US Army Weighs What to Keep and Cut From AI-Enabled Battlefield Tech

The US Army tested its prototype Next Generation Command and Control system, or NGC2, in a large-scale desert combat scenario at Fort Irwin, California. The exercise, Project Convergence Capstone, brought together nearly 10,000 Army soldiers, close to 100 new technologies, and forces from allied and partner nations. The goal was to see which parts of the system are ready to scale across the service and which should be cut.

NGC2 is designed to streamline battlefield data and communications, using artificial intelligence to help process information and support battlefield planning. Army officials described its core pieces as the data layer, applications, infrastructure, and transport. The system is intended to help troops track distributed assets, stay connected, call in fires, and monitor supplies such as fuel, water, and ammunition.

Army leaders said some pieces of NGC2 did not perform as expected, including duplicative applications and hardware that struggled in the Mojave Desert heat. Some commercial technology overheated, forcing soldiers to improvise fixes in the field. Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the Army vice chief of staff, said failures during the exercise were useful because the Army can walk away from systems that do not live up to expectations.

Officials expect future NGC2 testing and training to move faster because of data and soldier feedback gathered during development. The Army is asking for nearly $4 billion to continue developing NGC2 in its latest budget request. The effort also reflects a broader shift in how the Army works with vendors, uses commercial technology, and fields new systems already in its formations.