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FORT CARSON, Colo. — In late January through early February, the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) supported the 4th Infantry Division during Ivy Sting 4, contributing to ongoing Army transformation efforts to validate the Next Generation Command and Control architecture under realistic, contested operational conditions.
As a division-led exercise, Ivy Sting 4 refined and scaled NGC2 capabilities across fires, communications, and sustainment. To support this effort, the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), under U.S. Army Special Operations Command, deliberately integrated Special Operations Forces into the division’s command-and-control framework, ensuring NGC2 performed across the full spectrum of Army operations.
This collaboration reflected the teams’ shared understanding that future conflicts demand seamless integration between conventional formations and forward-operating elements.
"Consistent integration of SOF forces within division operations is vital to our success," said Maj. Gen. Patrick Ellis, commander of the 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson. "That’s why we knew it was critical to incorporate our teammates at 10th SFG(A) in the 4ID NGC2 prototype effort from the start. Their ability to sense and target our enemies is a force multiplier for the division in large-scale combat operations."
By joining forces with the 4th Infantry Division, 10th SFG(A) validated how forward-deployed SOF can contribute sensing, targeting, and operational data to division-level decision-making while operating in denied, degraded, intermittent, and low-bandwidth environments.
“Supporting division-led prototyping like Ivy Sting is critical to transforming Special Operations Forces for the future fight,” said Col. Nate Joslyn, commander of the 10th SFG(A). “By integrating into the 4th Infantry Division’s modern command-and-control architecture, we ensured that SOF’s ability to support the Army and the Joint Force in large-scale combat was optimized through baseline interoperability.”
Ivy Sting 4 built on earlier events that demonstrated the feasibility of digitally integrating SOF into conventional command-and-control systems. This iteration transitioned to improving the reliability and repeatability of these integrations at scale, focusing on refining data pathways rather than introducing one-off solutions. To meet division objectives, 10th SFG(A) executed a proof of concept that validated primary SOF-to-NGC2 targeting data pathways, feeding them directly into conventional fires processes.
"During Ivy Sting the Army and Special Operations achieved a major milestone in interoperability due to the early inclusion of Army Special Operations into Ivy Sting 4,” said USASOC Commanding General Lt. Gen. Lawrence “Gil” Ferguson. “This is critical to the success of NGC2 moving forward."
Beyond targeting, U.S. Army Special Operations Forces supported division priorities by validating resilient communications options and improving digital sustainment visibility. These actions enhanced the division’s ability to command, sustain, and synchronize distributed forces across contested battlespaces while informing how SOF capabilities could integrate by design into Army-wide command-and-control solutions.
From a USASOC perspective, Ivy Sting 4 provided a critical opportunity to integrate Special Operations Forces early into the Army’s emerging command-and-control ecosystem. Division-led experimentation reduced long-term risks and ensured NGC2 evolved in response to real-world operational demands rather than being optimized for a single formation type.
Lessons learned from Ivy Sting 4 are set to inform the next exercises in the series, including those focused on austere operations, long-haul distributed integration, and eventual capstone demonstrations supporting Army-wide NGC2 fielding decisions. Through continued support of division-led experimentation, U.S. Army Special Operations Forces are contributing to building a scalable, combat-credible command-and-control architecture designed for the entire force.
| Date Taken: | 02.17.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 02.18.2026 08:22 |
| Story ID: | 558260 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 173 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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