The US Army is assessing the performance of its Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) system after extensive testing in a desert combat scenario. The evaluation follows a major exercise at Fort Irwin, California, where nearly 10,000 soldiers and 100 new technologies were deployed. Some components of the system, developed with industry partners like Anduril and Palantir, struggled in the desert heat, with parts overheating during trials. However, successful elements will be expanded to additional units for further testing and training.
Project Convergence Capstone, the largest demonstration of NGC2 to date, built on 10 months of testing at events like Ivy Sting and Ivy Mass at Fort Carson, Colorado. The system is designed to streamline battlefield data and communications, using artificial intelligence to assist with information processing and planning. It aims to help the Army track distributed assets, including soldiers and weapons, and manage logistics like fuel, water, and ammunition.
Army officials expect the testing and training for additional units to be shorter due to lessons learned during development. The system takes a commercial, off-the-shelf approach to acquiring new systems and software. While some parts of NGC2 did not perform as expected, the Army is refining the system based on feedback from soldiers and test data.