LINCOLN, Mass. – Hanscom Air Force Base officials partnered with the Department of Defense’s National Security Innovation Network to hold a technology forecasting-focused Bootcamp session at the NEXUS Center in Lincoln, Massachusetts, Aug. 12-15.
The NSIN-run program leverages the expertise of startup founders, entrepreneurs and university faculty to teach military personnel and DOD civilians human-centered design principles and how to apply them to solve real-world challenges. Fifteen individuals from across the installation and geographically separated units, as well as Massachusetts-based Army personnel, participated in the four-day session concentrated on identifying how Team Hanscom might use technology forecasting to create more informed decisions.
Platform One Contracting Branch Chief at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, Katie Cockerill, and NSIN Bootcamp participant, was intrigued when she learned about this training opportunity.
“I work with a lot of technical people, and we want to come up with new ways of getting things done,” she said. “This looked like an opportunity to provide that insight to my team on how we can get things done in an agile and faster way.”
The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Engineering Directorate at Hanscom AFB developed the challenge statement for the August Bootcamp. 2d Lt. Garrett Cagle and 2d Lt. Krista Bryan, both assigned to the directorate, served as action officers for the session.
“This was one of the most engaged groups of participants that I have seen,” Bryan said. “This experience encourages participants to take what they learned and the tools that they used during the Bootcamp back to their directorates and apply them.”
Travis Bell, a Bootcamp participant and a management consultant for the 66th Force Support Squadron, participated in a previous Bootcamp session focused on readiness, which he said gave him a unique perspective.
“I think going through the process a second time was actually really good for me,” he said. “The first time I was just digesting everything, but this time I could be more helpful to facilitate the dialogue and I’m more proficient with the methodology.”
Cagle stated the program inspires participants to reevaluate how they approach challenges.
“It’s about teaching people how to think with that innovative mindset and to be problem solvers,” Cagle stated.
Participants divided into four teams, interviewing dozens of stakeholders to help develop data-driven solutions.
“Bootcamp is the gateway for an organization to build their culture of innovation,” said Nic Meliones, co-founder and CEO of Navi and one of NSIN’s Bootcamp delivery partners. “Any organization that decides to run a Bootcamp is one that is committed to empowering and supporting its greatest asset—its employees—to be problem solvers that can invest their time effectively.”
The program culminated in a panel-style outbrief to senior leaders from across Team Hanscom. All four teams pitched their technology forecasting proposals, which included adopting automation to increase capacity, developing a virtual assistant that acts as a force multiplier, leveraging homomorphic encryption to do secure calculations, and implementing a “checkmate” acquisition method to ensure emerging technologies and active threats are proactively considered throughout the program life cycle.
“The priority is to come out of this process with solutions for leadership to move forward with,” said Kelly Schulte, a contractor and the NSIN Bootcamp program manager. “Being able to engage leadership early and often allows us to give these solutions life.”
Deputy Associate Director for Engineering and Technical Management, Lt. Col. Michael Johnson and his fellow panelists from the Cyber & Networks Directorate, Electronic Systems Directorate, Program Management Functional’s Acquisition Center of Excellence, and the 66th Air Base Group asked questions, provided feedback and recommendations.
Over the next several weeks Johnson and other senior leaders will evaluate the groups’ ideas and pilot projects to identify next steps.
This is Team Hanscom’s fourth time partnering with NSIN to hold a Bootcamp session, with 2023 sessions focused on contracting challenges, managing and tracking readiness, and empowering Airmen to succeed in a dynamic information technology environment.
For more information about NSIN’s Bootcamp program or to apply, visit https://www.nsin.mil/ or contact Schulte at bootcamp@nsin.mil.