September 29, 2026
The Army is moving to modernize how soldiers communicate and maintain awareness on the battlefield, but Alex Winograd says long-term cost and scheduling questions could shape the success of that effort.
Winograd, acting director of Contracting and National Security Acquisition Issues at the Government Accountability Office, says the changing nature of warfare is creating new demands for Army communications.
Threats ranging from drones to electromagnetic interference make traditional command-and-control centers increasingly vulnerable. The Army is responding by moving away from static, tent-based facilities filled with equipment toward more mobile systems that can operate for longer periods and function in challenging electromagnetic environments.
To address those needs, the Army launches two related initiatives: C2 Fix and Next Generation Command and Control, or NGC2. C2 Fix focuses on near-term challenges, while NGC2 represents the Army’s longer-term plan to transform command and control.
Winograd says GAO is encouraged by parts of the Army’s approach.
The service is incorporating feedback directly from soldiers through a series of training events. Those events begin with smaller units and build toward a division-level exercise, giving soldiers opportunities to use the equipment and identify what works and what needs to change.
The Army is also monitoring developments in the private sector to avoid purchasing technology that could quickly become obsolete. At the same time, it is using flexible acquisition pathways that allow the program to respond to changing requirements and market conditions.
“It reflects a lot of the things that we've been talking to the Army about for years in terms of becoming more agile, more flexible, and better able to respond to conditions as they change,” Winograd says.
But GAO also identifies areas where the Army needs greater visibility.
Before fiscal 2026, funding for the effort comes from multiple sources, making it difficult to determine the program’s total cost. Winograd says the Army has since streamlined that structure and improved its understanding of the resources involved.
The next challenge is looking farther into the future.
The Army has a tentative goal of fielding NGC2 across 11 divisions and four corps by the end of fiscal 2032, but Winograd says it needs a more detailed schedule to assess whether it can meet that target.
Scheduling and cost are closely connected because different Army units have different equipment and requirements. The service needs to determine which units receive the technology first, what equipment each needs and when funding will be required. Training also needs to be incorporated into that timeline.
The financial stakes are significant. Winograd says NGC2 costs approximately $3 billion in the most recent fiscal year. Sustaining that level of investment through 2032 adds up, particularly as the Army also funds priorities such as munitions procurement and rotary-wing helicopters.
That makes detailed cost and schedule information important not only for the Army, but also for Congress as both consider how to fund modernization priorities in the years ahead.