KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- The mantra "adapt and overcome" is a rolling motto for the United States military. Even when a Soldier finds an equipment shortfall, he or she still needs to accomplish the mission.
The Rapid Equipping Force is a little-known tool to provide Soldiers with fast, quality solutions to those shortfalls and a place where Soldiers' ideas can be translated into useful equipment.
"It normally takes three to five years for the Army to adopt new equipment," said Sgt. 1st Class Brian Pessink, non-commissioned officer in charge of the REF forward lab on Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. "What the REF does is fill those tactical gaps, providing quick solutions for Soldiers in the field."
The REF program came into existence in 2002 to equip Soldiers with what they need to accomplish their missions. According to their website, the program "harnesses current and emerging technologies to provide immediate solutions to the urgent challenges of U.S. Army forces deployed globally." In their field prototyping labs on KAF, engineers alongside Soldiers produce plastic parts and prototypes in a 3-D printer, machine metal parts in a computer-controlled milling machine, and if a solution already exists in the civilian sector, the REF can purchase off-the-shelf products for Soldiers.
"We have a pool of money that allows us to use our own funds to get equipment to Soldiers," said Pessink. "Units don't have to pull from their own funds to solve their problems. So if they need a swiveling M249 Squad Automatic Weapon bi-pod mount, or a radio frequency identification tracking system to track equipment, we can make it or buy it ourselves to get it to units who need them."
Pessink also clarified that the REF isn't for getting "cool guy" gear that Soldiers want but have no real need for; it's for legitimate needs that help Soldiers complete their missions. His experience as an infantryman helps him filter out unnecessary requests or respond with a solution the Army already has.
"There isn't a problem we haven't been able to solve," said Pessink. "But we sometimes get people coming to us for equipment or things they'd like made, but don't have a tactical problem. That's why we have them explain the tactical problem on our request form."
As war changes and tactical needs arise, the REF is built to help the warfighter adapt. The scope and scale of each of the REF's projects is virtually unlimited. The projects and solutions often come from Soldiers of every rank.
"Even the lowest private on the totem pole can come up with the most ingenious solution," Pessink said while talking to units at Forward Operating Base Pasab.
Pessink illustrated a solution to a problem that a junior Soldier invented. It involved protecting the top of mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles from low-hanging power lines in urban areas. With the number of antennas ever increasing on top of the vehicles, Soldiers needed a way to protect their equipment and keep their vehicles from snagging on overhead power lines. He developed a cage of fiberglass rods that arcs over the vehicle and gently lifts the wires safely above the truck and its systems as it moves down the road. Once his solution got to the REF, they were able to refine it and provide it for adoption by the Army as the Overhead Wire Mitigation kit.
With each request form, the Army gets feedback on Soldiers' needs on the battlefield. Sometimes the tactical need is just a simple switch for the Firefly Infrared strobe. Other times the REF is responsible for projects as large as the Persistent Threat Detection System and acquiring magnifying rifle scopes for front-line Soldiers. Whether the problem is large or small, the REF continues to leave its mark on the military by creating solutions to real-world problems.
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