As part of a federal program designed to accelerate the delivery of new tools to the battlefield, members of the Indiana National Guard are testing dozens of new defense technologies this week.
The event, called Technology Experimentation 2024 or T-REX, runs from 19 to 28 August at Camp Atterbury in Johnson County. This is the second year the program has been held in Indiana.
The technology demonstrations and “tactical scenario” exercises are being conducted as part of a partnership between the U.S. Department of Defense and the Indiana National Guard and support the Pentagon’s Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve (RDER), which funds promising prototypes that can be quickly delivered to military users.
“Technology is changing rapidly. Threats are changing rapidly, and our traditional acquisition process often cannot keep up,” Marcia Holmes, assistant secretary of defense for operational capabilities, said Tuesday at Camp Atterbury. “RDER is digging deep into development and pulling out those capabilities that show promise for the joint fight to accelerate it now. They may have been overlooked from a service perspective … and you just don’t see them.”
Would you like to get in touch?
Do you have a news tip?
Holmes called RDER a “priority” for her office. The effort T-REX is designed to support is aimed at identifying and accelerating prototypes so that promising technologies can be more quickly delivered to combat force commanders to meet joint warfighting requirements, Holmes said. The Defense Department requested $450 million for the program in fiscal year 2025.
Joint warfare is an essential component of the Pentagon Science and Technology Strategyreleased in 2023, in which RDER plays a key role. The Department established the Experimentation Fund in 2021 to address much-needed capability gaps across all armed forces.
“Too often, our commanders encounter gaps when analyzing joint operations on the joint battlefield, and those gaps can often be filled with technology somewhere out there, either in industry or in our service labs, and that’s where RDER comes in,” Holmes added. “Let me be very clear: Without these types of experiments, we cannot fill those gaps and scale production.”
New defense technology put to the test
Holmes said the nearly 80 technologies currently on display at Camp Atterbury have been selected for testing in 2022. If successful, those projects are expected to move into procurement and field deployment in 2025.
According to state and federal officials, various signaling devices as well as cyber protection, counterintelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities were tested and evaluated in simulated disaster scenarios.
Firestorm Labs, based in San Diego, introduced its “Tempest 50” drone. It can be easily assembled, disassembled and transported and is also “quick and inexpensive to manufacture,” said representatives of the defense technology startup.
Massachusetts-based Altaeros separately tested its “ST-Flex,” a portable, rapid-response cell tower. The airship is designed to provide network capacity for first responders, rural communities and other remote application needs.
Also present was Swiftships, a Louisiana-based shipbuilder, which unveiled a new maritime innovation – a small, unmanned surface vehicle called the Swift-Sea-Stalker.
Designed for surveillance and “interception” missions, the drone is tailored to operate in difficult waterways in conflict zones such as the Horn of Africa and the South China Sea. The technology can be operated remotely or autonomously, providing “flexibility and efficiency” in maritime operations, company officials said.
The experimental technology was developed by small companies, non-traditional players, universities and several “major defense contractors,” Holmes said.
“The best part is that we’re working with the Indiana National Guard to allow Soldiers who are already here to operate and evaluate the technologies we’re looking at,” Holmes said. “Soldier-centered design, their user experience, is another influential factor in the ability to accelerate prototype development, and it allows you to address those human-machine interfaces, logistics issues and a host of other challenges early in the development process. And that saves you a lot of time and money.”
However, Holmes said projects that were not yet “mature” enough to proceed would benefit from the exercise.
“Every project and every provider will be aware of their potential contribution to a joint operation when they leave the project,” she said.
Indiana Guard plays “helpful” role
Brigadier General Justin Mann of the Indiana National Guard pointed out that the Hoosier Guard includes more than 11,000 soldiers and airmen. Most are “traditional,” he said, meaning they serve and train one weekend each month, plus two full weeks a year.
Mann also emphasized that Indiana has the 11th largest National Guard among the 54 states and territories.
Many Indiana soldiers have previously served overseas, which Mann said gives them valuable “operational experience” and insight.
“They can give the RDER team an insight and say, ‘Hey, this is how we did it in the movies,'” he said.
The Indiana National Guard’s 38th Infantry Division is also training and preparing for deployment to Southwest Asia. Mann said they are expected to mobilize in October.
“Normally, so much time is spent on why you can’t do something or on bureaucratic hurdles. What we’re looking for at the Indiana Guard — and for our customers that we support across the Department of Defense and in academia — is how do we get to a yes. How can we get there to help you?” Mann said. “Because it benefits us as well, as our Soldiers get to participate in these experiences — repetitions and sets — and build these relationships around these experiments that will last long into the future.”
Get the morning’s headlines straight to your inbox
