MAXWELL AFB–GUNTER ANNEX, Ala. -- From April. 7-11, 2025, Business and Enterprise Systems Product Innovation (BESPIN) hosted four days of innovation, collaboration, and rapid iteration, with the AGILE SABER exercise at BESPIN’s facility in downtown Montgomery, Ala.
AGILE SABER consisted of a rapid software development exercise, a leadership training course, and an opportunity to connect with local college students interested in tech-related career fields.
"AGILE SABER helped us better understand how BESPIN, and other software factories, can rapidly develop secure, mission-ready software,” said Lt. Col. Tyler Hough, BESPIN chief executive officer. “The goal of the exercise was simple but urgent: How quickly can we build software and deliver it into the hands of our warfighters?"
Over the course of the week, 10 teams of Airmen worked hard to design and develop software solutions for a simulated full-scale noncombatant evacuation operation in the U.S. Indo-Pacific region. The teams were tasked with creating a solution that addressed one of three identified software needs: a Personnel Accountability and Aircraft Manifest System, a Secure Interoperable Messaging System and a Crowdsourced Tsunami Tracking System.
Alvin Burse, Program Executive Officer and Director of Business and Enterprise Systems Directorate, referred to AGILE SABER as an “important and transformative” milestone for BESPIN and the Department of the Air Force.
“This exercise ignites a movement and a culture that enhances our capabilities, agility and cyber supremacy,” Burse said. “This is an opportunity to hone our skills in deploying technology that could directly impact warfighters.”
Design, security, software development and operational subject matter experts were available throughout the week to field questions from the teams, and at the end of each day, they met with functional leaders to share their progress, discuss roadblocks and receive valuable feedback.
In parallel, BESPIN partnered with Air University Innovation Accelerator (AUiX) to host the three-day Innovation by Design leadership workshop led by Jeremy VanEgmond, AUiX’s Chief of the Eagle Institute, and Bill DeMarco, AUiX Director of Innovation and Analysis. The course explored proven leadership methodologies and challenged participants to think critically about the complex relationship between leadership, innovation and strategy. The leadership workshop aimed to better equip the leaders to drive transformative changes within their respective organizations.
AGILE SABER also welcomed a visit from college students participating in The Alabama Collective’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Innovation Experience. The students toured BESPIN’s facilities, engaged in discussions with BESPIN leaders, and observed AGILE SABER teams in action. The visit reinforced BESPIN’s commitment to mentoring the next generation of tech leaders.
“AGILE SABER showed us what’s possible when you combine mission-focused teams with the right environment and support—we proved that rapid, secure software development at scale isn’t just a goal, it’s achievable,” Hough said.
“We look forward to more opportunities to partner with the City of Montgomery to showcase BESPIN’s role in helping to establish the city as a national and international defense innovation hub,” said Hough.
Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said AGILE SABER is the kind of effort the city is proud to support.
“I can’t think of many higher callings than this – working together to strengthen the nation,” he said. “The city is proud to be home to BESPIN and the work being done to help the Department of Defense move forward. We’re grateful you’ve chosen to be here as you do this important work.”
BESPIN is a software solution center chartered to build the U.S. Air Force Mobile Center of Excellence and scale cloud and mobile application development across the Air Force and Department of Defense.
BESPIN looks forward to making next year’s AGILE SABER bigger and better.