US Army Project Convergence events planned for 2026 are set to have a major impact regarding the ongoing development of the Next Generation Command and Control system.
In April 2025, the United States Army’s Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) system became a formal programme of record. In the Army’s own words, NGC2 will fundamentally change how its manoeuvre force performs Command and Control (C2). The initiative is led by the army’s Capability Programme Executive for Command, Control, Communications and Networks (CPE C3N). This organisation was formally known as the Programme Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications and Networks (PEO C3N).
The NGC2 forms part of the wider US Department of Defence’s (DOD’s) Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) system. CJADC2 is the manifestation of the DOD’s embrace of the Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) mindset. MDO promotes the inter- and intra-force connectivity of all military assets (personnel, platforms, weapons, sensors, networks, bases and capabilities) at all levels of war to perform synchronous operations across the spectrum of conflict.
MDO will facilitate friendly forces taking better-quality, and faster, decisions than their adversaries. The theory is that decision-making superiority will help overcome the Anti-Access/Area-Denial (A2AD) postures of US and allied near-peer strategic rivals like the Islamic Republic of Iran, People’s Republic of China and Russia. Other constituent combined operational and tactical C2 systems employed by the US military include the Advanced Battle Management System of the US Air Force, the US Navy’s Project Overmatch, the Marine Corps’ Expeditionary Base Operations initiative and US Space Force’s National Defence Space Architecture.
Layer cake
NGC2 overhauls the C2 architectures used by the army’s manoeuvre forces at tactical (battalion and brigade) through to division and corps (operational) levels. NGC2 is working to breakdown existing C2 stovepipes in the land manoeuvre force. Much of this effort rests on improving communications between the force’s constituent parts.
The architecture comprises four elements: The infrastructure layer possesses the computing hardware that NGC2 will need to function. The transport layer includes radio communications hardware and software to move voice and data traffic around the NGC2 network, and between its constituent elements. The data layer is effectively the system’s brain linking the NCG2 with the assets mentioned above. This layer also contains artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches to aid tactical and operational decision-making. Finally, the application layer represents the point where the user interacts with the NGC2 network and its data.
Work commenced on NGC2 in 2024 and the associate programme office within the CPE C3N was formally established in April 2025. The CPE C3N told Armada via a written statement that “no one company can provide a complete solution” for the NGC2 architecture. Instead, the army is identifying and contracting vendors on a case-by-case basis according to NGC2 requirements. Developing the NGC2 architecture is currently at the prototyping stage. Prototyping activities “will inform how the Army implements NGC2 technologies and business models moving forward”.
Ivy Sting and Lightning Surge
The Army’s Project Convergence initiatives are central to NGC2 prototyping and additional Project Convergence events are planned for 2026. These will evaluate the C2 system’s transport layer and the ability of allied C2 systems to share data with NCG2 and vice versa. Performed at the division level, Project Convergence’s Ivy Sting will involve the Army’s Fourth Infantry Division (ID), and Lightning Surge the 25th ID.
There is no ‘end date’ when NGC2’s rollout and implementation will be complete. Instead, hardware and software will be continually updated to ensure the force “is poised to combat emerging threats”. This year’s Project Convergence events will have a major impact on the future course of the NGC2 undertaking writ large: “Experimentation … will inform procurement decisions and NGC2 fielding to the broader Army”, the written statement noted. Expect more news from the CPE C3N in the coming months regarding lessons learned from this year’s Project Convergence initiatives impacting NGC2’s development and implementation.
by Dr. Thomas Withington
