LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
Peter McEntire, 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing systems integration chief, created a solution to resolve an issue involving the need to separate classified and unclassified fibers in floor-mounted, junction boxes. For saving the Air Force more than half a million dollars, he was awarded $10,000 through the Air Force Innovative Development through Employee Awareness Program.
Originally there were to be two separate contracts for the installation of separate junction boxes to house classified and unclassified fibers; one for 497th Distributed Ground Station-1 at Langley Air Force Base, and one for the 548th DGS-2 at Beale AFB. The total cost for both contracts would have totaled $547,621.
Instead, McEntire came up with an idea that cost a total of $1,896. He devised a metal, separation shield that could be retrofitted into the existing floor boxes, separating fibers, thereby eliminating the need for additional boxes.
The IDEA Program is available for all Air Force employees. For more information, log onto
https://ipds.randolph.af.mil/ipds, or click on the link on the Air Force Portal.