As the communications subject matter expert for the Rapid Equipping Force in support of both Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM, Major Paul Craft - formerly of the Army Signal Center - was responsible for procuring "any new gear that was available today that we could give the warfighter to make them more ready-relevant, to make them more lethal." These included everything from mine- and cave-clearing robots to laser range finders, satellite radios and even 100-round magazines for the M-4/M-16 rifle. Among the other devices he obtained and demonstrated to commanders in the field to enhance static defense and extend the range of communications at U.S. installations, including Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, were telescoping towers and blimps equipped with cameras and radio relays. "We were in a wartime situation," explained Craft, whose deployment lasted from December 2002 to May 2003. "We kept using the term 'this is not business as usual.' We can't use the same direct memorandum format that goes from office to office to office to get stamped and it sits in someone’s inbox for a day. A day,” he added, is often “too long to wait.”

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