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U.S. Africa Command

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jared Bindl, chief of science, technology and innovation at U.S. Africa Command speaks during the Joint Warfighter Innovation at the Edge breakout session of the 2025 Emerging Technologies for Defense Conference, in Washington, D.C. August 28, 2025. (courtesy photo, National Defense Industrial Association)

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Photo by: Isaac Latimer isaac@latimerart.d 

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) launched the Warfighter Innovation Council (WIC) on Nov. 7, establishing a strategic framework to better facilitate warfighter innovation both at its headquarters and within its component commands.  

In alignment with the Secretary of War's, 'Arsenal of Freedom' speech and the Acquisition Transformation Strategy, the WIC is AFRICOM's primary mechanism for accelerating the delivery of critical warfighting capabilities to address the command's most important operational challenges. 

"We are applying tech to where it has the most advantageous application," said U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John Brennan, Deputy Commander of AFRICOM. "Innovation isn’t just about tech, it’s about creative problem solving.” 

A primary end-state of the WIC Governance model is to move beyond viewing innovation as a side project and start to embed it as a core function of the command.  

"We want to employ innovation as an operation so that we can do integrated innovation activities across the staff, complementing our more traditional command and control structures," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jared Bindl, chief of science, technology and innovation at AFRICOM. 

The WIC focuses on synchronizing innovation efforts to gain efficiencies, accelerating the closure of capability gaps, and facilitating the adoption of new technologies and innovation approaches.  

Fostering a culture of innovation drives AFRICOM to improve its effectiveness and adaptability in a rapidly changing strategic environment.  

The launch of the WIC reflects AFRICOM's commitment to embracing innovation as a core component of its mission. The council serves as a platform for collaboration, experimentation, and the development of solutions to complex challenges