ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (September 18, 2024)— Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2), the Army’s new approach to a data-centric C2 architecture, will provide multiple competitive opportunities for industry to contribute technology across an ecosystem of applications, data infrastructure, software and hardware, officials said.
During a virtual industry day hosted by the program executive office Command, Control, and Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T) and Army partner organizations on Monday, attendees received a first look into the path forward for the NGC2 effort.
“One thing I want industry to take away from this event is that the Army is pursuing a portfolio approach,” said Mark Kitz, program executive officer for C3T. “This is not a one-acquisition approach or one-contract approach, and the Army wants industry’s feedback on our entire approach to achieving Next Generation C2.”
Industry collaboration is the driving force behind many Army programs, and is especially necessary for Next Generation C2, which takes a “fundamentally different” approach by adopting critical features of the modern commercial technology cycle – including open and standard architectures, rapid iteration of requirements, and close partnership between users and developers, said Joe Welch, the acting deputy to the commanding general, Army Futures Command.
“The Army recognized the potential that rapid evolution of commercial technology and changing how we as an Army organize to deliver capability could have on the battlefield,” Welch said.
Intended to describe the NGC2 ecosystem and the Army’s intent for a competitive environment, the NGC2 Virtual Industry Day provided vendors with an overview of the NGC2 effort, its operational design and persistent experimentation outlook. Army officials also stressed the importance of industry providing feedback not only on technologies, but also acquisition approaches to incentivize rapid and widespread progress.
“I want to emphasize that this is a change in culture, a change in mindset and a transformation for the Army as we get after this vision of Next Generation C2 and the enduring competition that it allows for,” said Lt. Col. Nick Bono, PEO C3T’s project lead for NGC2.
NGC2 is a critical element of the Army’s network modernization effort, aiming to empower commanders with the agile and adaptive C2 architecture needed to make rapid decisions in a future operating environment. The Army has worked closely with commanders and Soldiers alike to identify deficiencies within existing systems and incorporate these needs into the framework for NGC2.
For example, a key issue area identified by operators that has become part of the foundational framework for NGC2 is the need for a data-centric, open architecture. Unlike traditional Army warfighting systems with their own stovepiped data, open architecture makes integrated data available to commanders across warfighting functions based on their needs, giving them an edge over adversaries in Large Scale Combat Operations.
“The Army is looking to enable its commanders with the speed and flexibility to make risk- informed decisions about how they approach the movement of data inside formations, not just for warfighting functions, but operational models too,” said Maj. Gen. Patrick Ellis, director of the Network-Cross Functional Team (N-CFT).
The Army will continue to incorporate user feedback and insights from persistent experimentation led by Army Futures Command (AFC), including through Project Convergence (PC) and Network Modernization Exercise (NetModX) events. Following an initial proof of concept at PC Capstone 4, the Chief of Staff of the Army approved a NGC2 Capability Characteristics of Need (CoN) document in May 2024 to align AFC requirement and concept development with program initiation under the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)) and PEO C3T. NGC2 utilizes an AFC product owner and ASA(ALT) program manager working together to plan and rapidly execute.
Addressing the way ahead for industry collaboration, Kitz emphasized the need for long-term innovation driven by competition and transparency. These two objectives aim to keep the program operating with the speed and efficacy needed to establish dominance in a future operating environment. Much like the capability itself, the NGC2 program aims to build flexibility into its very foundation.
“The key to success is not awarding a five-year contract and expecting the same behaviors over the duration of those five years—its ensuring that the program is agile and adaptable from the beginning and integrating that into the relationship that we have with industry,” said Kitz.
While the Army is still shaping the details of its contracting approach, the first step is a request for information (RFI) to industry that will support competitive prototyping efforts for a minimum viable product (MVP) under the Army’s software acquisition pathway, Kitz said. While the MVP is the immediate focus for the program office to determine the “realm of the possible,” Bono emphasized that NGC2 will be an enduring program with a “hyper-competitive industry ecosystem” and multiple acquisition mechanisms, informed by persistent experimentation and user feedback.
“We see using multiple pathways and multiple tools at our disposal, because we have to integrate these solutions across all warfighting functions across all warfighting platforms,” Kitz said.
Danielle Moyer, executive director of Army Contracting Command-Aberdeen Proving Ground, reinforced the need for “constant” and open dialogue with industry.
“We are dedicated to establishing instruments that are flexible and agile, and we’re really going to be leveraging industry feedback,” Moyer said.
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The U.S. Army Program Executive Office Command, Control and Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T) develops, acquires, fields and supports the Army's Unified Network (Tactical and Enterprise) to ensure force readiness in both current missions and potential future large scale combat operations. This critical Army modernization priority delivers resilient terrestrial and satellite communications capabilities to ensure commanders and Soldiers remain connected and informed at all times, even in the most austere and hostile environments. PEO C3T is delivering an integrated Unified Network to regions around the globe, enabling high-speed, high-capacity voice, data and video communications to an Army user base that includes joint, coalition and other mission partners.
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