ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — Concept developers and science and technology personnel from the Fort Sill-based Fires Future Capability Directorate returned to Oklahoma last week upon conclusion of Focused Excursion 26-3, a highly collaborative military deep-dive designed to examine and shape the future of battlefield reconnaissance and surveillance.
Conducted August 24-28 at Aberdeen Proving Ground, the five-day event represents a critical milestone in the Army’s ongoing "campaign of learning." FE 26-3 focused specifically on battlefield sensors, marking the third event in the 2026 Focused Excursion series to center on the complex, intertwined challenges of sensing and synchronization on the modern battlefield.
Bridging Ideas and Data The Focused Excursion program serves as a deliberate investigative bridge between conceptual military theory and exacting scientific research. By gathering stakeholders from the science, concepts, analysis, threat, and legal communities, the program establishes a multi-disciplinary, collaborative forum to solve complex warfighting challenges.
“These events deliberately connect science and concepts in a highly focused way so they inform each other and ultimately produce actionable outcomes that influence decisions on new or existing S&T research and warfighting concept development,” stated Sean Bateman, deputy director of the Fires Concepts Division.
Throughout the week, participants engaged in a collaborative methodology designed not only to stress-test existing ideas but also create a fertile dialog to examine emerging ideas. During days two and three, morning sessions were dedicated to facilitated discussions that established conceptual frameworks and examined discrete operational hypotheses, while afternoon tabletop exercises allowed researchers, concept developers, and technologists to test operational hypotheses in simulated combat environments.
With a focus on the future, participants were encouraged to explore how Army forces could operate, organize, and equip differently in 2040 and beyond using new and emerging sensor technologies. Outcomes and refinements are used to inform warfighting concepts, science and technology research, and Army experimentation efforts across all three experimentation horizons.
According to organizers, this iterative process deliberately connects foundational science with forward-looking warfighting concepts. The ultimate goal is to generate actionable data that can refine conceptual development, prioritize science and technology research funding, and guide broader Army experimentation across all three of its planning horizons.
Envisioning the Battlefield of 2040 A primary focus of FE 26-3 was looking beyond immediate operational requirements to anticipate the potential technological landscape of 2040 and beyond. Specifically, analysts and participants examined how the future Army might leverage advanced, interconnected sensing networks to maintain situational awareness and secure decision advantage in highly contested, sensor-rich environments.
As military technology proliferates, future combat formations are expected to operate as highly dispersed, independent units. Ensuring these isolated forces can seamlessly collect, analyze, distribute, and action target data is critical to surviving and winning future conflicts.
By analyzing how advanced sensor technologies can be employed in these scenarios, FE 26-3 yielded critical data points that will help the Army design, organize, and equip its future forces. Success was not measured by winning or losing the hypothetical fight; it was measured by the generation of deep, meaningful conversations – building blocks of the narrative which spawns actionable innovative ideas and focused effort now, so the Army can succeed on the battlefield of 2040 and beyond.
Driving Modernization for the Fires Enterprise The insights gained during the excursion directly support the overarching mission of the Fires Future Capability Directorate. Based out of Fort Sill, the F-FCD, a subordinate organization of the U.S. Army Futures and Concepts Command, coordinates modernization efforts for both Integrated Offensive and Defensive Fires.
By developing future concepts, defining material requirements, and conducting rigorous experimentation, the F-FCD ensures that the Fires Enterprise remains synchronized with joint, interagency, and multinational partners. The actionable outcomes derived from FE 26-3 will play a vital role in ensuring that American warfighters retain a competitive edge against any future global adversary.