Missileers on duty in launch control centers across the Air Force are gaining Internet connectivity, increasing down-time productivity, thanks to Douglas Angell, a technical engineer with the 526th ICBM Systems Group at Minot AFB, N.D. Crewmembers can now “complete their career development courses and other training” during “slack time in the office” rather than waiting to go off duty, Angell explained. He added, “They wanted this system and I was able to design it for them.” Angell’s Launch Control Center NetLink design will cost roughly $250,000, including installation, saving the Air Force more than a million dollars by constructing the network “in house” rather than relying upon a contractor’s design. For his effort, Angell won the maximum $10,000 payout from USAF’s Innovated Development through Employee Awareness, or IDEA, program, that incentivizes cost savings and process improvement. (Minot report by A1C Jessica McConnell)
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
