Under the AFMC’s We Need funding, security forces defenders at Hill AFB acquire InstantEye small uncrewed aerial systems to support base defence efforts. Credit: Sgt John Yountz/US Air Force.

The US Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) has released $8m to support various innovation initiatives across the enterprise, under its ongoing ‘We Need’ efforts.

Launched in 2019, AFMC’s We Need is a command-wide initiative to identify challenges and opportunities related to mission requirements, as well as suggest ways to address the challenges for future.

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The allocated fund and initiative are managed by the Commander’s Accelerated Initiatives Office (CDX).

AFMC CDX team Lindsay McNeely said: “All of the projects that were funded have a direct impact on our airmen.

“For projects that were submitted but not funded this round, our CDX teams are continuing to work with the innovators and intrapreneurs to help them further develop ideas and find resources to support.”

In 2020, AFMC released around $20m to support some of the We Need projects.

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It was followed by a $10m allocation last year to expedite change across the mission.

The projects under the latest round include Project FoX, which involves establishing a government-owned open software enclave on fielded weapon systems to provide advanced combat capabilities to warfighters.

Furthermore, the command allocated $2m for wearable sensors and to provide heat injury prevention, continuous fitness and fatigue risk assessment to the airmen.

Another $400,000 was allocated for the Air Force Life Cycle Management Centre (AFLCMC) Contracting Directorate Remote Desktop Protocol to replace out-of-warranty computers with a virtual machine environment.

AFMC earmarked $75,000 for the Spark Cells project, $106,000 for upgrading CCTVs in dormitories at Tinker Air Force Base (AFB) and $4.8m for purchasing around 4,100 laptops to replace old computers used by AFMC’s airmen.

The CDX team is tracking additional projects that may receive funding later this year.