The premiere Department of Defense innovation series is back and seeking ideas from DOD service members for Dragon’s Lair 8.
The XVIII Airborne Corps is proud to announce that it will partner with United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) to co-host the eighth installment of the innovative series Dragon's Lair on March 29th in Tampa, Florida.
“Since the competition’s inception, we have witnessed immeasurable talent and found refreshing ideas that have helped us solve and expedite solution implementation across the DOD. We are excited to see what innovators will develop for this iteration and welcome all service members to submit their ideas to compete,” said Capt. Matt Visser, spokesman for XVIII Airborne Corps.
This partnership with USSOCOM brings an opportunity to unlock new ideas for the advancement of the U.S. military and bring fresh perspectives aimed to meet current and future challenges through optimization, modernization, and transformation.
In August 2020, the XVIII Airborne Corps, known as America's Contingency Corps, developed Dragon's Lair, a "Shark Tank"-style competition, to give service members of all ranks a platform to convey their innovative ideas and concepts to civilian technical experts and senior military leaders.
In August 2022, the Corps partnered with Army Futures Command hosting Dragon’s Lair 7 in Austin, Texas. It was the biggest event to date and featured a plethora of quality contestants and ideas for the competition.
Last year's winner, Army Sgt. Roger Litton, an allied trade specialist with the 92nd Engineer Battalion, 20th Engineer Brigade, based at Fort Stewart, Ga., fabricated an attachment for a hydraulic excavator. The attachment is a post pile driver that helped increase efficiency in building docks and bridges by 25%. The attachment developed by Litton is currently in the procurement process for future use across the force.
In previous installments of Dragon’s Lair, unsought ideas included a cooling apparatus for body armor, leveraging artificial intelligence to allow for in-flight pilot performance feedback, and an app for the exceptional family member program aimed to help the service and its members.
Dragon's Lair 8 continues its mission to search for the next best idea in Tampa, Florida.
As the DOD continues to move forward the Joint Force of 2030 and beyond, it seeks to leverage the skills, education, and experiences of all service members for the operational effectiveness of the future joint force.
DOD service members can submit their innovative ideas on the Dragon Innovation website here: https://unum.nsin.us/xviii-airborne.
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 Feb 28, 2023 to be eligible for consideration for Dragon's Lair 8 consideration.
Social Sharing