Conaton Wants Airmen to INVEST in Future

Aug. 25, 2010

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

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)

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Trending Stories

Air Force’s New Fighter Math Doesn’t Add Up for Critics

Special Mission, Special Fleet

Air Force Issues Guidance on Shutdown Backpay, Telework for Returning Workers

Can the Latest Plan for CYBERCOM Stave Off Calls for a New Service?

Related

Trump Says US Will Sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia

Nov. 17, 2025
President Donald Trump said he plans to sell F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, announcing his decision Nov. 17, a day before he meets the country’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House.

Can the Latest Plan for CYBERCOM Stave Off Calls for a New Service?

Nov. 16, 2025
In a brief email Nov. 6, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth laid out a new Cyber Force Generation plan, meant to give U.S. Cyber Command more authority over the employment, training, and equipping of U.S. troops preparing for and waging cyber war. Former Air Force officers and national security officials say the…

Shutdown Had No Major Impact on Flying Hours, Exercises: Air Force

Nov. 15, 2025
The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.

NATO Cancels Plan to Buy E-7 Wedgetails

Nov. 13, 2025
Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.orgNATO is abandoning its effort to buy E-7 Wedgetails to replace its...