The U.S. Army plans to spend $2.9 billion to improve command and control (C2) across several procurement and research-and-development accounts, according to the service’s fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget request.
According to budget documents released with the Army’s FY 2026 submission, the funding is part of a broader push to “rebuild the military” and modernize the service’s battlefield networks.
NGC2 – a 2026 Army priority – marks a major overhaul of battlefield communications, replacing siloed warfighting systems with integrated, software-driven networks to speed up data sharing and decision-making across all units.
“Battlefields across the world are changing at a rapid pace. Our Army must be the most lethal and ready land force in the world,” Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said a statement included in the budget overview. “Our Army must transform now to a leaner, more lethal force by infusing technology, cutting obsolete systems, and reducing overhead to defeat any adversary.”
Due to the structure of the Army’s budget justification, network-related funding is spread across multiple lines, making it challenging to determine a precise total – but there are some notable funding priorities related to the Army’s NGC2 efforts.
As part of the FY 2026 request, the Army is allocating $233.3 million to further develop the NGC2 Infrastructure Layer, which supports key warfighting functions and tactical network operations. These funds also cover program management and systems engineering to handle growing system complexity, compliance demands, and integration risks.
An additional $718.6 million is earmarked for procurement of Tactical Edge Compute hardware. This funding supports vehicle installations across multiple platform variants and delivers modular, mobile command post capabilities to Army priority units.
The budget also includes $4.6 million for Predictive Logistics integration, focused on platform-specific data collection, engineering, and software procurement. These investments aim to enhance sustainment operations through real-time diagnostics and predictive maintenance, reducing downtime and improving readiness.
Beyond NGC2, the Army’s 2026 budget highlights broader technological priorities, including $858 million for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and counter-UAS programs. Officials noted a specific emphasis on closing capability gaps in counter-UAS operations as aerial threats proliferate on modern battlefields.