US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa is offering $175,000 to a wing that finds the most innovative ways to save money and man hours and another $50,000 for second place. The money will be used to support unfunded mission requirements, according to a USAFE-AFAFRICA release. During the inaugural contest last year, nine wings submitted 477 “innovations,” saving the Air Force at least $28 million and 115,000 man hours. The 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein AB, Germany, claimed top prize, earning $250,000 for offering innovations such as adjusted schedules to avoid weekend and holiday work, repairing aircraft communications in-house, and training medical personnel on-station. This year’s contest includes a total of six awards for the wings to vie for, including an award for the most Facebook “likes,” according to USAFE-AFAFRICA. The overall winner will be announced March 31.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week released strategies meant to focus the Pentagon’s “alphabet soup” of innovation organizations and proliferate artificial intelligence—moves that experts say could provide the structure needed to make the military’s efforts to integrate and field new technology more effective.
