SIGNAL Magazine

At the top of the wish list for the commanding general of the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command, or NETCOM, is a digital twin of the Army's networks. It is not a small task for industry, Maj. Gen. Jacqueline D. McPhail, USA, commanding general of NETCOM, acknowledged. “It’s a big ask,” McPhail said on a panel with other Army offcials at AFCEA International’s TechNet Augusta conference in Augusta, Georgia, on August 20.

The confluence of sensors and systems providing data, advancing artificial intelligence (AI), and the need for the cybersecurity of that data means the U.S. Army must pivot to meet the needs of soldiers on the modern battlefield, according to Army leaders.

The mission, people and partnerships are driving the National Security Agency today, and a major part of the mission-motivational aspect is the desire and need to beat the competition and outpace China, said Tim Kosiba, deputy director at the National Security Agency, at TechNet Augusta 2026.

The U.S. Army has four main pillars when it comes to agentic artificial intelligence (AI): speed, scale, innovation and integration. The branch integrates agentic AI “pretty well,” and with the help of industry, leaders innovate with agentic AI every day. However, the branch encounters challenges concerning speed and scale due to the presence of risk, said Lt. Gen. Christopher Eubank, commanding general of the U.S. Army Cyber Command (ARCYBER), during a panel at TechNet Augusta 2026.

While the U.S. Army sprints toward deploying the Next Generation Command and Control, or Next Gen C2 system, across the force beginning in fiscal year 2027, it faces a unique challenge: evaluating technologies it has never fielded before, such as data mesh and artificial intelligence. Maj.

In a world where artificial intelligence capabilities are abounding, so are the adversarial uses, including for cyber attacks. Imagine if thousands of AI bots were paired together in a mounted cyber attack against the Army or its critical infrastructure. This idea of this threat has led the Department of the Army’s Principal Cyber Advisor (PCA) Brandon Pugh to act quickly to find industry solutions to protect against such scaled, artificial intelligence (AI)-based cyber attacks.

U.S. National Guard soldiers are starting to confront one of the most significant organizational and technical barriers preventing a smooth transfer of data across the joint force: cultural resistance, according to Kenneth McNeill, chief information officer (CIO) at the National Guard Bureau (NGB) and director of the Command, Control, Communications and Computers Systems Directorate. More specifically, Guardsmen must overcome cultural resistance related to data and artificial intelligence (AI).

U.S. National Guard soldiers are starting to confront one of the most significant organizational and technical barriers preventing a smooth transfer of data across the joint force: cultural resistance, according to Kenneth McNeill, chief information officer (CIO) at the National Guard Bureau (NGB) and director of the Command, Control, Communications and Computers Systems Directorate. More specifically, Guardsmen must overcome cultural resistance related to data and artificial intelligence (AI).

Transparency between the private and public sectors plays a key role in propelling technologies forward and subsequently protecting soldiers on the battlefield. Because of its importance, during a panel at TechNet Augusta 2026 titled Iterating at the Speed of Relevance: Insights From Our Industry Partners, four individuals in industry urged for more thorough and extensive collaboration processes with their military counterparts, especially regarding defense acquisition.

At TechNet Augusta 2026, speakers discussed next-generation integration, including command and control (C2), intelligence and fires in the counter-C2 fight. Central to this discussion is interoperability, the experts stated, outlining key efforts currently taking place within the U.S. Army. Moderating the panel session was Col. Don Sedivy, director of transformation integration at the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence.