ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — The Army’s Next Generation Command and Control program, otherwise known as NGC2, is forging a novel approach to how Soldiers access, share and utilize information.
Historically, C2 systems have been designed for discrete functions with underlying architectures that stovepipe data based on warfighting functions and network configurations, leaving limited options to get data to the point of need in a denied, degraded, intermittent or low-bandwidth environment. So how is the Army’s network adapting to support the demands of NGC2 and modern warfare?
Enter software-defined networking.
“NGC2 requires an intelligent network capable of rapidly adapting to mission needs,” said Dr. John Franklin, a division chief within the U.S. Army Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center. “[Software-defined networking] — a flexible, programmable and adaptive network architecture — is essential to realizing that goal.”
Traditional architectures can’t keep up with the increasing demand for networked devices on the battlefield and the need for rapid network reconfiguration to support new missions. Software-defined networking, or SDN, dynamically orchestrates network traffic, prioritizes data and adapts in real-time, enabling autonomous systems, multi-domain formations and edge-connected sensors. SDN’s automation shifts tactical complexity away from Soldiers by reducing configuration burdens at the edge while enabling resilience in denied or degraded environments.
The C5ISR Center has been at the leading edge of SDN capability development through several science and technology efforts, which have supported experimentation at Project Convergence and the Network Modernization Experiment, or NetModX, for the last several years.
But delivering this capability requires more than new technology. It demands an open, collaborative approach between government and industry while leveraging agile acquisition.
“Only through open, adaptable interfaces shaped by both communities can we ensure interoperability, accelerate integration, and avoid the pitfalls of closed, monolithic solutions,” said Franklin.
As a DOD Science and Technology Reinvention Laboratory, the C5ISR Center is well-positioned to partner with industry on experimentation and validation of open SDN approaches. Efforts are being developed in partnership with industry that advance AI-driven control mechanisms and allow networks to anticipate disruptions and adapt proactively. Through venues like NetModX and a robust lab infrastructure including the Combined Joint Systems Integration Lab, the Center supports testing of SDN technologies under realistic, mission-relevant conditions.
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The U.S. Army Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center is the Army’s applied research and advanced technology development center for C5ISR capabilities. As the Army’s primary integrator of C5ISR technologies and systems, DEVCOM C5ISR Center supports our networked Warfighters by identifying, developing, maturing, and rapidly integrating innovative technologies to drive continuous transformation.
DEVCOM C5ISR Center is an asset of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. DEVCOM is Army Futures Command’s leader and integrator within a global ecosystem of scientific exploration and technological innovation. DEVCOM expertise spans eight major competency areas to provide integrated research, development, analysis and engineering support to the Army and DOD. From rockets to robots, drones to dozers, and aviation to artillery – DEVCOM innovation is at the core of the combat capabilities American Warfighters need to win on the battlefield of the future. For more information, visit c5isrcenter.devcom.army.mil.
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