In the past, the U.S. Army has struggled with innovation, especially in figuring out how to get young officers and enlisted members to come up with creative solutions. Hard to do in an organization that, generally speaking, believes in zero defects and risk aversion.
In recent years, the Army has taken steps to address this, including hosting the XVIII Airborne Corps' Dragon Liar competition at Fort. Bragg, which is patterned after the "Shark Tank" television show.
Spc. Alexander Soto, who is a paratrooper assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, identified an equipment deficiency in his unit.
"We needed to be able to carry drones in our rucksacks for airborne operations," he said. “The idea of a smaller rigid case that allowed us to pack it also made it possible to get them in the air as soon as we hit the drop zone."
He pitched his idea for a new carry case for their drones at Dragon Liar 11 to the panel of judges. After pitching his idea, he then teamed up with Staff Sgt. Larry Dockins from the Airborne Innovation Lab. In three months, they developed a prototype case that can pack a number of different unmanned systems. The case was lightweight, rigid, and most importantly for the 82nd Airborne, it was jumpable.
"We are able to bring these Soldiers' ideas forward and implement them rapidly," explained Col. Thomas R. Monaghan Jr. in a press release about the innovation program. "It also demonstrates the shift in prioritizing innovations that Soldiers want and view as viable solutions to problems."