Press Release
☷National Guard members pitch innovation
National Guard ( By Press Release office)
May 02,2022
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SELFRIDGE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE , Mich . – On March 14 , through Academia , Industry , Military , Hybrid Innovations ( AIM - HI ) , the Michigan Air National Guard and the Kelly Johnson Joint All - Domain Innovation Center sponsored the Cohort 3 Pitch Day . Guard members pitched solutions to National Guard , Air Force and Defense Department leaders . AIM - HI is an Air National Guard innovation program to educate military members on the process of innovation to combat near - peer threats to modernize the military . “We are trying to make innovation tactically ready , ” said Michigan Air National Guard Lt . Col . Dave Brewer , assigned to the Innovative Solutions and Disruptive Technology Division , Air Force Futures . “We combined Michigan Air National Guard , National Guard Bureau , and U . S . Air Force priorities along with other entities and lined that to the greater construct of what the National Guard can produce to the active - duty component . ”Ensuring Airmen can operate in austere locations is critical . During Pitch Day , eight teams presented their solutions to leadership . One group suggested advancing Agile Combat Employment by using virtual reality headsets . “We are proposing VR functions for maintenance personnel and multi - capable Airmen in the field , ” said a team member pitching the idea . “Giving Airmen the resources they need at their fingertips at the moment they need it . ”The idea is to have a non - maintenance - qualified Airmen conduct maintenance while communicating remotely with a qualified maintainer via a VR headset . The maintainer views the issue from afar by headset as multi - capable Airmen physically resolve the problem . “Virtual reality training will make Airmen more multi - capable , ” said Col . James Rossi , commander , Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center , Michigan . “VR technology allows aircraft with a challenging maintenance issue and not having the right certified maintainer to address that issue to live feed it to a command and control center where they do have experts providing over - the - shoulder assistance to address a real problem on the ground . ”The concept of ACE is relatively new . In an environment where there is agility , there is a chance for innovation , creativity and diversity of thought . “We have an opportunity in the Michigan Air National Guard , the National All Domain Warfighting Center , and the Kelly Johnson Joint All Domain Innovation Center to help our active - duty partners and help develop what this could potentially look like , ” said Lt . Col . Michael Whitefoot , with the KJJADIC . Another proposal focused on email to leverage the capabilities of multi - domain dominance , focusing on communication across the DOD . The proposed change is to combine Non - classified Internet Protocol ( IP ) Router Network ( NIPRNet ) and Secure Internet Protocol Router Network ( SIPRNet ) email systems while using one domain . “Every day , we send tens of thousands of emails across the DOD , ” said a team member from Dominator X who pitched this concept . “One force , one ( email ) domain is the concept that will lead the DOD into the future … and the change must happen . ”Brewer said participants in the program receive a certified professional innovator certificate through the University of Michigan . “That’s what makes this a graduate - level equivalent class , ” said Brewer . “It is a Michigan Air National Guard program that is in collaboration with ARCWERX and the University of Michigan for the certificate . ”Last summer , the KJJADIC was involved with the first Agile Combat Employment highway landing proof - of - concept on U . S . soil . U . S . military aircraft landed on a state highway in Northern Michigan to simulate operations in an austere environment . Support for this kind of activity will continue throughout 2022 during events at the National All - Domain Warfighting Center , with emphasis on command and control and communication .

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