Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.- The Army convened innovators from across the force at APG for a two-day Army Pathway for Innovation and Technology (PIT) Synchronization Summit, an internal forum designed to bring transparency, alignment and momentum to the Army’s growing edge innovation ecosystem.

The summit provided a platform for organizations operating at the “edge” of innovation to share their portfolios, priorities and planned activities for 2026, while beginning a broader dialogue on how the Army can better synchronize prototyping efforts.

“With acquisition reform taking off and speed becoming a priority for our senior leaders, we knew this kind of synchronization effort needed to happen,” said Col. Shermoan Daiyaan, PIT director. “This is about flat communications across the innovation community, sharing what we’re working on, breaking down duplication and setting the conditions to move faster together.”

A New Pathway in Support of Army Acquisition Reform

The PIT was established in November 2025 as part of the Army’s acquisition reform efforts, aimed at accelerating how innovative technologies move from concept to capability. As the Army continues to emphasize speed, flexibility and Soldier-driven concepts, the PIT serves as a connective tissue between innovation communities that have traditionally operated in parallel.

Rather than creating another standalone organization, the PIT is designed to provide visibility across existing innovation efforts- helping leaders understand where work is occurring, identify overlap and align resources toward shared priorities.

“This can’t be a trade show or a capabilities brief, it has to be a working session,” said Lt. Gen. Michael McCurry, commanding general of Army Futures and Concepts Command. “Our adversaries aren’t waiting, and the future battlefield rewards organizations that learn fast, integrate fast and move fast. That’s why synchronizing the Army’s innovation enterprise to reduce duplication and collapse timelines is so important.”

At its core, the PIT seeks to shorten timelines and enable faster decision-making by ensuring innovators across the Army are informed, connected and synchronized early in the development process.

Throughout the summit, representatives from multiple Army organizations and external partners briefed their portfolios and strategic focus areas, highlighting how they approach rapid prototyping, experimentation and transition.

Presentations emphasized ongoing and planned efforts, including how each organization engages with industry, partners with Soldiers, and navigates the path from prototype to operational use.

Organizations represented included Army Futures and Concepts Command, the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, the 75th U.S. Army Reserve Innovation Command, all six Program Acquisition Executives, as well as external partners such as the Defense Innovation Unit, Joint Interagency Task Force- 401, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Looking Ahead

The PIT Synchronization Summit marked an initial step toward building a more connected and transparent innovation ecosystem and one that aligns with the Army’s push to move faster while maintaining technical rigor.

“For the PIT, success isn’t waiting for a perfect solution- it’s getting an 80 or 90 percent answer into the hands of the warfighter and then scaling with the right partners in the room,” said Daiyaan. “If we can share, synchronize and scale early, we can move promising capabilities toward programs of record instead of letting good ideas stall.”

As the PIT continues to evolve, future efforts will focus on sustaining dialogue, refining coordination mechanisms and ensuring that edge innovation efforts are positioned to support Army priorities and deliver capability at the speed relevance demands.