Author: Jay McGuire, Accelint President & Chief of Staff
Mission command is the backbone of every operation, and it’s evolving faster than ever. The Army’s Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) effort is redefining how Commanders populate their operational picture, share data across echelons, and make decisions under pressure. The transformation isn’t just technical – it’s cultural, reshaping how the US Army and industry design, test, and deliver capability together.
As a core partner to Lockheed Martin on NGC2, Accelint is delivering that transformation in real time. Our mission command interface for NGC2 embodies the Army’s push toward unified, data-driven operations where decisions flow seamlessly from sensor to shooter, built around one principle: The Soldier.
The Stakes: Why NGC2 Must Succeed Now
“I put out two years ago that we have to fix the network as our number one priority, that we have to be data centric. It really impacts everything that we do across every warfighting function and to be leaner, lower signature and more lethal, we would need to have something like Next-Gen C2… It remains a priority for us.” -GEN Randy George, 41st Chief of Staff of the Army
That statement captures the urgency behind NGC2. The Army has elevated NGC2 to a program of record aimed at unifying command and control, infrastructure, and data across echelons. Prototypes demonstrated during Project Convergence Capstone 5 are already exercising integrated C2 in operational scenarios. Still, transitioning from prototypes to division-level operations demands more than technical excellence. It requires cultural, organizational, and acquisition shifts that break legacy patterns.
At AUSA 2025 last week, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll called for dismantling bureaucratic structures, consolidating acquisition authorities, and restoring focus on operational relevance. His message was unambiguous: modernization must serve Soldiers in the field, not sustain legacy processes. This marks the beginning of a major acquisition reorganization – one where program offices give way to warfighter-driven execution and accountability.
The challenge now is ensuring modernization advances at the speed of relevance – with systems that are not only integrated and open, but usable under the stress of mission execution. NGC2 isn’t just another program; it’s the framework shaping how the force will fight and sustain across future battlefields.
Beyond Tech: The Imperative of Listening and Framing
The Army’s modernization effort is as much about mindset as it is about technology. With the transition from multiple PEOs to a smaller number of Program Acquisition Executives reporting directly to T2COM, division commanders — not acquisition offices — are now defining requirements. For industry, that means listening differently and designing with direct operator input, not secondhand interpretation filtered through acquisition channels.
At Accelint, these lessons shape how we collaborate. Across NGC2 and other modernization efforts, our teams integrate continuous Soldier touchpoints – validating workflows in realistic training environments, simplifying data presentation at the tactical edge, and ensuring that design decisions align with real decision cycles, not assumed ones. That operator feedback ensures what’s fielded isn’t just functional – it maintains mission command principles and delivers decisive overmatch.
The Road Ahead
Modernization is no longer about isolated systems or incremental upgrades, it’s about building trusted partnerships that move capability from prototype to the field faster and with greater impact.
The future of command and control will belong to those who listen first, iterate fast, and deliver with purpose. That’s how the Joint Force moves from demonstration to deployment, from prototypes to persistent operational advantage.
Done right, NGC2 won’t just change how the Army fights. It will set the standard for how government and industry collaborate to ensure U.S. and allied forces can attain a level of optionality far superior to our adversaries.