- GAO has flagged gaps in the Army’s NGC2 scheduling and cost data
- NGC2 spans four technology layers with FY 2026 funding near $3.3 billion
- DOW concurred with GAO’s recommendations and cited steps underway
The Government Accountability Office has recommended that the U.S. Army develop a detailed fielding schedule and a long-term cost estimate for its Next Generation Command and Control, or NGC2, program.
What Did GAO Find About the Army’s Ability to Scale NGC2?
In a report published Thursday, GAO said the Army has developed short-term schedules for NGC2 through fiscal year 2027, with a tentative goal of fielding the system’s full technology stack across 11 divisions and four corps by the end of FY 2032. The Army has not, however, identified which specific units will receive the capabilities by fiscal year, limiting its ability to gauge progress toward that goal.
GAO found that the Army’s approach to NGC2 and its shorter-term counterpart, Command and Control Fix, reflects several practices consistent with an iterative business case, including collecting user feedback and monitoring evolving commercial technologies. The Army has not, however, fully defined a target schedule or estimated total program costs, two elements GAO considers central to assessing scalability.
Army budget documentation identified NGC2 costs only through FY 2026, with no cost estimate covering the life cycle of the collective effort. GAO said this gap could limit the ability of both the Army and Congress to make informed decisions about the program.
What Is NGC2?
NGC2 is the Army’s long-term effort to modernize battlefield command and control through a mobile, four-layer architecture covering application, data, infrastructure and transport functions. The Army requested about $3.3 billion for NGC2 in its FY 2026 budget, with the largest shares going to the transport and infrastructure layers.
The Army has fielded NGC2 software prototypes at the 4th and 25th Infantry Divisions under other transaction agreements with Anduril Industries and Lockheed Martin, and expects to move into the execution phase of the software acquisition pathway before the end of FY 2026.
What Did the Department of War Say in Response?
DOW concurred with both recommendations. In written comments included in the report, the department said the Army has since developed an NGC2 schedule through FY 2032, outlining how many units will be delivered each year to meet the goal of fielding 11 divisions and four corps within that timeframe. The department added that the Army’s G3/5/7 office publishes specific unit fielding plans two years in advance.
On costs, the department said the Army’s estimate is currently being validated by the deputy assistant secretary of the Army for cost and economics and will be revisited at recurring knowledge points as the program progresses.
What Are the Army’s Plans for Scaling NGC2 Across the Force?
GAO’s assessment comes after the Army had already signaled its intent to move quickly on fielding.
The service has said it plans to roll out its NGC2 system to all 11 divisions within the five-year Future Years Defense Program window, with officials aiming to equip two to three divisions annually. That timeline gained momentum after the service declared NGC2 ready for a broader rollout following its prototype validation at Project Convergence Capstone 6, where the system was tested at the division level. NGC2 is one piece of a wider set of initiatives under the Army’s ground power modernization strategy, which also spans autonomous vehicle programs and other command and control priorities.
At the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Army Summit in June, Lt. Gen. Robert Collins, principal military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, technology and logistics, said the service is exploring expanded rapid acquisition authorities to bring artificial intelligence-enabled capabilities, including those tied to NGC2, to units faster.
