MAY 18, 2023 – The Department of Defense and the Indiana National Guard announced the hosting of the Technology Readiness Experimentation 2023 (TREX23-1) showcase at Camp Atterbury, Ind., on May 16-24, 2023.
“TREX is a new and enduring campaign of experimentation developed to support the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve (RDER) initiative,” said Thomas Browning, deputy chief technology officer for mission capabilities in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.
In order to support joint requirements, Department of Defense components compete for RDER funding through the nomination of innovative, joint-focused prototyping efforts. Proposed prototypes are selected based on alignment to the Joint Warfighting Concept and the potential to yield demonstrable warfighting utility.
“A key attribute of RDER is the focus on a campaign of experimentation that enables the collection of a body of evidence to accelerate technology transition to the field,” Browning said. “TREX is integral to the success of this enduring campaign of experiments.”
As a key RDER event, TREX23-1 is a full-scale exercise featuring tactical scenario demonstrations and a Prototype Technology Display to discover, demonstrate, and assess new and innovative warfighting capabilities. The scenario portion of TREX23-1 will assess six technologies for operability in an appropriate environment.
Specifically, TREX23-1 will create a “disaster scenario” in which resilient communications must be established. The assessed technologies include signal devices, cyber protection, counterintelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. These will be needed to operate in the disaster scenario, to protect their operators and ensure a successful evacuation of non-combatants.
In addition, the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit will participate in TREX23-1 while conducting its Composite Unit Training Exercise in preparation for a scheduled deployment. The 26th MEU contribution to TREX23-1 enables participating units to strengthen C5I capabilities. From this scenario, TREX23-1 will provide a body of evidence for future development and transition of the assessed technologies.
The Prototype Technology Display portion of TREX23-1 will provide an opportunity to showcase cutting-edge military technologies. Large and small businesses will have the opportunity to present innovative prototypes that align with RDER Joint Warfighting Concepts, including, but not limited to, fires, command and control, logistics, and capabilities that will drive information advantage. This display is an exciting chance to learn about the latest RDER-themed prototypes, and for companies to help shape the development of front-line military technologies.
With more than 30 industry and government organizations expected to attend, TREX23-1 will provide a key exercise venue to accelerate joint innovation and provide real-world data for future warfighting concept development.
About RDER
The Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve initiative is a structured, multi-year learning campaign to accelerate new capabilities to create Joint Warfighting Capability. RDER will accelerate joint innovation, expand international partnerships and multi-lateral engagement, focus on Service joint experimentation, quickly demonstrate and assess innovative ideas, and provide feedback to future warfighting concept development. Read more about RDER at: https://ac.cto.mil/pe/rder/.
About USD(R&E)
The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering is the chief technology officer of the Department of Defense. The USD(R&E) champions research, science, technology, engineering, and innovation to maintain the United States military’s technological advantage. Learn more at www.cto.mil, follow us on Twitter @DoDCTO, or visit us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/ousdre.