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Army invites innovators to enter 7th Dragon's Lair

By Sgt. Maxine BaenJune 20, 2022

America's Contingency Corps hosts Dragon's Lair 5
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Capt. Stephen Sheets, assigned to the 16th Military Police Brigade, advocates for a new sleep optimization program to a panel of senior military leaders and civilian experts. The program was established in October 2020 to help increase innovation across the XVIII Airborne Corps. (Photo Credit: Sgt. Maj. Alejandro Licea) VIEW ORIGINAL
America's Contingency Corps hosts Dragon's Lair 5
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. 1st Class Michele Rebelo, assigned to the 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade, presents her SHARP go-bag to senior leaders and heads of industry. The updated go-bag would be supplied with better basic needs for survivors of sexual assault like an improved change of clothes, personal electronic chargers, and hygiene items. (Photo Credit: Sgt. Marygian Barnes) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — For the first time ever, the XVIII Airborne Corps will partner with Army Futures Command to co-host the seventh installment of the innovative series Dragon's Lair. This next edition of the "Shark Tank"-style competition will take place Aug. 16 in Austin, Texas.

In August 2020, the XVIII Airborne Corps, known as America's Contingency Corps, developed Dragon's Lair as a way to give soldiers of any rank across the corps a platform to convey their innovative ideas and concepts to civilian technical experts and senior military leaders. This new partnership with AFC will now bring ideas to the forefront of the Army's premier institution, which is charged with modernizing the Army and its future readiness at a faster rate.

The seven Dragon's Lair 5 contestants are just moments away from pitching their ideas to a panel of senior military leaders and civilian industry experts from across the technology sector. The seven from left to right are: U.S. Army Maj. Ben Hall, Capt. Stephen Sheets, 1st Lt. Mahdi Al- Husseini, Lt. Col. Michael Hefti, Lt. Col Jason Harlan, Sgt. 1st Class Michele Rebelo and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Matthew Swift. The XVIII Airborne Corps established the Dragon's Lair program in October 2020 to provide our Sky Dragon Soldiers a platform to share ideas for addressing problems across the Corps.
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The seven Dragon's Lair 5 contestants are just moments away from pitching their ideas to a panel of senior military leaders and civilian industry experts from across the technology sector.

The seven from left to right are: U.S. Army Maj. Ben Hall, Capt. Stephen Sheets, 1st Lt. Mahdi Al- Husseini, Lt. Col. Michael Hefti, Lt. Col Jason Harlan, Sgt. 1st Class Michele Rebelo and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Matthew Swift.
The XVIII Airborne Corps established the Dragon's Lair program in October 2020 to provide our Sky Dragon Soldiers a platform to share ideas for addressing problems across the Corps. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Marygian Barnes) VIEW ORIGINAL
America's Contingency Corps hosts Dragon's Lair 5
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Lt. Col. Jason Harlan, assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division, presents his recommendation for an M1A2 cable tow system. The cable tow system allows for the self-recovery of heavy tracked vehicles using synthetic ropes and shackles technology during Dragon's Lair 5. (Photo Credit: Sgt. Marygian Barnes) VIEW ORIGINAL

After five successful iterations of the program, the XVIII Airborne Corps realized that Dragon's Lair could go beyond the Army's reach and decided to open it up to all military service members across the Defense Department to seek more innovators and diversity of ideas across the joint force.

The partnership with AFC brings an opportunity to unlock new ideas for the advancement of the U.S. military. In the past, Dragon's Lair has taken the previously unsought ideas of a cooling apparatus for body armor, an algorithm to predict a building's layout, an app for the exceptional family member program, and an armored vehicle safety system, and it has elevated them to the next level for the betterment service members.

DOD service members can submit their innovative ideas on the Dragon Innovation website. Users must create an account, which does not require a Common Access Card and is available from civilian systems. All concepts must have a description of the innovation and the problem being addressed. Ideas must be submitted to the site by July 24, 2022, to be eligible for consideration for Dragon's Lair 7.

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