The U.S. Army's latest swing at streamlining networks and communications, known as Next-Generation Command and Control, proved effective at one of the service's largest experiments to date and will soon be distributed among larger units, according to military leaders.

Why it matters: The Army has tried and tried again to future-proof its command and control, juggling its relationships with the Air Force and Navy, the rapid commercialization of tech, the widespread availability of artificial intelligence, and threats posed by hackers, electromagnetic sensors and ever-evolving tactics in wars abroad.

• "Next-Generation Command and Control, or what I call Army Command and Control, is not a replacement for how we fight. That's fundamental, and that's often misunderstood," Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the vice chief of staff, told reporters.
• "It does not replace what a commander has always had to do and will always have to do — but it enables them to do it on the move and while distributed, which is incredibly important."

Driving the news: A version of NGC2 was in late July put to the test at Project Convergence Capstone 6, a massive exercise at scorching-hot Fort Irwin, California.

• Thousands of troops participated. More than 90 technologies were tinkered with.
• "When we rolled in here, we had expectations that we were going to come to a really challenging environment and that we were going to fight for nine continuous days using our systems," Maj. Gen. Patrick Ellis, the commander of the 4th Infantry Division, told reporters.
• "What really worked was the common visualization: our ability to see where the soldiers were on the battlefield, where we perceived the enemy to be on the battlefield, and then that enabled us to bring fires to bear, to maneuver forces faster."

Yes, but: Some soldiers battled with connectivity and overheating issues.

Zoom out: The U.S. military has for years pursued a communications nirvana, known as Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control, in which the right information gets to the right people at the right time no matter the source, distance or interference.

• If achieved, it would mean the best-placed and -equipped shooter takes the best shot.
• Project Convergence was part of the original CJADC2 recipe, alongside the Air Force's Advanced Battle Management System and the Navy's Project Overmatch.

Zoom in: Both the 4th and 25th Infantry Divisions have been workshopping NGC2. The former, based in Colorado, conducted smaller trials known as Ivy Sting and Ivy Mass in the lead-up to PCC6.

What they're saying: "Building upon Ivy Mass, we wanted to have larger scope and scale. Larger from a number of command nodes, larger from the number of combat vehicles out here in the terrain, larger from an area coverage," Lt. Gen. Michael McCurry, the PCC6 director, told reporters.

• "During this rotation, as the division flowed from west to east, we began to turn the dials up."

Follow the money: More than 60 companies, including Anduril Industries and Lockheed Martin, are chipping into NGC2. The Army in its latest budget request sought nearly $4 billion for development and delivery.

What's next: The I Corps, based in Washington state and focused on the Asia-Pacific, is next on the NGC2 list.

Go deeper: Inside the 82nd Airborne's machine-fueled fight

The U.S. Air Force recently deployed laser weapons to help combat drones overseas, according to an announcement that has flown relatively under the radar.

Why it matters: Employment of directed energy, whether laser or microwave or some combination of the two, is still relatively rare.

• That's despite decades of research and billions and billions of dollars spent.

Driving the news: U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa on July 22 said it was using the Compact Laser Weapon System in "locations across the theater" and not in "isolation," but declined to say exactly where, citing "operational security reasons."

Zoom in: The CLWS is made by Boeing, the world's seventh-largest defense contractor by revenue.

• A 5-kilowatt version fried Group 3 drones in Saudi Arabia in 2024.

What they're saying: "The modern threat has erased the idea of a safe haven; inexpensive and highly adaptable UAS technology can hold any installation or operating location at risk," Air Force Col. Victoria Habas said in a statement.

What we're watching: Whether the Trump administration's "directed-energy dominance" is flash or substance.

Go deeper: Pentagon leaders observe laser-weapon tests in New Mexico

Google removed an AI-powered image generation tool from its Google Earth program, after open-source-intelligence geeks, media-literacy experts and journalists sounded the alarm on potential abuses.

The big picture: Google Earth has long been used to monitor situations near and far, as well as geolocate imagery and debunk suspect footage.

• The internet is already awash in AI slop and deepfakes. On-demand imagery amendments — inserting blurry air defenses, for example, or surrounding sensitive sites with swarms of people — could easily confuse or misdirect.

What they're saying: Google is "rolling back" the Nano Banana integration while it works "on implementing stronger guardrails."

• "It's important to note that generated images didn't appear in the main Google Earth experience for others to see and were watermarked as AI generated," the company said in a statement.

Yes, but: Others warned of the damage already done.

• The integration did "immediate, catastrophic damage to the credibility of satellite imagery," OSINTtechnical, an account on X with nearly 2 million followers, said in a post.
• "What could possibly go wrong?" Hans Kristensen, a nuclear-security expert at the Federation of American Scientists, said in a separate post.

My thought bubble: I manifested missile sites in Iran and cratered an American air base with just a few words — and all for free. Others put whales offshore, burned buildings and flooded the Capitol.

Go deeper: U.S. and China could agree on AI guidelines, says Hicks

The U.S. Navy is doling out some $76.6 billion in contracts to improve shipyards and build Virginia-class attack and Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines.

Why it matters: The deals with General Dynamics Electric Boat and HII's Newport News Shipbuilding are long awaited.

• They also have ripple effects for the AUKUS security pact and the American nuclear arsenal.

By the numbers: GDEB and NNS have delivered 26 Virginia-class subs, with more on the docket. The Navy has seven Columbia-class subs under contract, with the first expected to be delivered in a few years.

Zoom in: In February, the first Columbia-class, the District of Columbia, was reported 66% complete. The second and third, the Wisconsin and the Groton, were reported 35% and 10% complete.

What they're saying: "These contract awards will be the driving force to stimulate growth across the submarine industrial base," Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) said in a statement.

• The congressman is on the Seapower and Projection Forces subcommittee.
• "Congress and the Navy must now double down on industrial base investments that are moving delivery schedules to the left," he added.

Friction point: American shipbuilding has been marred by workforce woes and schedule slips.

More from Axios:

South Korea sets sights on nuclear submarine

China tests sub-launched missile in Pacific Ocean

Poland inks $5 billion sub deal with Sweden's Saab

✈️ The Boeing-made F-47 will "fly in this administration," Air Force Gen. Dale White, a weapons czar, confirmed at a conference in Ohio.

• Why it matters: Very little has been said about the super-secret project. Any sort of update deserves attention.
• 💭 My thought bubble: If you fly over my house, I promise to take good photos!

🗾 Japanese destroyer Chokai test-fired a Tomahawk missile last week with support from the U.S. Navy. Tokyo is buying hundreds of Tomahawks.

• Why it matters: The trial "confirmed that the missile was capable of being launched" and verified "the proficiency of the crew," the defense ministry said in a translated statement.
• 💭 My thought bubble: The photos and videos are worth checking out.

🏧 K2 Space raised $500 million, led by Kleiner Perkins and Iconiq. The California-based maker of large satellites is now valued at $6.8 billion.

• Why it matters: "Every important mission in space comes back to power and mass, and K2 recognized that before anyone else," Lucas Oliveira, a Kleiner principal, said in a statement.
• 💭 My thought bubble: There's a space-based interceptor angle here!

⚠️ A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B crashed at Air Station Miramar in California. The pilot ejected and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to the service.

• Why it matters: Crashes like these are rare. Plus, the stealthy warplane costs north of $100 million.
• 💭 My thought bubble: The Associated Press has more details, here.

So few characters. So many questions.

The big picture: The Pentagon comptroller on July 30 posted the above on X. It depicts a U.S. service member facing off against a Sangheili Zealot from the Halo franchise.

Here's what's bugging me:

• Who in this situation has the "Spartan-level advantage"?
• What kind of Spartan are we talking about? Orion? II? III? IV?
• Were the super-soldiers not initially drummed up to put down insurrectionists?
• Why no active camouflage for the Zealot?
• That energy sword is certainly within lunge distance, no? And is that a Pelosus-pattern?

Go deeper: The gamification of war