways,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr. said in “Accelerate change or lose,” a paper published in August 2020. “If we don’t change — if we fail to adapt — we risk losing the certainty with which we have defended our national interests for decades.”

In the paper, Brown called for the rapid acceleration of digital, low-cost, high-tech warfighting capabilities and for the empowerment of Air Force women and men to solve problems that further the mission.

Innovating for the future

In an effort to realize Brown’s vision, the Air Force in July launched “Project Holodeck,” a platform designed to let airmen submit, track, test and potentially implement new ideas and innovations.

“We are a service that believes in the power of ideas and the power of the innovators who generate those ideas,” said Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin in a July 13, 2021, news release announcing the initiative. “Initially, innovators harnessed airpower as a means to overcome the challenges of terrestrial and seafaring battles, and today’s innovators continue that legacy as battlefield lines morph in new and unexpected ways.”

The Air Force, Allvin added, wants to “foster that innovative spirit” with resources and support to “sharpen our competitive edge.”

Inviting new ideas

Stories of innovation from the project are collected on the “Empowered Airmen” website. Recent posts — covering topics such as health care, cybertechnology and support for wounded warriors — show that the Air Force views “innovation” as more than inventing the next whiz-bang product (although that’s sought after, too). Stories featured on the site include:

Changing hair and breastfeeding policies. One innovation highlights how the Air Force Women’s Initiative Team (WIT) sought to reduce attrition by resolving health concerns related to hair standards and breastfeeding policies.

Based on WIT-conducted polling, interviews and other data-collection activities, the Air Force now allows women to wear longer braids, ponytails and bangs. Nursing mothers also have newfound flexibility to take lactation breaks and better access to refrigerators to store breast milk.

Details: https://rly.pt/3CEi5u7

Sharing private-sector best practices. Another story spotlights how one Air Force captain brought back to his Air Force position what he learned from a 10-month industry training program at the software company Intel.

“I learned a lot from Intel in terms of how they market and create a culture that shows the benefits of their product,” said Capt. Andrew Beckman, an Enterprise Information Technology-as-a-Service program manager at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Massachusetts. “Using my industry experience, I think I can take on the challenge of helping airmen understand the benefits of using our new network.”

Details: https://rly.pt/3o1wMU0

Tracking debris and reducing risks. An airman at Whiteman Airforce Base in Missouri is prototyping a magnetic mat for detecting and tracking loose aircraft debris, such as tools, parts and other objects. Airman 1st Class Paul Olexa, a 509th Bomb Wing Innovation Office assistant, got the idea after learning that foreign object debris (FOD) can cost aviation roughly $4 billion in repairs annually.

“The FOD mat is a durable polymer mat capable of detecting and locating metallic and nonmetallic objects using a variety of sensors,” Olexa said. “Doing so will allow users to easily find FOD, thus reducing the risk of damage, property damage, labor hours and mission delays.”

Learn more

Read more stories at the Empowered Airmen page: https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Empowered-Airmen.

Get the “Accelerate change or lose” report: https://rly.pt/3i0vZyX

Access the Project Holodeck news release: https://rly.pt/3kvfwo1

Air Force Women’s Initiative Team champions women’s health care

In the past year, the WIT’s Female-Specialized Health Care Programs have driven several policy changes. In February, hair standard policies were changed based on feedback received from Airmen who

Response by SPC Terry Page made Sep 23 at 2021 3:25 PM

2021-09-23T15:25:51-04:00

Sounds like the old Suggestion-Box (but on steroids). Whenever the process is open to the force-at-large, good things will happen including Morale.

Response by TSgt Ken Vandevoort made Sep 23 at 2021 5:04 PM

2021-09-23T17:04:14-04:00

During the spring of 1986, I was then a reservist and was sent to Electronic Security Command HQ at Kelly AFB for 75 days to help fill a shortage in the protocol office. They didn't care what my AFSC was (I was a 209). HQ ESC had an Innovation Center. You could walk in the room and leave your solution to a problem on a file card on the wall. You could also send in suggestions on ESC Form 0. If you didn't have a form, an ordinary piece of paper would do. Suggestions went to the colonels and then down the chain. They had to explain why your suggestion wouldn't work. If it did work, it was usually adopted. If it was adopted, you usually received a stargram from the ESC vice-commander. I ended up being one of the top 5 suggestors at that time and the only reservist. The satisfaction was seeing a suggestion result in a worldwide equipment modification. ESC was way ahead of everyone else at that time. They wanted to pay me for a suggestion, but I turned it down because they already spent enough money on the equipment. I just loved my job.

Response by Bobby Ch made Sep 24 at 2021 10:35 AM

2021-09-24T10:35:44-04:00

By reading this message I learned how you face a problem from fire in your service time.

Response by Amn Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 29 at 2021 1:09 AM

2021-09-29T01:09:26-04:00

supporting, nurturing, and leading their innovations towards fruition. Technology Development Board (TDB), an important stakeholder in the Indian innovation.

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Response by Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen made Oct 4 at 2021 9:17 PM

2021-10-04T21:17:58-04:00

Ideas from the troops have helped the AF for decades, this seems just a formalized continuation of an already successful program.

Response by 1LT Peter Duston made Oct 19 at 2021 6:49 AM

2021-10-19T06:49:13-04:00

Although retired Army, I am proud to serve the Air Force as a retiree Bugler attached to their Maine Honor Guard for the past 12 years. The 101st Air Refueling Wing, Bangor ANG Base fills that role and has voted me into the Maineiacs Retiree Association. Did an Air Force funeral yesterday at the Acadia National Cemetery with four scheduled for next week. Go Air Force!