Air Force Spark Tank unleashes AETC's capacity to innovate

  • Published
  • Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas -- Air Education and Training Command has begun accepting innovative submissions that can significantly impact Air Force missions within the next six - 24 months from uniformed and civilian Airmen for the 2023 Air Force Spark Tank competition, now through Aug. 17.

In line with U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown Jr., Action orders to Accelerate Change or lose, Spark Tank is an annual competition during which Airmen and Guardians pitch their game-changing ideas to a panel of top Department of the Air Force leadership and industry experts.   

The Secretary of the Air Force launched the Guardians and Airmen Innovation Network (GAIN) platform, which allows Airmen and Guardians to share ideas, critique, and allow users to provide input by voting for the most promising solutions. 

Ideas must be submitted through the GAIN app, hosted on the Department of Defense’s Platform One, it will be used for all levels of the Spark Tank competition.

To create a Platform One account, individuals should visit https://login.dso.mil/ using a Common Access Card-enabled device.

After creating a Platform One account, AETC Airmen can submit their ideas for the AF-level competition using the GAIN platform at the following link: https://gain.apps.dso.mil/daf/spark-tank-2023.

Airmen can obtain innovation expert support by contacting their local Wing Process Manager or Spark Cell POC.  A list of these resources can be found at the HQ AETC Innovation Dashboard https://datastudio.google.com/reporting/bceedd1c-7abf-4016-a58f-0a75b6fd9d0c/page/KKfMC.

HQ AETC/A9A, Innovation Advancement Division, is the MAJCOM lead for AETC Spark Tank 2023. For more information or assistance, email the HQ AETC/A9A workflow at aetc.a9a.workflow.2@us.af.mil.

Winners will be announced during the DAF Spark Tank Finals held in conjunction with the 2023 AFA Air Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colorado, March 6-8.