Air 
Force Undersecretary Erin Conaton is urging airmen to come forward and share their best ideas on how the Defense Department could operate more efficiently. “The Air Force strongly supports the [Defense] Secretary’s overall campaign for greater efficiency, and I encourage each of you to submit your ideas for consideration,” she wrote in an electronic message distributed to all airmen. Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Robert Gates established a program called Innovation for New Value, Efficiency, and Savings Tomorrow, or INVEST. It is designed to give US military personnel and civilian defense employees an avenue for submitting their thoughts. Wanted are ideas that are “thorough, cost effective, low-risk, simple to implement, yield multi-faceted savings, and have a high return on investment,” according to a USAF release Tuesday. The submittal deadline is Sept. 24. DOD is providing cash prizes for the 25 ideas judged best. (INVEST website)
The U.S. began extensive air and artillery strikes against Islamic State group targets in Syria on Dec. 19 in retaliation for the killing of three Americans on Dec. 13 by a gunman affiliated with ISIS, U.S. officials said.
