Mr. Avery Nunez
avery.n.nunez.ctr@army.mil

ANG ARCWERX
https://arcwerx.dso.mil

AFWERX
https://www.afwerx.af.mil/

Defense Innovation Unit
https://www.diu.mil/

National Security Innovation Network
https://www.nsin.us

Female soldiers with the Army National Guard have a clearer path to continued service when starting a family, thanks to the work of the Washington National Guard and a student team participating in the Hacking for Defense (H4D) academic program. H4D is a university program that leverages student teams to address national security problems facing the Department of Defense.

LTC Teresa Wenner, SGT Sharon Gold, and SFC Angela Shepard of the Washington Army National Guard co-sponsored a problem at the University of Virginia titled “Choosing between Family & Service.”

These three Soldiers wanted to address policy issues that made it difficult for female Soldiers to balance starting a family with a pursuing military career. Their goal was to retain world class talent essential to meet the ever-changing needs of the national security landscape.

The student team at the University of Virginia developed a two-pronged approach to address the problem:

(1) Consolidate educational resources - Regulations regarding pregnancy and family planning policies were distributed across numerous documents leaving many soldiers, both male and female, unaware of the existing policies regarding pregnancy. Creating a single consolidated resource enhanced access and increased awareness of all pregnancy and family related regulations. The consolidated resources can be found here: https://unum.nsin.us/pregnancy-promotion

(2) Create policy options - The team recommended changes to allow female soldiers to take part in Professional Military Education (PME) school while pregnant. Female soldiers and airmen need PME for their new rank and job. While physical restrictions were important for safety and should not be changed, some accommodations were recommended to enable pregnant women to progress professionally.

The Army has subsequently changed its policy so that pregnant/postpartum women can be temporarily promoted for 1 year without having to go through mandatory PME. By expanding the temporary period to 1 year, female soldiers have more time to recover and make preparations for their PME.

The H4D program is a powerful tool that anyone within the DoD can utilize. Details on how to access the program can be found in the Innovation Toolbox on the National Guard Innovation Portal: https://unum.nsin.us/ngb

Story by Master Sgt. David Eichaker, Michigan National Guard

LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan National Guard (MING) is expanding its technological capabilities by partnering with a Michigan based company focusing on space domain integration by linking deep space technology to operational and tactical fires.

“Space is vital to national security and this partnership demonstrates an enduring solution for the Department of Defense Joint Fires applications by integrating the space domain from joint targeting to battle damage assessment,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul Rogers, adjutant general and director, Department of Michigan Veteran Affairs. “The technology Orbital Effects offers is near-real time direct downlink of satellite radar imagery and intelligence data from space to tactical user within minutes of overflight and demonstrates the rapid integration of technology prototyping and capability evolution into emerging Joint All Domain doctrine.”

The Michigan Guard and Orbital Effects, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, teamed up to jointly advance emerging doctrine and develop associated tactics, techniques and procedures. The Guard offers the use of their facilities for Michigan-based defense industrial base companies to demonstrate and test their technologies.

“The Michigan Guard identified a need to integrate the Space Domain into the National All Domain Warfighting Center and Orbital Effects identified a need to develop and test their sensor to tactical end-user techniques and procedures,” said Ryan Farris, co-founder and chief financial officer, Orbital Effects. “This agreement benefits both organizations and originated during an industry day held at the 2020 Northern Strike Exercise at Camp Grayling, Michigan.”

This partnership serves as a vehicle for MING to develop future partnerships with sensor-to-end-users, Army Futures Command, and to be the Army’s platform for space-based joint fires integration and effects delivery.

“Our technology provides a theater level direct tasking and dissemination service model that enables tactical commanders to directly/dynamically-task/or re-task an asset as part of an integrated intelligence plan,” said Farris. “This space based radar technology promotes operational and tactical intelligence systems as a way to increase effectiveness of the joint force.” Others agreed the partnership and advanced space technologies serves a bigger purpose. Space-based capabilities are integral to the Michigan National Guard and are an indispensable component of U.S. military power. One base located in northern Michigan is receiving first-hand experience with this technology. Camp Grayling, the largest Army maneuver training center in the reserve component, is a premier, full-spectrum, four-season joint training center and provides year round, customer-focused training support and high quality facilities to enable military commanders and civilian leaders to meet their unit readiness requirements.

“As a premier, world class Joint Maneuver Training Center, Camp Grayling is a leader in providing efficient, unparalleled and the highest level of modern training,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Kent Smith, Camp Grayling, Michigan National Guard. “This provides an enduring solution for Department of Defense Joint Fires applications.”

“This also integrates space from joint targeting and supports current and emergent Army modernization priorities and serve as a preferred option for program testing requirements supporting all-domain warfare to include Space,” said Smith.

Air National Guard ARCWERX is helping the Ohio National Guard deliver holistic health and fitness solutions to Ohio guardsman. In August, ARCWERX worked with the 179th FSS to hold a demonstration with the Coach Me Plus team, which is conducting a pilot program funded by Squadron Innovation Funds and an AFWERX SBIR.

Coach Me Plus has developed a comprehensive fitness application that works with personally owned wearable devices and smart phones. Members enrolled in the pilot program can track their diet and nutrition information, work with a certified strength and conditioning coach to have a workout plan tailored to their training needs, and track their activity level. The application has the ability to hold competitions at multiple levels, so a group of airmen from one squadron can compete against each other for workouts.

This project also has the potential to help Ohio Soldiers and increase readiness of the total force. Ohio National Guard is considering Coach Me Plus as a tool to meet Army Holistic Health and Fitness requirements.

The California National Guard continues to use creative problem solving to accomplish their missions, and protect the lives and property of California residents. In the recent USAF SPARK Tank competition, Tech. Sgt. Matthew Steht and Tech. Sgt. Cory Snyder, of the 144th Maintenance Group, CAANG, presented an innovative way to deploy fighter aircraft to austere location rapidly. Using specially support trailers specially designed to be loaded in C-17’s, they NCOs have potentially reduced combat aircraft deployment time from days to hours. In another example of innovative thinking, the California National Guard is saving lives by using existing reconnaissance resources monitor wildfires, and passing the real time information to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The resulting incident awareness enable CalFire to make quicker decision on shifting firefighting resources or evacuating threatened areas. California sets a great example of creative thinking and innovation.

The Air National Guard innovation efforts are achieving unprecedented levels of success. The Squadron Innovation Funds program puts innovation resources into each and every air wing in the Air National Guard. Talented airmen across the country have the resources to experiment with new and innovative ideas, reporting their local success back up through their chain of command. Some of those ideas can then be resourced and fielded across the entire force. This is truly an example of the “Strategic Corporal,” as a talented airman anywhere in the country can have an impact on the entire ANG.

Soldiers and Airmen are natural innovators. They have to be – There is nowhere to hide when you are at the tip of the spear. You innovate, or fail. In the movie Heartbreak Ridge, Gunny Highway instructs his platoon to “Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.” The men and women in our formations do that every single day, and I am proud to serve among the national best – the National Guard. Send your ideas into National Guard Bureau using this email:

ng.ncr.ngb-arng.mbx.guard-innovate@mail.mil

General Hokanson wants to get your good ideas to the right staff agency to explore it, develop it, and maybe field it. It doesn’t cost you a dime, and your good ideas could save your buddies life. Thanks for all you do – Always Ready, Always There.