As part of Project Convergence Capstone 5, the U.S. Army evaluated new technologies that could become part of the Continuous Transformation of the Force initiative. The first phase, conducted at the Fort Irwin National Training Center, focused on enabling operations at the Corps level and below, while also integrating allied, joint, and multinational partners.
According to the U.S. Army, Project Convergence Capstone 5 “…is a critical testing ground for emerging technologies and concepts that are essential to enabling a data-driven and networked combat force…”
Participants at Fort Irwin conducted both live and simulated experiments focused on:
- Data-driven decision-making: Evaluating the effectiveness of advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence in providing real-time situational awareness for rapid and informed decision-making.
- Expanded maneuver: Testing new concepts and technologies that enhance maneuverability and the ability to engage adversaries across land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace.
- Forging seamless joint and multinational interoperability: Improving allied forces’ ability to operate together smoothly across all domains.
Project Convergence Capstone 5 allowed the U.S. Army to explore four main combat concepts: 1) Expanded maneuver, aimed at analyzing how the Joint Force conceptualizes time and space across all domains. 2) Cross-domain fires, involving the ability to deliver effects across all domains of warfare. 3) Formation-based layered protection, which focuses on defending units across domains, such as through electromagnetic spectrum operations, dispersed command posts, and countering unmanned aerial systems. 4) Command and Control (C2) and counter-C2, which seeks to deny the adversary the ability to command its forces.
The main units involved in the activities were the 82nd Airborne Division and the 1st Armored Division, with support from other U.S. Army elements as well as military personnel from the United Kingdom, France, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. A total of around 6,000 troops participated.
The activities of Project Convergence Capstone 5 were divided into three phases, including a Joint Forcible Entry Operation in which “…a large-scale maneuver was executed by an Army division that needed to suppress enemy defenses to reduce enemy airspace while expanding friendly airspace…”
In Phase 2, the 1st Armored Division conducted a combined arms breach. “C2, fires, and the use of man-machine integration formations with robotic and autonomous technologies were critical for survivability and lethality during this phase, which set the conditions for the next stage…”
For the final phase, the 1st Armored Division defended the captured objective. “…During this stage, the unit had to hold key terrain for the Joint Force while generating combat power to destroy enemy capabilities… In all three phases, C2 and data-driven decision-making were critical elements that drove successful actions…”
Cover image: U.S. Army – Sgt. Marita Schwab
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