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Some soldiers encountered connectivity and overheating issues while testing an Army command-and-control capability at Project Convergence Capstone 6 (PC-C6) in July 2026. The public account does not identify the equipment that overheated, so it does not establish that a drone was involved. The exercise shows both the promise of the Army’s Next-Generation Command and Control (NGC2) effort and the gap between a working prototype and a fully optimized capability.
What problems did soldiers report?
Axios reported that soldiers experienced connectivity and overheating issues during the NGC2 test at PC-C6, held at Fort Irwin, California, in late July 2026. Axios said thousands of troops took part and more than 90 technologies were tried. Its report did not name the affected device or component, explain what caused the overheating, give a count or rate of incidents, or quantify any effect on missions.
That distinction matters: the available reporting supports saying that overheating was reported during the exercise, but not that a drone overheated, that a particular model failed, or that the problem had a specific fix.
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What is NGC2?
NGC2 is the Army’s effort to connect data and applications across warfighting functions and echelons, from Soldier to Corps. The Army describes it as a combination of command-and-control hardware and software intended to give commanders and troops a more coherent view of the battlefield and enable warfighting applications, including AI. AI is one element of the broader capability, not another name for the entire system.
The Army says NGC2 is designed to use multiple communications paths, including private 5G, satellite communications, and terrestrial links. Multiple paths are intended to support resilient communications, but the exercise reports show why practical availability and performance still have to be evaluated under field conditions.
Army vice chief of staff Gen. Christopher C. LaNeve emphasized that NGC2 is meant to support command rather than replace it: “Next-Generation Command and Control, or what I call Army Command and Control, is not a replacement for how we fight. That’s fundamental, and that’s often misunderstood,” He also said: “It does not replace what a commander has always had to do and will always have to do — but it enables them to do it on the move and while distributed, which is incredibly important.”
Was a drone responsible for the overheating?
The public account does not say. Axios described overheating and connectivity issues among soldiers testing NGC2 but did not identify the affected equipment. The Army’s PC-C6 description characterizes NGC2 as command-and-control hardware and software; separate Army reporting about unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) does not link a drone to the reported overheating.
The Army has documented other UAS challenges, including coordination of airspace, strained targeting processes, sustainment and repair. Some systems use specialized or proprietary parts, and controllers, monitors, goggles, and batteries have not always been interchangeable across manufacturers. Those issues provide context for the Army’s broader modernization workload; they do not explain the PC-C6 report.
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What did the exercise establish about NGC2’s readiness?
PC-C6 was an experiment, not evidence that NGC2 had completed an Army-wide operational deployment. After the event, Army leaders said the capability was “ready to scale,” and identified I Corps headquarters as the starting point for the next phase later in 2026. That is a stated plan, not proof that the rollout has since occurred.
At the same time, 4th Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Patrick Ellis described the prototype as “NGC2 is functional but not optimized.” He said a common visualization helped troops see friendly positions and perceived enemy locations and supported faster maneuver and fires. Those observations describe useful capability in the exercise alongside work still needed to optimize it.
Lt. Gen. Michael McCurry, Army Futures and Concepts Command commanding general and PC-C6 director, described increasing the exercise’s demands as the division moved across the training area: “During this rotation, as the division flowed from west to east, we began to turn the dials up.” Field testing under changing conditions can expose weaknesses that a controlled demonstration may not reveal; the specific reported overheating cause remains unidentified.
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NGC2’s intended value depends on more than AI or any single device. Commanders need useful data integration and visibility; communications must remain available as forces move or become disconnected; equipment must work in heat and at operational tempo; and systems must integrate with existing capabilities while remaining usable, repairable, and supportable. PC-C6’s reported connectivity and overheating issues underscore the importance of testing those dimensions, but public reporting does not provide performance measurements for them.
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The Army reported more than 60 companies contributing to the NGC2 ecosystem and said vendors may be added or removed as the capability scales. Axios named Anduril Industries and Lockheed Martin among the companies involved. A changing supplier base can broaden the available technology, while making integration, interoperability, training, and sustainment important parts of the effort.
The Army’s separate UAS work illustrates some of those practical demands. At Fort Carson in April 2026, Army Pathway for Innovation and Technology reported 25 flights using modular drone configurations and multiple payloads, alongside tests of communications links and sensors. That was a distinct initiative, not the PC-C6 NGC2 test. The Army’s drone summit likewise raised repair and component-interchangeability concerns, but neither account identifies the source of PC-C6’s overheating report.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the reported budget figure means
Axios reported that the Army’s latest budget request sought nearly $4 billion for NGC2 development and delivery. That figure describes a request, not funds shown here as enacted or obligated. It signals the scale of the proposed effort, but does not by itself demonstrate that NGC2 is mature or that the field issues have been resolved.
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Sources
- Axios, Colin Demarest, “Army turns ‘the dials up’ on next-gen networking in California desert,” August 5, 2026
- U.S. Army Public Affairs, “Army leaders: Next Generation Command and Control ‘ready to scale’,” July 31, 2026
- John Drew Hamilton, Fort Rucker Public Affairs, “Army summit presents lessons learned, identifies hurdles of the drone dominant future,” February 13, 2026
- Anna Volkwine, Army Pathway for Innovation and Technology, “Army FUZE TMI Field Tests Accelerate Commercial Tech Adaptation Strategy,” May 13, 2026
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