EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE — Some of the Air Force’s biggest improvements aren’t coming from billion-dollar defense contracts—they’re coming from Airmen who simply believe there’s a better way to do the job.
At Eglin Air Force Base, those ideas have a home inside the Emerald Spark Cell, an innovation center located inside the Eglin Community Library where military members and civilian employees can turn workplace frustrations into practical solutions.
The program, managed by the 96th Test Wing’s Continuous Improvement and Innovation office, helps connect Airmen with engineers, technical experts and rapid prototyping tools to solve problems that affect day-to-day operations across the installation.
“The people closest to the mission often understand its challenges better than anyone else,” said Britney Reed, a process manager with the 96th Test Wing’s Continuous Improvement and Innovation office. “They see the wasted time, frustrating processes, equipment limitations and opportunities for improvement every day.”
Rather than assuming every challenge needs cutting-edge technology, the Emerald Spark Cell first focuses on understanding the root cause of a problem. Sometimes that leads to advanced prototypes using 3D printing or electronics. Other times, the solution is as simple as redesigning a workflow.
That philosophy has already produced measurable results.
Working alongside the 96th Logistics Readiness Squadron’s petroleum, oils and lubricants team, the Spark Cell developed a single-point nozzle adapter that reduced a required fuel sampling process from about an hour to just 15 minutes. The improvement has already attracted interest from other Air Force installations looking to adopt the same solution.
In another project, the team partnered with Aircrew Flight Equipment specialists after identifying how much time Airmen spent carrying heavy equipment between storage areas and inspection stations.
Following a collaborative design sprint, the team created a mobile inspection cart prototype that brings inspections directly to the flight line, eliminating the need to move equipment repeatedly. The design continues to evolve based on feedback from the Airmen using it.
Reed said Eglin’s unique mix of testing, operations, maintenance, medical, civil engineering, and security forces gives the Emerald Spark Cell an advantage by bringing together experts who might otherwise never collaborate.
The innovation center, which opened in 2023 as the Air Force’s first dedicated innovation incubator, provides access to equipment including 3D printers, digital engineering tools and collaborative workspaces designed to help transform ideas into operational improvements.
Ultimately, Reed hopes every member of Team Eglin understands they don’t have to be an engineer or inventor to make a difference.
“We want people at every level to know that their experience and ideas matter,” Reed said. “They can help shape how the Air Force operates.”
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Luilly Cruz Perdomo, 96th Force Support Squadron supervisor, connects resistors to a circuit board during the first-ever Combat Innovation Cohort workshop at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., March 12, 2025. The workshop gave Airmen hands-on experience with modular equipment, coding, and 3D printing–skills designed to meet mission needs faster than traditional acquisition processes allow. (U.S. Air Force photo by Michelle Gigante)
