Beginning in fiscal year 2026, the U.S. Army will restructure its experimental activities, shifting from isolated experiments focused on individual warfighting functions to more integrated, concept-focused approaches. This new strategy will make activities more efficient and comprehensive to meet the Army’s future warfighting needs. Lt. Gen. David Hodne, director of the U.S. Army Futures and Concepts Center, explained the purpose and scope of this shift at the Association of the U.S. Army Global Force Symposium in Alabama.
From Traditional Experiments to Concept-Driven Designs
The Army’s experimental activities have been organized by units such as Centers of Excellence for many years. One of these is the Maneuver Fires Integrated Experiment (MFIX) at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, and the other is the Vanguard exercise, which focuses on intelligence capabilities. However, it is stated that in the future, these activities will change in a structured and focused way. “We have reorganized how we do these experiments,” said Lieutenant General Hodne, emphasizing that they will develop the Army’s warfighting capabilities with more integration and functional tests.
Calendar of Experimental Events
The Army will begin testing new systems by conducting the annual Title 2025 war game in November 10. Command and control (C2) experiments will then begin in the spring. These experiments will test C2 and counter-C2 capabilities, as well as a range of capabilities from theater to brigade level. The next phase will be an interdisciplinary fires experiment involving launch systems such as rockets and artillery in real and simulated environments at Fort Sill.
Hodne said the final major integrated trial will be conducted at Fort Benning in Georgia, where it will test maneuverability, autonomous systems, and human-machine integration. These trials will provide comprehensive defense and security analysis from higher echelons to brigade level, as well as air defense and survivability systems.
Future Studies and Project Convergence
The Army will conduct two Futures Studies Programs that incorporate learnings from each of these new experimental designs. These programs will be tailored to the service’s future needs and will allow for rapid adoption of technological advances. Project Convergence will be conducted in the summer. This event will provide an opportunity to test in practice all the findings and strategies that emerged from the combination of the Army’s previous experiments.
Stronger Collaboration with Industry
Brigadier General Zachary Miller said the Army’s new designs for experimental activities will allow industry partners to better understand how they can contribute to these activities. This will allow industry companies to provide more targeted and effective solutions to meet the Army’s needs. He also said the Army aims to provide more consistent support to the industry by consolidating its calls for proposals for participation in experimental studies.
Miller said this new approach will become much more consistent by fiscal 2026, and these experimental events will help determine how to proceed on major projects in July. This will provide a clearer roadmap for the industry and help develop solutions that align with technological advances.
Starting in 2026, the U.S. Army aims to restructure its experimental activities in a more integrated and conceptual manner to develop solutions that are more suitable for future war strategies. This process will both strengthen the internal structure of the army and deepen its collaboration with industry to create a more efficient and effective defense infrastructure. This strategic transformation of the army is of great importance in today’s world where technology is rapidly evolving and the battlefield is becoming increasingly complex.
