Black Jack brigade conducts NTC rotation 26-02 during October and November 2025. The rotation marks the first armored Transforming in Contact (TiC) 2.0 National Training Center rotation, where new concepts and emerging capabilities were tested in realistic, contested scenarios. (U.S. Army video by 1st Lt. Tyler Williams)
FORT IRWIN, Calif. — Troopers from the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, known as “Black Jack,” recently concluded National Training Center Rotation 26-02, the Army’s first Transforming in Contact-designated armored brigade combat team rotation. The brigade’s deployment to NTC marked a major step in the Army’s effort to modernize how armored formations fight, sustain, and communicate in future large-scale combat operations.
The TiC initiative transforms brigade combat teams across the Army by reorganizing command structures and consolidating previously separate capabilities into new, multifunctional formations. These units incorporate unmanned systems, modernized crew training, and more efficient maintenance practices to stay at the forefront of speed, lethality, and adaptability while remaining focused on the fight.
Against 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, a near-peer opposing force known as “Black Horse”, Troopers tested the brigade’s new capabilities. Units synchronized fires, movement, and sustainment across dispersed formations and multiple layers of airspace while maintaining tempo under constant pressure.
Key to Black Jack’s success was the integration of division-level assets under the Transforming in Contact initiative. With support from the First Team’s Air Cavalry Brigade and Division Artillery, the brigade expanded its reach, enabling Troopers to sense, maneuver, and strike faster than ever.
Advanced radar helped detect and counter hostile unmanned aerial systems, while loitering munitions and reconnaissance drones combined precision targeting with continuous overwatch. This unity of fires and maneuver is critical for large-scale combat operations.
Passive sensors placed on combat vehicles painted Troopers a clear picture of the airspace while remaining undetectable to enemy systems. These formations also employed unmanned aircraft systems to extend their influence on the battlefield. Troopers used the Anduril Ghost X and Performance Drone Works C100 systems for reconnaissance, Black Widow and Neros Archer FPV systems for short-range surveillance or target acquisition, and the Malloy TRV-150 for resupply operations. Switchblade 600 loitering munitions provided long-range precision fires to prosecute targets behind enemy lines.
“Our Troopers adapted faster than ever,” said Capt. Jeffrey Weller, Multifunctional Strike Troop commander. “TiC challenged us to think differently. Integrating our capabilities made us more efficient and effective.”
Command and control also evolved under the new framework. Brigade and battalion staffs operated with smaller, faster command posts and digital tools that shortened decision cycles.
Communication between formations evolved with the new Mounted Mission Control-System. Replacing the old Joint Battle Command-Platform, MMC-S provided faster updates, clearer graphics, and consistent connectivity among crews. Along with the portable Tactical Assault Kit loaded onto phones and laptops, crews fought with improved situational awareness and synchronization of joint forces.
(U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Tyler Williams). VIEW ORIGINAL
“This rotation wasn’t just about validating drones and loitering munitions in a heavy force — it was about rewriting the rules for armored maneuver in a world where the battlefield is transparent and lethal." said Col. Jose Reyes, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team "Black Jack" commander. "The battlefields of Ukraine showed us the problem; this rotation proved we now own the solution: heavy armor, supported by suppressing and finishing fires, maneuvering fast, hitting hard and dominating the fight.”
As NTC 26-02 concluded, 2nd ABCT consolidated lessons learned for dissemination across the 1st Cavalry Division and the Army’s modernization enterprise. These insights will inform future training rotations and ongoing efforts to transform armored formations into agile, innovative teams.
This rotation represented the first application of Transforming in Contact concepts within an armored brigade combat team at the National Training Center. Findings from the exercise will guide future force design and modernization of similar units across the Army.
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