Connecticut is home to some of the United States’ largest military industrial businesses like Sikorsky, Electric Boat, and Pratt & Whitney. However, it’s also home to one of the U.S. Army’s greatest kept secrets, the 1109th Aviation Classification and Repair Depot, or AVCRAD.
Three teams of Connecticut National Guard service members presented ideas on how to improve their organization to a panel of judges during the 2026 Innovation Challenge at the Officer’s Club of the Governor William A. O’Neill Armory in Hartford, Conn. Jan. 10, 2026.