Technology Readiness Experimentation
T-REX
The Pentagon's recurring experimentation campaign at Camp Atterbury and Muscatatuck, where vendors showcase prototypes and put them to the test alongside warfighters. Indigo supports it.
Indigo's role
How Indigo supports T-REX
T-REX is hosted by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) and the Indiana National Guard. Indigo is one of the teams that supports it, working from our headquarters in Greenwood, a short drive from both Camp Atterbury and Muscatatuck.
At T-REX 23-1 and 23-2, our team supported technical assessment and reporting: Assessment Reports and Event Observation Reports that document conditions, configuration, observations, and limitations, plus one-page leadership summaries of each technology's readiness and operational utility.
Indigo has supported range access, airspace coordination, waivers, and on-site logistics at Camp Atterbury and Muscatatuck since 2020, so we know the ground the event runs on.
- Technical assessment and reporting
- Assessment Reports and Event Observation Reports
- Leadership summaries of readiness (TRL) and operational utility
- Local range, airspace, and logistics experience
The program
What T-REX is
T-REX is an enduring campaign of experimentation that supports the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve (RDER). It puts promising prototypes through realistic, mission-relevant scenarios and builds a body of evidence that helps technologies reach combatant commanders faster.
Events run at Camp Atterbury and the Muscatatuck Training Center in Indiana, typically twice a year. They pair tactical scenario demonstrations with prototype technology displays. Focus areas have included resilient communications, joint command and control, contested logistics, counter-UAS, and uncrewed and autonomous systems.
- Hosted by
- OUSD(R&E), with the Indiana National Guard
- Supports
- Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve (RDER)
- Where
- Camp Atterbury and Muscatatuck Training Center, Indiana
- First event
- May 2023
- Indigo's role
- Supporting team: assessment and reporting
Value
Why vendors bring technology to T-REX
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01
Showcase
Prototype technology displays and media days put systems in front of senior leaders, operators, and other companies.
-
02
Test in realistic conditions
Systems run in tactical scenarios alongside warfighters and other technologies, exposing integration and human-factors issues that lab demonstrations miss.
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03
Build a body of evidence
Assessment results inform fielding decisions, and successful technologies can graduate to larger exercises such as Northern Edge and Valiant Shield.
Timeline
Event history
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23-1
May 2023 · Camp Atterbury
The inaugural event. Technologies were assessed in a disaster-response scenario focused on resilient communications, with more than 30 government and industry organizations taking part.
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23-2
October 2023 · Muscatatuck and Camp Atterbury
Eleven full-scale assessments of uncrewed, multi-domain autonomous systems and resilient communications, with participation from Australia and the United Kingdom.
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24-1
April 2024 · Camp Atterbury
Matured promising prototypes against combatant command priority gaps, including joint and multi-domain kill chains.
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24-2
August 2024 · Camp Atterbury
Nearly 80 technologies, including counter-UAS, mesh communications networks, and LUCAS.
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25-1
Spring 2025 · Camp Atterbury
Counter-UAS experimentation and persistent power for distributed sensor networks.
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25-2
August 2025 · Camp Atterbury and Muscatatuck
58 technologies assessed and more than 150 companies represented, centered on low-cost attack drones, counter-UAS, and digital command and control.
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