ANDERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- As the Indo-Pacific faces numerous strategic security challenges posed by a competitor that possesses growing and ever-changing capabilities, the demand for swift, adaptable, and innovative technological solutions has become more pressing than ever.
Exercise Agile Reaper 24-1 showcases the 3rd Air Expeditionary Wing’s ability to execute Agile Combat Employment operations from within the Pacific theater across five separate locations. AR 24-1 is the second iteration of the ACE-centered exercise, and this iteration was distinct in many ways from its predecessor, AR 23-1. One first-time addition to AR 24-1 is the Scientist and Engineer Demand Force Team.
The SEDFT is made of Airmen and Guardians from the Air Force Research Laboratory. They are a group of scientists and engineers with the capability to forward deploy to austere locations. Their purpose is to swiftly generate innovative solutions that address emerging threats and evolving operational requirements that are specific to expeditionary environments.
AR 24-1 has provided the team with a chance to sharpen their skills and become familiar with the challenges and threats posed within the Pacific theater of operations.
“We’re ready; we have thousands of engineers who want to get their hands dirty and solve these real-world problems,” said 1st Lt. Garrett Demeyer, the Scientist and Engineer Demand Force Team lead. “We bring a lot of technical and tactical flexibility to the battlefield. By having the ability to innovate in the field, our adversaries don’t know the capabilities that we have.”
Demeyer acknowledges that any upcoming conflict would significantly depend on cutting-edge technological advancements. He emphasizes that the ability to swiftly develop such solutions will provide a crucial advantage.
The future of warfare includes multi-domain, disaggregated high-end conflict. AR 24-1 creates a combat-representative environment to prepare the 3rd AEW’s warfighters to best compete in emerging security landscapes. The SEDFT enhances the 3rd AEW’s ability to deliver combat air power in an expeditious manner across the Pacific.
In addition to the team's accelerated rate of innovation, a standout unique advantage of the SEDFT lies in the substantial cost savings offered by their solutions compared to conventional methods of procuring cutting-edge warfighting technologies. This is because of the fact that their solutions are made of consumer-grade components, whose price points are significantly less than traditional alternatives due to their wide availability.