Lessons from 250 Years of Army Innovation : Association of the United States Army , June , 2025
Lessons from 250 Years of Army Innovation : Association of the United States Army , June , 2025
From the report: "In 2023, XVIII Airborne Corps hosted an iteration of Dragon’s Lair, replicating the television show Shark Tank. In the end, the winning innovation was not a weapon to help the Army prevail in battle, but a sensor to increase lethality against mold in the barracks.
This invention highlights that defining a clear problem is essential to innovation. The Soldiers had a specific enemy, in a particular situation, that they could repeatedly test their device against. These are the elements necessary for innovation. You cannot just implore people to innovate. You must provide them with a problem to solve. Then, you have to grant them time to iteratively solve that problem.
During times of war, problems are apparent, which yields a fast pace of innovation. War provides a specific enemy, employing particular formations, in a unique context. During the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have been incredibly entrepreneurial because they have clear problems to solve. Ukrainian brigades are connected to start-ups to share challenges and produce solutions.2 They have proven that necessity is the mother of invention."
Authors - Rose, Robert G.Subjects
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