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Press Release | March 21, 2023

CENTCOM Innovation Oasis II - Reinforcing a Culture of Innovation

USCENTCOM

Mar. 21, 2023

Release Number 20220321-01

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TAMPA, Fla. – U.S. Central Command will host its second CENTCOM Innovation Oasis competition on May 25, 2023.

The Innovation Oasis is a “Shark Tank”-like innovation competition that will highlight select U.S. servicemembers and civilian ideas, inventions, and processes to be presented for possible implementation.

These new ideas help improve the quality of life, enable our forces, and improve the weaponry in the hands of our military. For example, one idea focused on a block chain supply that would provide commanders precise updates of equipment and assets in real-time, allowing them to make fast decisions in the event of a sudden conflict.

Another idea incorporated data programing into the common access card (CAC) allowing commands to improve accountability.

The CENTCOM commander, Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla has fostered the culture of innovation as a key priority. CENTCOM is challenging its people to develop new ways of looking at old problems and to reset the way we think across everything we do.

To find these great ideas and bring them forward, CENTCOM created the Innovation Oasis competition. This is a servicemember-driven initiative that seeks to recognize, embrace, elevate, and leverage the ideas of service members from across the command. 

“CENTCOM Innovation Oasis seeks to find the great ideas out there across CENTCOM, bring them up, and then spread them throughout the entire organization,” said Joe Buccino, a CENTCOM spokesman. “There are great ideas out there, but many are hidden away in a formation on a military base, locked down in a motor pool bay, or tucked away in aircraft hangar. We want to free those ideas and let them loose in the world.”

"Innovation Oasis 2023 will continue to spread the spirit of innovation across the command, encouraging all our team members to think of creative solutions to real-world problems. The next great idea can come from a civilian or service member, a sergeant or a general. Innovation is agnostic of position or rank, and here at CENTCOM we will always encourage and elevate that kind of thinking and problem-solving." said Schuyler “Sky” Moore, CENTCOM’s Chief Technology Officer.

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