The U.S. Army intends to implement its Next Generation Command and Control architecture throughout all 11 divisions during the five-year Future Years Defense Program window, Breaking Defense reported Wednesday.
Brig. Gen. Shane Taylor, capability program executive for Command and Control Information Network, said the Army aims to equip two to three divisions per year as part of an accelerated modernization timeline that shortens traditional fielding cycles.
The Army’s evolving command and control modernization strategy will be a focus of the 2026 Army Summit, hosted by the Potomac Officers Club on June 18. Senior Army officials participating in the panel discussion, “Tech Stack After Next: What’s Still Needed to Enable a Hyperconnected Battlefield,” will examine remaining technology, integration and operational challenges tied to building a more connected battlefield environment. Register now!
What Is the Army’s NGC2 Strategy?
NGC2 is the Army’s effort to modernize battlefield command and control through an integrated architecture spanning transport, infrastructure, data and application layers. The initiative uses artificial intelligence and shared data environments to improve how commanders process battlefield information and coordinate operations.
Taylor said the Army’s 4th Infantry Division is currently prototyping the full NGC2 stack, while the 25th Infantry Division is testing the data layer portion of the architecture after previously receiving a modernized network baseline under the C2 Fix effort.
The service plans to use lessons from those prototypes to establish a “normalized architecture” that can be scaled across additional formations. Rather than moving into a traditional production phase, the Army intends to adopt a continuous delivery model.
How Does the Army Advance NGC2?
The Army has used other transaction authority agreements, commercial solutions openings and rapid prototyping efforts to accelerate NGC2 development and integrate commercial technologies into operational environments.
In July 2025, Anduril secured a nearly $100 million OTA to prototype NGC2 capabilities for the 4th Infantry Division, including integrated hardware, software and applications under a shared data layer.
Lockheed Martin has also demonstrated NGC2 prototypes during the Army’s Lightning Surge exercises with the 25th Infantry Division and Capability Program Executive Command and Control Information Network. The demonstrations integrated targeting data, drone feeds, electronic warfare inputs and fire control systems into a unified operational architecture.
The Lockheed-led prototype incorporated AI-enabled mission applications from Raft, Accelint and Rune to support voice-driven tasking, logistics forecasting and battlefield visualization.
How Is the Army Restructuring Around NGC2?
The service has reorganized its former Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications and Network into the CPE C3N to align acquisition and integration efforts with NGC2 priorities.
The reorganization established new offices focused on applications, data and AI, infrastructure, and transport to support continuous capability delivery and integration of commercial technologies into Army formations.
