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My Coast Guard
Commentary | Aug. 22, 2024

Coast Guard Innovation Program wants your help for its Silver Jubilee

By MyCG Staff

In the 25 years since it was founded, the Coast Guard Innovation Program has harnessed the power of your ideas to improve the service. Hundreds of ideas have been implemented including:  

  • Over 200 examples of innovation in action across the Coast Guard have been recognized through the annual Captain Niels P. Thomsen Innovation Awards 
  • 11 ideas provided for #CGHowTo videos 
  • 42 problem sets solved using Microsoft Power Apps 
  • Expansion of religions recognized in Direct Access profiles 
  • Establishment of Innovation Action Officers at Coast Guard districts to serve as liaisons between the field and the RDT&E and Innovation Program 
  • Proposal for 3D printing of non-critical parts that highlights the opportunities for logistical transformation presented by additive manufacturing 
  • Addition of small boat crew relief device to the Rescue and Survival Systems Manual 
  • And many other ideas in over 90 crowdsourcing topics such as hurricane lessons learned, recruiting and talent management, contracting, women’s retention, artificial intelligence, boating safety, climate change, 3D printing – the list goes on and on ... 

Now, as the Innovation Program prepares to celebrate a Silver Jubilee in 2025, there is a new innovation challenge: How can the Coast Guard innovate the innovation program? The hope is to draw from the creativity and expertise of the amazing Coast Guard workforce to improve the innovation program itself. 

That’s why there is a new CG_Ideas@Work challenge seeking your new ideas, constructive critiques, and visionary recommendations for the next 25 years of Coast Guard innovation! What can the Innovation Program do better? How can it improve? What should be the next focus? How can the program continue to shape the future of the Coast Guard? 

The Innovation Program is waiting to hear from you. Questions? Please email innovation@uscg.mil

-USCG-

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