ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD – In a decisive move to maintain military superiority, the Secretary of War directed a fundamental transformation of the department’s acquisition process. This mandate requires a new approach to deliver critical capabilities to troops in the field with greater speed and urgency. The new paradigm needs enablers that mitigate risks in equipment programs, particularly in system reliability and long-term sustainment—factors that account for up to 70 percent of a weapon system’s total cost. As organizations accelerate timelines and reduce full-up system testing programs, they must adopt approaches that ensure system robustness and mitigate risk. The following menu of options provides program managers, acquisition personnel, and sustainment professionals with the tools they need today.

Early Engineering Component Analysis

Engineers perform rapid analysis for individual components long before a full system reaches large-scale operational tests. By using advanced simulators and lab environments, engineers find and fix potential failure points early in the design process when they can make modifications most simply and inexpensively. This proactive approach streamlines final system-level testing, saving both time and resources and is applicable to both Commercial-Off-The-Shelf systems/components and developmental items.

Modeling and Simulation

Modeling and Simulation (M&S) serves as one of the most powerful and inexpensive tools for accelerating development. Digital testing—covering everything from vehicle dynamics to the thermal performance of electronics—allows for the rapid exploration of designs before manufacturers build a physical part. In one instance, M&S predicted that a circuit card’s original design would lead to over 300 component failures. A simple, validated redesign reduced displacement by approximately 80 percent, avoiding a costly delay.

Scorecards and Engineering Reviews

The Transformation Decision Analysis Center (TDAC) developed reliability scorecards for weapon systems and artificial intelligence applications based on leading practices from industry, government, and academia. These scorecards, along with early engineering reviews, provide substantial risk mitigation—even for commercial off-the-shelf systems—by using existing information to identify challenges before they emerge.

Leveraging All Data Sources

To make the most informed decisions, programs must leverage all available data. By using Bayesian-based statistical approaches, organizations create a more complete picture of system performance and potentially reduce the need for physical testing by 60 percent or more.

Mastering Modern Complexity

Today’s military systems increasingly feature complex, software-intensive designs. Systems-Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA), a modern hazard analysis technique from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, analyzes these systems effectively. It identifies risks that emerge from the complex interactions between components, rather than just individual failures—a crucial step for developing robust autonomous and AI-enabled platforms.

Function-Based Reliability

Ultimately, mission performance dominates. A function-based assessment places test results into an operational context. This approach prioritizes risk mitigation by connecting system performance directly to the essential tasks soldiers perform, ensuring development always focuses on what matters most for mission success.

Fielding at the Speed of Relevance

The transformation of the acquisition system serves as an urgent and necessary step to equip U.S. forces for the future. This mandate does not call for cutting corners; rather, it requires us to be smarter and more proactive. By embracing these risk-reduction strategies, we empower the acquisition workforce to manage risk intelligently and deliver superior capabilities to the warfighter with speed and relevance. To meet the department’s objectives, TDAC continues to provide proven methods to minimize reliability, acquisition, and sustainment risks alongside partners such as the Army Test and Evaluation Command and various Army DEVCOM centers.

By David Mortin, Ph.D.

PICATINNY ARSENAL, NJ – The U.S. Army’s Capability Program Executive Ammunition and Energetics (CPE A&E), headquartered at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ, is spearheading a major transformation of the nation’s small?caliber ammunition industrial base, advancing one of the Army’s highest modernization priorities. Central to this effort is the delivery of next?generation 6.8mm cartridges that will equip soldiers with increased range, accuracy, and battlefield lethality as part of the Next Generation Squad Weapons (NGSW) program.

The NGSW program, featuring the M7 Rifle, XM8 Carbine, and M250 Automatic Rifle, represents the Army’s most significant small?arms upgrade in decades, replacing the M4 Carbine and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. These new weapons, enabled by advanced 6.8mm cartridges, are designed to provide decisive overmatch in operating environments.

To accelerate production and strengthen readiness, Project Manager Maneuver Ammunition Systems (PM MAS), in partnership with Project Lead Joint Services (PL JS), has established an interim 6.8mm manufacturing capability at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (LCAAP) utilizing a mix of new and repurposed equipment. As of March 2026, operating contractor Olin Winchester is producing and delivering 6.8mm ammunition from this capability. The Army is also supplying projectiles from this interim line to SIG Sauer to support additional cartridge deliveries while LCAAP expansion continues.

CPE A&E is executing a long-term modernization strategy to ensure the Army’s ammunition needs are met well into the future. A key milestone was the February 2025 groundbreaking for a new 450,000?square?foot 6.8mm production facility at LCAAP. This state-of-the-art complex will house advanced manufacturing systems for every component of the 6.8mm cartridge and serves as a cornerstone of the Army’s organic industrial base modernization. Construction remains on schedule, with production equipment installation anticipated to begin in 2028.

“CPE A&E is leading the development, procurement, and fielding of cutting-edge ammunition and energetics ensuring the Army and its international partners maintain a significant technological advantage,” said Col. Jason Bohannon, Capability Program Executive Ammunition and Energetics. “The work being executed is foundational to advancing the Army’s modernization goals and ensuring combat readiness across the force.”

By Laura Emanski and Robert Goetz

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army has conditionally selected two companies to enter into exclusive negotiations to build and operate commercial hyperscaled data centers on two Army installations. The initiative demonstrates a model for industry relationships under the Army’s Enhanced Use Lease program.

Global Investment Firm Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) was selected for a project on about 1,384 acres at Fort Bliss, Texas, and CyrusOne, a portfolio company jointly held by funds managed by KKR and BlackRock, was selected for a project on approximately 1,201 acres at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. The companies were chosen through a rigorous and competitive process and will be responsible for financing, building, operating, maintaining, and decommissioning the data centers on underutilized but non-excess Army land at no upfront cost to taxpayers.

“AI is a strategic asset for the Army,” said Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll. “It is a force multiplier, supports future transformation and requirements, keeps the Army ahead of our adversaries, and generates resiliency across the force. These data centers are a critical resource to support that strategic imperative.”

This strategic effort, which aligns with the White House’s 2025 executive order on Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Center Infrastructure, is authorized by Title 10 U.S. Code § 2667, which allows military departments to lease non-excess property.

“By partnering with the private sector to develop cutting-edge data centers on our installations, we are bolstering our national security, driving technological innovation, and building a more resilient and modern Army,” said David R. Fitzgerald, Deputy Undersecretary of the Army. “Our new data center initiatives made possible by enhanced use leasing, are a direct investment in Army priorities.”

The Army is rapidly advancing its data center initiative, with Initial Operating Capability (IOC) at Fort Bliss projected for Fiscal Year 2027, and IOC at Dugway Proving Ground projected for Fiscal Year 2029. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will play a key role in the projects’ development, as they conduct lease negotiations and provide critical technical expertise, to include environmental review.

“Ensuring lethality through modernization is a fundamental mission of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,” said Lt. Gen. Butch Graham, USACE commanding general. “We are leaning forward with our full spectrum of talent and expertise to support the Army’s Data Center EUL program. By delivering these critical facilities on an accelerated timeline, we are not just building infrastructure; we are engineering a strategic competitive advantage for the Army and the Nation.”

While the selection is a major milestone, the deal is not yet final. It allows the Army and our private industry partners to enter an exclusive negotiation period to finalize lease and other terms. The initiative will enhance computational capability for the warfighter, create a projected significant number of American jobs, and advance the Army’s role as a key economic partner.

Insights From Our Partners:

“We are pleased to have been selected to enter exclusive negotiations with the U.S. Army on this initiative to advance next-generation digital infrastructure. With deep roots in Washington, D.C., Carlyle brings experience at the intersection of government and industry, along with a strong track record investing in and building large-scale energy and digital infrastructure. We look forward to engaging with the Army, as negotiations progress to deliver integrated solutions at scale.”

Ferris Hussein, Partner, Global Infrastructure at Carlyle

“We are honored to be selected by the U.S. Army to enter exclusive negotiations for the Dugway project. This represents a unique opportunity to support the Army’s modernization objectives through a long-term, commercially driven development. We look forward to working collaboratively with the Army as this initiative progresses.”

Eric Schwartz, Chief Executive Officer of CyrusOne.

“U.S. leadership in the global AI race will be decided in large part by who can build the infrastructure fastest. We commend Secretary Driscoll and the Army for recognizing that and developing an innovative public-private model to accelerate it. Through CyrusOne, KKR brings together land, power, and development expertise in an integrated way that cuts through the complexity of large-scale digital infrastructure delivery. We are proud to offer that capability in service of the nation.”

Waldemar Szlezak, Global Head of Digital Infrastructure at KKR.

“We are proud to partner with the Army on this important initiative, bringing together our experience in digital infrastructure and innovation. This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to advancing technology solutions that help meet the demands of a continuously changing global landscape.”

Will Brilliant, Partner and Global Head of Digital Infrastructure at Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a part of BlackRock.

U.S. Army Communications and Outreach Office

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — The U.S Army officially activated the Transformation Decision Analysis Center during a ceremony held Wednesday, Feb. 4, at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. The event marked the inactivation of the DEVCOM Analysis Center and The Research and Analysis Center, combining their expertise to strengthen the Army’s ability to plan and achieve future force capabilities.

Lt. Gen. Michael McCurry, commanding general, Futures and Concepts Command, served as the virtual host of the event, while Brig. Gen. Robert Born, commanding general, Combat Capabilities Development Command, provided local hosting onsite support.

The activation ceremony underscored the importance of TDAC’s role in the Army’s transformation efforts and its alignment under FCC, a three-star command under the Army’s newly established Transformation and Training Command.

“This is about delivering credible analysis, faster, and with greater impact,” said Larry Larimer, director of TDAC. “Together, DAC and TRAC give the Army unmatched ability to evaluate both the systems we build and the ways we will fight with them. By bringing DAC and TRAC together under FCC, we’re creating a single, authoritative source of analysis for the Army.”

DAC, headquartered at APG, has long provided systems-level analysis, modeling, and simulation capabilities to support acquisition and materiel decisions. TRAC, with centers across the country, specializes in formation-based research, combat simulations, and operational scenario development. The activation unites these complementary capabilities, enabling TDAC to connect materiel analysis with operational concepts more directly than ever before.

During the ceremony, McCurry emphasized the critical role TDAC will play in shaping the Army’s future.

“If Futures and Concepts Command is the architect of the future Army, then TDAC is the rational part of our brain,” McCurry said. “You are the scientists, the war gamers, the critical thinkers who will provide the intellectual horsepower and unvarnished truth required to turn our concepts and requirements into combat-credible reality.”

McCurry highlighted TDAC’s mission: “to ensure the Army’s most critical decisions are underpinned by objective evidence-based analysis. They are, in essence, our institutional safeguard against wishful thinking.”

Larimer echoed McCurry’s sentiments, emphasizing the deliberate choice of the word “decision” in TDAC’s name.

“The word ‘decision’ in Transformation Decision Analysis Center was deliberate. You didn’t see that word in any of our historic organizations, but when you boil it all down, that’s what we do. We inform decisions that are made from the Chief of Staff of the Army all the way down to product managers and others on the system side,” Larimer said.

The activation of TDAC marks a significant step in the Army’s transformation journey, ensuring that future force design and operational planning are informed by rigorous and sophisticated analysis.

As the Army continues to adapt to evolving threats and technologies, TDAC will serve as a cornerstone of its transformation efforts, providing the logic and evidence needed to shape the force of tomorrow.

By Kyle Bond, TDAC Public Affairs