IMPLEMENTING INNOVATION


the application process for DOD-funded grants, which would be the foundational “carrot” made available to incentivize local innovator involvement. Applica- tions for the grants would be received, reviewed by local National Guard lead- ership and competitively awarded based on programmatic criteria and TAG (the adjutant general, i.e., head of individual state National Guard forces) priorities. Te final step in the innovation officer’s duties would be to oversee the portfolio of small innovation grants after they are awarded to local innovators.


WALK THIS WAY


Maj. Harrison Bittenbender, right, State Partnership Program director, guides Maryland leaders around an airfield being used by Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and U.S. Army National Guard Units, in exercise Immediate Response, part of the Defender 21 series in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina, “Old Eagle Base.” (Photo by Maryland National Guard)


A two-tiered grant system would provide the recommended primary structure for the program. Tier I grants would be valued at $50,000 to $100,000 and allo- cated proportionally by total personnel in a given state’s formation. Along with the grant, the recipient firm also would receive dedicated support, coordination and advocacy from that state’s National Guard, generating the “foot in the door” that small businesses often strug- gle to achieve with DOD. Allocating one grant to local companies per every 1,000 National Guard personnel is a reason- able ratio to use as a reference, though the actual apportioning of grants can be scaled based on budgetary or program- matic considerations. Te intent would be to draw from viable candidates across a given state, ensuring the focus remains on capturing potential utility for DOD.


PARTNER OPPORTUNITY


From left, Maj. Harrison Bittenbender, State Partnership Program director; Brig Gen. Adam Flasch, director of the joint staff for the Maryland National Guard; 1st Lt. Lucija Šimovi of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Col. Zoran Batarilo, defense attaché of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Capt. Nick Boeh, State Partnership Program coordinator. (Photo by Maryland National Guard)


104


To be clear, Innovation Program grants would not equate to purchase orders, nor the program itself an alternate outlet for acquisitions. Instead, the combination of grant money and dedicated, sustained coordination between the military and the innovators would create DOD’s own geographically dispersed innovation incu- bator. Much like the government offering an internship to a matriculating student, there would be no commitment for the


Army AL&T Magazine Spring 2022


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