The U.S. Army’s Ivy Sting 3 exercise at Fort Carson focuses on integrating AI into Next‑Generation Command and Control (NGC2) to speed targeting decisions and coordinate assets from artillery to drones. Leaders say AI can shrink strike timelines from hours or days to minutes or seconds and is prompting changes such as repurposed Stryker vehicles and more computer-based roles for soldiers. Training emphasizes lessons from Ukraine and resilience against jamming, while officials note China and Russia are also adopting AI. The Army says new technology helped it reach its 2025 recruiting goal early.
Ivy Sting 3: Army Expands AI Training at Fort Carson to Accelerate Targeting and Harden Systems
The U.S. Army is conducting Ivy Sting 3, an advanced artificial intelligence training exercise at Fort Carson, Colorado, designed to speed decision-making and modernize battlefield operations.
Next-Generation Command and Control (NGC2)
Senior leaders say the exercise centers on NGC2 — Next‑Generation Command and Control — which uses AI to aggregate vast amounts of battlefield data and coordinate assets ranging from artillery and aircraft to drones and ground units.
“We are transforming into the next generation of what this really needs to look like. So embedded in everything that we’re doing with next‑gen C2 is AI. We have to utilize AI to aggregate the amount of data that we’re producing every single day,” Lt. Gen. Jeth Rey, U.S. Army, said.
Faster Decisions, Different Roles
Commanders say AI can shorten strike-planning timelines from hours or days to minutes or seconds, a shift that will move many soldiers into more computer-based roles and increase emphasis on systems integration and remote command. Maj. Gen. Pat Ellis explained that some Stryker vehicles are being repurposed to support next‑gen operations so commanders can manage fights from multiple locations.
“Because I can now do my job from anywhere on the battlefield, hopefully I can help my down‑trace units, like my brigades that are doing the fighting, helping them be more effective on the battlefield and more lethal,” Maj. Gen. Ellis said.
Lessons, Resilience and Global Competition
Training draws on operational lessons from recent conflicts — including Ukraine — and emphasizes resilience measures such as anti‑jamming, cyber hardening, and redundancy to keep systems operational under attack.
“The pace of the modern fight, as we’ve been able to observe from watching the lessons in Ukraine, is really fast, really adaptive... a lot of the fights that we may be a part of in the future, we’re going to have to go really, really fast,” Gen. Ellis added.
Officials also warn that potential adversaries, notably China and Russia, are similarly embedding AI into their forces, making advanced technology a defining element of future conflict planning.
Impact on Troops and Recruiting
At the tactical level, junior leaders describe the change as exciting. Lt. Aidan O'Dowd of the 4th Infantry noted that decades-old tools are giving way to modern software, and some soldiers expect to be among the first generations to use these systems operationally.
Leaders say the promise of cutting-edge technology has helped recruitment: the Army reported meeting its 2025 enlistment goal of 61,000 personnel six months ahead of schedule.
As Ivy Sting 3 continues, the Army will further assess how AI‑driven command systems perform under realistic conditions and how to protect them against electronic and cyber threats. The exercises underscore a broader shift toward data-driven, resilient operations as militaries worldwide adopt similar technologies.
