As an allied combined arms formation rolls quickly through a heavily fortified enemy area, the dangers they face are unknown. Enemy adversaries could be dug in, difficult to identify, and ready to open fire. A soldier launches a drone to perform reconnaissance of the area, spotting a series of dangerous enemy positions. But there are only minutes to convey that critical information to the Battalion and Brigade commanders and adjust tactics before large groups of soldiers advance. With the right software tools, commanders are able to receive and process this information from miles away on a mobile device, and then transmit new orders to their subordinates that integrates real-time intelligence before they engage the enemy. In a matter of seconds, the lethality and effectiveness of the advancing unit is significantly upgraded.
The information age is transforming the battlefield. Soldiers must be equipped to go into battle with the best technology American industry can muster, with connectivity from the outer edge to the operations center. As the battlespace becomes digitized and timely data, information processing, and decision-making decide success or failure a transformed, modernized Army will need transformed, modernized software, networking, and communications equipment.
Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) is the Armys answer to this challenge. Its the principal Army initiative to modernize the services communications and networking technologies, equipping the warfighter with seamless and resilient connectivity at the edge while simultaneously supplying commanders with the best decision-making information available all through a modular, extensible, and open architecture software platform.
Anduril Industries announced that it was awarded a $99.6 million Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement by Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications, and Network (PEO C3N) to lead the delivery of an NGC2 prototype, integrating partner capabilities from other technology-first companies like Palantir, Striveworks, Govini, Instant Connect Enterprise (ICE), Research Innovations, Inc. (RII), and Microsoft.
For NGC2, Anduril and its partners will create an ecosystem that can rapidly integrate a range of technologies into a singular architecture so that soldiers can access various kinds of compute, communications, and information processing capabilities all at once. Time-sensitive decisions will be faster, and soldiers will be more connected across Corps to Company. Critical data might include enemy locations, logistics and sustainment information, terrain mapping, tactical control measures, and weapons statuses. In turn, Lattice Mesh will enable machine-to-machine interfaces that deliver effects in a fraction of the time compared to legacy systems and networks.
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