The setup is similar to videoconferencing equipment used by medics in austere locations to communicate remotely with doctors, he said. “As soon as we get the feedback on how well that went, we’ll tweak the program [and] make some technical modifications.”

Weiler and other JIEDDO officials think such gear could allow the several thousand U.S. troops who train and advise Iraq’s security forces — but who are forbidden to leave their bases — to provide real-time guidance when, say, an Iraqi soldier finds a roadside bomb planted by ISIS.

“What if the force that’s forward comes across a particularly different kind of IED that they’ve got to disarm?” said JIEDDO’s director, Army Lt. Gen. John Johnson. New gear could allow them to “reach back to experts who can see what they’re seeing and help guide them on their solution.”