The Indiana National Guard is testing dozens of new defense technologies this week as part of a federal program aimed at getting new tools onto the battlefield faster.
The event, called “Technology Experiment 2024,” or “T-REX,” will be held at Camp Atterbury in Johnson County from Aug. 19 to 28. This will be the second year the program has been held in Indiana.
The technology demonstration and “tactical scenario” exercise, hosted by the Department of Defense and the Indiana National Guard, supports the Department of Defense's Reserve for Rapid Defense Experimentation (RDER), which funds promising prototypes that can be rapidly deployed to military users.
“Technology changes rapidly. Threats change rapidly and often cannot be kept up with through traditional acquisition processes,” Marcia Holmes, acting assistant secretary of defense for mission capabilities, said Tuesday at Camp Atterbury. “RDER is diving into development and unlocking capabilities that are promising in accelerating the joint warfighting that may have been overlooked through the service lens, they're just not visible.”
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Holmes called RDER a “priority” for her office. The effort, which T-REX will support, aims to identify and rapidly develop prototypes so promising technologies can be rapidly fielded to combatant commanders to address joint warfighting needs, Holmes said. The Defense Department has requested $450 million for the program in fiscal year 2025.
Joint warfighting is a key part of the Department of Defense's Science and Technology Strategy released for 2023, and RDER plays a key role within it. The Department of Defense created the Experimentation Fund in 2021 to address capability gaps in high need shared across the military.
“When our commanders analyze joint operations on the joint battlefield, they often find gaps, and those gaps can often be filled with technology from elsewhere, whether that be industry or our own military laboratories. That's where RDER comes in,” Holmes added. “Quite frankly, without this type of experimentation, we're not going to be able to fill the gaps and scale up production.”
New defense technologies put to the test
Holmes said the roughly 80 technologies currently on display at Camp Atterbury have been selected for testing in 2022. If successful, the projects will move toward acquisition and operation in 2025.
The exercises, which simulated disaster scenarios, tested and evaluated a variety of signaling devices, cyber defenses, counterintelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, state and federal officials said.
San Diego-based Firestorm Labs, for example, showed off its Tempest 50 drone, which representatives from the defense tech startup said could be “rapidly produced” at low cost, as well as easily assembled, disassembled and transported.
Massachusetts-based Altaeros separately tested its ST-Flex, a portable, fast-response airborne cell tower designed to provide network capabilities to the needs of emergency responders, rural communities and other remote applications.
Also on hand was SwiftShips, a Louisiana-based shipbuilding company, showcasing a new maritime innovation: a small unmanned surface vehicle called the Swift Sea Stalker.
Designed for surveillance and “interdiction missions,” the drone is specialized for operating in the difficult waterways of conflict zones, including the Horn of Africa and the South China Sea region. Company representatives said the technology is capable of remote control and autonomous capabilities, bringing “flexibility and efficiency” to maritime operations.
Holmes said the experimental technology was developed by small and medium-sized businesses, non-traditional companies, universities and a variety of “large defense” organizations.
Indiana National Guard Brigadier General Justin Mann speaks about a new defensive technology exercise at Camp Atterbury, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
“The best part is that by partnering with the Indiana National Guard, we are giving already trained Soldiers the opportunity to operate and evaluate the technology we're evaluating,” Holmes said. “Soldier-centric design — their user experience — is another key factor in accelerating the development of our prototypes, allowing us to address human-machine interface, logistical issues and a myriad of other challenges early in the development process, which saves us a lot of time and money.”
Still, Holmes said projects that aren't moving forward because they're not yet “mature” would also benefit from the effort.
“Every project and every vendor will understand their potential contribution to the joint venture as they exit,” she said.
Indiana Guard plays 'helpful' role
Indiana National Guard Brigadier General Justin Mann noted there are more than 11,000 Army and Air Force soldiers in the Indiana National Guard. Most of them are “traditional,” he said, meaning they complete missions and training one weekend each month and two additional weeks each year.
Mann also emphasized that Indiana has the 11th largest National Guard force out of all 54 states and territories.
Many of Indiana's soldiers have deployed before, which Mann said brings valuable “operational experience” and insight.
“They can show the RDER team, 'This is how we did it in theater,'” he said.
The Indiana National Guard's 38th Infantry Division is also training and preparing for a deployment to Southwest Asia, with the division scheduled to activate in October, Mann said.
“Typically, a lot of time is spent on why we can't and bureaucracy. Our goal for the Indiana National Guard and for the customers we support in the Department of Defense and academia is, how do we get to that yes, and how do we get there and help our customers,” Mann said. “It's in our interest to have Soldiers participate and gain experience (iterations and sets) and to build relationships through these experiments that will continue into the future.”
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