is and what burn-off events are upcom- ing? See “Te Heat Is On,” Page 37.]
Without ETO, we’d be doing things the way we’ve always done. ETO gives the organization the flexibility to reach out and shape the solution collaboratively, versus having a predefined requirement from the start. Working as a team with anyone who has a possible solution, we start with the problem that will
then
lead us to the answer. Te ombudsman is there to put pressure on folks to bring the right solution to meet a pressing problem. We’re the gatekeeper … we need to do it quickly, rapidly. It might be a very prom- ising technology, but if it’s not mature yet we have to move on. It doesn’t mean we lose sight of that technology forever, it’s just not the right solution for the problem we have in front of us at the time.
You also worked with the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) on an event called TunderDrone late last year. What was the focus of Tunder- Drone, and what’s next?
TunderDrone took place at SOCOM’s SOFWERX facility in Florida. It was an event using prototyping and dem- onstrations to help better understand the potential and limitations of drones, robotics and artificial intelligence. Tis year, they are following it up with Game of Drones, their second rapid prototyp- ing
event, focusing on counter-small
unmanned aircraft systems. Te Army, along with the other services, will par- ticipate. TunderDrone, Game of Drones, rapid experimentation—that’s what builds excitement and collaboration. It brings in industry, startup tech compa- nies and others that normally don’t talk
to each other or were never introduced before, and who might not normally par- ticipate in a military tech event, and it levels the playing field for everybody.
But it’s also a different way of thinking. SOCOM breaks down the problem and then brings in a whole bunch of folks to see how they can tackle it. Initially, they truly don’t think about the materiel solu- tions. Instead, SOCOM farms it out to see what the best of breed is. And they iterate and iterate and iterate—and as things spiral out of it, they have a 40 per- cent solution, then a 50 percent solution, then a 60 percent solution. Tey con- tinue to spiral it out, and they are willing to take the risk of not having the 100 per- cent solution from the beginning.
What else are you doing to get industry—both traditional defense contractors and others—into the mix?
+
INNOVATION TAKES WING Brandon Tseng, a former Navy SEAL and founder of Shield AI, commands an autonomous drone during the ThunderDrone Tech Expo at SOFWERX in Tampa, Florida, in September. The expo pro- vided an opportunity for industry, national laboratories and academia to discuss and promote new and innovative drone technology with the special operations community. ETO participated in the event to better understand the application of these technologies for conventional land forces. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Barry Loo, U.S. Special Operations Command)
We hosted several “open door” technol- ogy exchange events at venues such as AUSA [Association of the United States Army] Global Force in Huntsville, Ala- bama, AFCEA’s TechNet in Augusta, Georgia, and AUSA Annual in Washing- ton, D.C. We did this to really be out and about where industry is already going to be and where they are already collabo- rating with each other. Again, it’s a very low barrier to entry and was offered on a first-come, first-served basis at minimal cost to us and industry because they are already attending these events. So we pig- gybacked onto these events to lay out our capability gaps and problems, and see what comes to the surface when you stir the water.
Any success stories?
Absolutely. Te first is alternative PNT, or PNT solutions, without the aid of GPS. We saw through our open-door
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