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US Army and Air Force Unite to Reshape Future of Military C2 Through Project Convergence 2025.
In response to rapidly evolving operational environments and increasingly complex multidomain threats, the United States is intensifying efforts to transform command and control (C2) through large-scale joint demonstrations. Project Convergence Capstone 5, held from February to April 2025, is a core part of this modernization effort. Led by Army Futures Command, the exercise took place across key locations, including the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, and the Shadow Operations Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. Its objective was to test, under realistic conditions, the integration of interconnected systems within a joint and multinational framework to enhance the speed and accuracy of both tactical and strategic decision-making.
A U.S. Army soldier launches a short-range drone during Project Convergence Capstone 5, aimed at advancing Army transformation through experimentation and analysis. (Picture source: US DoD)
Project Convergence Capstone 5 (PC-C5) has become a key platform for collaborative experimentation among U.S. military services. The exercise brought together the Army, Air Force, Space Force, Air National Guard, Navy, Marine Corps, and international partners from the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, France, and Japan. Together, they assessed command architectures designed to connect sensors, effectors, and communication systems within a unified, digital, and interoperable battlespace. A specific focus was placed on layered air and missile defense within a context of technological and doctrinal alignment among allies.
The Air Force’s role in PC-C5 is coordinated by the Air Force Futures Directorate, which is tasked with defining the service’s long-term strategic direction. This directorate develops future operational concepts, designs associated force structures, and identifies the capabilities required to maintain an operational advantage over strategic competitors. One of the key systems tested during the exercise was the Tactical Operations Center – Light (TOC-L), a lightweight, deployable command post currently undergoing validation in its “Major Release 1” version. Developed under the supervision of the Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications and Battle Management (PEO C3BM), TOC-L is designed to meet the demands of multidomain operations, where timely processing of information is critical.
At the National Training Center, personnel from the 46th Test Squadron contributed to the TOC-L evaluation. Tech. Sgt. Jay Han, a data link systems specialist, and test engineer Brendon Jones gathered data to assess the system’s reliability, resilience, and interoperability within joint force networks. The goal was to verify that TOC-L can operate effectively in demanding tactical environments while processing large volumes of real-time operational data.
The Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC) led the Air Force’s experimentation campaign during the exercise. According to Kristopher Looney, Director of AFOTEC’s Experimentation Directorate, the emphasis was placed on collecting operationally relevant data, both on systems and their human operators. “System data shows exactly how people and machines interact, highlighting both what works and what doesn’t. Direct interviews with operators add critical context, helping us understand the reasons behind system performance,” he said. This reflects a shift from traditional, segmented testing toward collaborative development in real-world conditions, with rapid feedback loops designed to improve tactics, techniques, and procedures.
TOC-L’s integration with Army command and control systems and other joint platforms was demonstrated, underscoring its relevance within the DAF BATTLE NETWORK—a systems-of-systems intended to provide a resilient decision-making advantage. “We use mission threads designed to shorten the kill chain,” explained Tech. Sgt. Jeylend Kitchen is, lead evaluator for the 552nd Air Control Group and weapons director for the experiment. “Current mission threads involve extensive communications to validate data, which can cause delays. The goal is to automate this process using tools such as STITCHES and MSS to ensure operators have access to reliable, timely information aligned with established procedures.”
Soldiers, scientists, and engineers from the C5ISR Center demonstrated Next Gen C2 technology during the Network Modernization Experiment 2024 at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst on September 25, 2024. (Picture source: US DoD)
TOC-L’s integration into the Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) environment also involved next-generation software platforms, including Palantir’s Maven Smart System and the System-of-Systems Technology Integration Tool Chain. These tools aggregate data from various sources to create a shared operational picture while reducing latency in decision-making processes. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Matthew Middlebrooks, representing the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade and acting as a joint interface control cell (JICC) operator, noted the importance of operational testing in improving collaboration between humans and machines: “While system integration is progressing, equal attention must be paid to training and procedures that enhance human-machine teaming. This exercise allows us to observe our methods in real time and identify areas for improvement in the joint air and ground defense picture.”
Beyond its technological dimension, PC-C5 contributes directly to the development of the DAF BATTLE NETWORK, the Air Force’s implementation of the CJADC2 concept. This network seeks to integrate all operational domains—air, land, sea, space, and cyber—into a unified, scalable, and resilient structure. Its purpose is to enhance commanders’ decision-making autonomy by delivering contextualized, synchronized, and actionable data. Through its Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) team, the Air Force Futures Directorate coordinates this transformation by aligning technological development with doctrine and interservice priorities.
This effort is mirrored by the Army’s broader transformation through the Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) program. Unlike incremental solutions such as C2 Fix, which provides immediate improvements to existing capabilities, NGC2 adopts a clean-slate approach. It is designed to create a completely new C2 ecosystem, free from legacy constraints, based on a modular software architecture encompassing applications, processing environments, networks, and operator interfaces.
A key aspect of this program is the release of evolving “characteristics of need” documents, updated approximately every 90 days. These documents guide industry based on lessons learned from experimentation events such as the Network Modernization Experiment and Project Convergence. Rather than locking in technical specifications prematurely, this approach identifies changing priorities such as real-time adaptability, cloud-native compatibility, cyber resilience, and the potential use of low-cost commercial technologies—for example, Raspberry Pi devices used to simulate electromagnetic decoys.
Within this framework, the Army is developing a composable architecture that allows rapid reconfiguration of capabilities based on operational needs. This enables tactical flexibility, reduced electromagnetic signatures for command posts, and streamlined integration of new technologies throughout the operational cycle. It represents a structural shift toward a dynamic, effect-driven, and interoperable command model.
While the Air Force advances multidomain integration through the DAF BATTLE NETWORK, the Army is redesigning its command infrastructure with NGC2. These parallel efforts reflect a shared strategic vision: to build a flexible, modular, data-driven, and resilient command environment capable of coordinating effects from multiple sources within compressed timelines.
The lessons from PC-C5 will directly support future readiness and modernization efforts. By analyzing system performance, refining procedures, and identifying areas for improvement across technology, training, and doctrine, the U.S. Air Force, alongside joint and allied partners—continues to adapt its C2 capabilities to meet emerging challenges in an increasingly complex global security environment. The command and control model of the future is expected to move beyond static, hierarchical centers toward a distributed, interoperable network designed to anticipate, decide, and act faster than any adversary.