The Army has awarded Anduril a $99.6 million contract to lead a prototyping effort that will yield a Next Generation Command and Control architecture for the 4th Infantry Division within a year, moving the service a step closer toward scaling its network to the division-level.
NGC2 is the Army’s sweeping network modernization program designed as a four-layered technology stack to include “transport, infrastructure, data and applications,” allowing the Army to consolidate its information to help commanders make quicker decisions, according to a press release published today.
The announcement revealed that Anduril, working with a team of industry partners, will have 11 months to deliver the division-level NGC2 prototype under an other transaction agreement (OTA), which was awarded by the Command, Control, Communications and Network Program Executive Office.
“This award further demonstrates that the Army can move faster, smarter, and in step with innovation,” Jesse Tolleson, acting assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, said in a statement. “Leveraging nontraditional acquisition pathways and inviting industry into an iterative development process breaks down barriers and delivers capability at the speed of relevance.”
Anduril will work with fellow technology companies Govini, Instant Connect Enterprise, Microsoft, Palantir Technologies, Research Innovations and Striveworks on the prototype, according to a company release.
The Army successfully tested NGC2 at the battalion level in March during Project Convergence Capstone 5 at Ft. Irwin, CA, and quickly pivoted to seek out companies that can scale up to a division for next year’s experiment, Project Convergence Capstone 6, Inside Defense previously reported.
Team Anduril was already involved in the PCC5 experiment this year, so the OTA will “maintain momentum” for the Army while the service builds up a competition with other companies that want to join the running for NGC2 efforts, according to today’s announcement.
More OTAs are expected later in fiscal year 2025 through a commercial solutions opening (CSO) for units like the 25th Infantry Division and III Corps Headquarters, the release says; the service published a CSO in May which announced it would soon choose up to three companies for OTA awards to deliver prototypes of NGC2.
“NGC2 is not just a capability. It’s a blueprint for how we’ll deliver future Army systems,” Gen. James Rainey, head of Army Futures Command, said in a statement. “This award reflects a fundamentally different relationship with industry, built on shared purpose, speed, and trust.”
The 4th Infantry Division will demonstrate the scaled-up NGC2 prototype at PCC6 next summer “as its primary C2 system,” which will include incorporating it into “multiple brigades, headquarters and enablers,” according to today’s release.
Originally published Inside Defense
