AFWERX In the News

Editor’s note: This is part two of a three-part series. WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFRL) -- The Refinery program, an initiative of AFWERX’s Spark division, is addressing the Chief of Staff of the Air Force’s, or CSAF’s, Action Orders andWRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFRL) -- The Refinery program, an initiative of AFWERX’s Spark division, is addressing the Chief of Staff of the Air Force’s, or CSAF’s, Action Orders and the Secretary of the Air Force’s, or SECAF’s, Operational Imperatives, or OIs, as it works to rapidly advance the projects of Airmen and Guardians. The principal objective of this four-week, hybrid innovation Accelerator program is to target grassroots efforts and further develop tactical project prototypes that directly aid warfighters and ultimately adopt the right operational capabilities into the larger force. “We are taking a deliberate approach with AFWERX 3.0 to single out opportunities for innovation that are most applicable to OIs and Action Orders,” said Col. Elliott Leigh, director of AFWERX. The Action Orders represent CSAF’s call to accelerate change and were updated in February 2022 to detail what the force must do in four focus areas – Action Order A: Airmen; Action Order B: Bureaucracy; Action Order C: Competition; and Action Order D: Design Implementation – in order for the U.S. to remain the most dominant and respected Air Force in the world.

Editor’s note: This is part one of a three-part series WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFRL) – The Refinery program, an initiative of AFWERX’s Spark division, will host its seventh cohort of Airmen and Guardians for a four-week, hybrid Accelerator program in February 2023 to target grassroots efforts within the Department of the Air Force and rapidly advance innovative projects that directly aid warfighters. “The Refinery gives us a platform to help develop the intrapreneur behind the idea, to deliberately connect to exquisite talent in our research labs, and to remove barriers to adoption,” said Col. Martin Salinas, AFWERX Spark division chief. The Refinery connects Airmen and Guardian innovators with relevant stakeholders and resources in the Department of Defense to develop their grassroots projects. The principal objective is to further develop tactical project prototypes and adopt the right operational capabilities into the larger force. This is made possible through the Refinery's curated process, partnerships and refinement of the ecosystem's acquisition pipeline.