Sparktank

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Marc Garcia
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  
McConnell’s XPX Innovation Lab just closed the nomination window for ideas and innovations for submissions in the 2020 Spark Tank competition.

The Spark Tank competition is an outlet for Airmen of all ranks to identify problems and create solutions within their workplace and possibly across the Air Force. Members of McConnell Air Force Base are also encouraged to submit ideas or innovations that identify approaches to increase lethality and profitable modifications across the Air Force and the Department of Defense as a whole.

“It feels great to be able to enable Airmen and to get their innovations out there and pushed to be made a reality,” said Lt. Col. Doug Snead, squadron chief of the XPX Innovation Lab. “It puts the power back into the hands of Airmen. They are closest to the problem, and that usually makes them the ones best able to identify and create solutions to solve.”

Spark Tank plays an important role in developing the Air Force and the Department of Defense as a whole. It allows military members to constantly develop ideas to further improve the military as a whole for themselves and future members of the DoD.

Snead is offering help to Airmen who are looking to create a submission for next year’s competition. Snead said he recently went on a temporary duty assignment named Improvement/Innovation Consultant Workshop. During his TDY he learned how to better assist personnel to develop their ideas and how to pitch those ideas for the competition.

The ideas McConnell Airmen come up with don’t have to be McConnell specific, but they can be. Suggestions that are beneficial to the Air Force or the Department of Defense are highly encouraged. Snead said the higher the impact the better.

"We all challenge Airmen to share their best ideas that build upon senior leader priorities to restore readiness, increase the lethality of the force and drive innovation to secure our future,” said Heather A. Wilson, former Secretary of the Air Force.

Military members looking to submit an idea for the Spark Tank competition should contact the Innovation Lab at building 9. Submissions can be submitted online.