Striker Airmen Coder program sees software built by maintainers to save time for maintainers

By Sean Green | STRIKEWERX Marketing and Communication Director

BOSSIER CITY, La. —  The Striker Airmen Coder program cohort saw new software built by Air Force Global Strike Command maintainers to save time for maintainers.

AFGSC devised the SAC program as an effort to develop Air Force coders who can create innovative and efficient technical solutions within their own units.

The Airmen created Mercury, a fleet maintenance schedule program, as an AFGSC software solution.

“I never coded, and this program really laid that foundation. If you have no coding experience, it’s a challenge but it’s well worth the experience,” said Senior Airman Robert Davenport, B-52 maintainer at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.

Five Airmen and one civilian were selected through an aptitude test before undergoing a coding boot camp for three months. They spent a further three months working with Ruby Shore Software based in Shreveport, Louisiana, to develop their project as junior developers.

SAC participants said they gained new technical skills and new experience with software, in addition to learning how to work with a team, over the course of the program.

“I never knew any sort of coding but the training and coming here to fully implement what I learned with our industry partner was an amazing experience,” said Senior Airman Mercedes Porter, of Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.

Nick Phillips, Ruby Shore Software chief technical officer, described SAC as a fulfilling experience for his company.

“We’re thrilled with Mercury, the product these Airmen delivered in their short time here in the Barksdale Air Force Base area,” Phillips said. “Thank you to the fantastic Airmen we’ve had the privilege of working with and guiding. We’ve worked hard to improve our process in the Strike Airmen Coders from cohort to cohort, and the Airmen are instrumental in that effort.”

The SAC program is administered by the Cyber Innovation Center through a Partnership Intermediary Agreement with AFGSC.

The teams demoed their project Aug. 26 during a presentation held for AFGSC staff and the Office of the Chief Scientist at STRIKEWERX in Bossier City, Louisiana.

The project will now be analyzed by AFGSC for future scalability and further development.