Army aims to sync two divisions using next-gen C2 by year’s end

Two Army infantry divisions will soon run the same next-gen command-and-control system, if all goes as planned, bringing the service one step closer to digitally sharing key battle data.

That’s the next phase for NGC2, which began as experiments in 2024 and became a program of record in April 2025. In recent months, two divisions have been working on prototypes: the 25th Infantry Division, led by Lockheed Martin, and the 4th Infantry Division, led by Anduril and Palantir. The Colorado-based 4ID has been using the technology for about a year, testing the “full stack” system in recent military exercises.

“Both prototype divisions will begin implementing the common data layer baseline as soon as possible, with minimum disruption to operational exercises and training events. We expect to move quickly, as the two divisions and industry teams have already been working together during the Ivy Sting-Mass and Lightning Surge events to share lessons learned, reuse applications, and converge capabilities to help the Army scale the NGC2 framework,” the Army said in a statement to Defense One.

The effort to bring both prototyping divisions to a common NGC2 configuration will be led by Anduril, Army officials announced on Monday. 

Each division will tailor the system to their needs, but once fully implemented, the units, if physically nearby, could share data drawn from shared sources or sensors.

“This is a major step forward as NGC2 evolves into a phase of continuous delivery and we provide this capability at the speed of relevance,” Brig. Gen. Shane Taylor, capability program executive for Command and Control Information Network, said in a news release, announcing the decision on Monday.

Anduril will use its Lattice software.

NGC2 enables soldiers and commanders to use a common platform for battle planning in multiple locations and with multiple devices. For example, during a live-fire Ivy Sting 4 event, an Army M777 howitzer shot down a target using data generated by the Marine Corps. The Army also used NGC2 to share target data with the Marine Corps.

It is meant to push the Army closer to create the resilient and reliable network it has long wanted for soldiers, and it’s part of the service’s approach to continuous transformation: developing and adopting new technology marked by prototyping and soldier feedback. 

Eyes on a more connected future 

Monday’s contract announcement, which didn’t come with a dollar amount, is part of an enterprise licensing agreement with Anduril. 

“We are already moving out with the converged data layer architecture,” Joseph Welch, portfolio acquisition executive for command and control and counter C2, said in a release. “Our vendor partners have demonstrated great teamwork and flexibility in helping us establish this baseline and set the groundwork for rapid scaling.”

The plan is to have the systems fully integrated across both divisions by the end of the year, Zach Kramer, Anduril’s general manager for mission command, told reporters on Monday. 

“The intention is certainly by the end of the year…if not sooner, that we would get them onto a common baseline. It is important to get them on a common baseline to make sure there’s no drift,” he said.

Kramer said the company has benchmarks for scale, usage, and unit feedback to measure whether the system actually works: “Are the soldiers using the system,” is it helping them “be successful, and how are they seeing the system working and functioning.” 

Anduril, teaming with Palantir, will keep leading work on the system’s common data layer, which various applications plug into, such as for logistics or analytics. 

“There’s a common API surface that we think about. There’s a bunch of different applications, so things like Govini and Rune on the logistics side, both plug their applications into the data layer,” Kramer said. “We also see a lot of things that are UASs or other sensors or effectors that are being integrated directly. And then finally we see lots of different hardware that we’re leveraging, whether it’s different types of communications, radio, or different types of compute platforms that can then run the data layer and the applications that are hosted with it.” 

The goal is for disparate sources of information to congeal into a universally accessible platform from various places.

“One of the ways, frankly, is through existing things that they have, like Maven Smart Systems, or some of the Palantir tools on a laptop,” Kramer said. “We also have a new Android-based form factor that allows them to have, kind of, a wearable piece where they’re actually interacting with it and the touchscreen there. And then we see it populating data through other applications that show up in either in a vehicle” or other existing applications.