U.S. Army outlines five tech priorities for ground vehicle industry

More than 2,500 government, industry and academic representatives gathered in Novi, Michigan, August 11-13 for the 18th annual Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium, where U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center leaders outlined how the command is using integrated experimentation to speed new technology toward soldiers, according to a DEVCOM GVSC release.

The event, hosted by the Michigan chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association, is a recurring forum for the ground systems community to present technical research, address capability gaps and discuss modernization plans. This year’s symposium included exhibits, panel discussions and technical sessions built around the theme of supporting the military’s future ground maneuver concepts, systems and formations.

GVSC opened the symposium with a panel of its own personnel focused on how the Army is transforming through integrated experimentation.

GVSC Experimentation Cell Lead Tom Vern said helping industry partners align their work with Army requirements, experimentation and exercises has been a central task for his team.

“That’s one of the biggest challenges we’ve seen, and a big part of why we’ve created the Experimentation Cell,” Vern said. “We’re able to identify what real warfighting gaps are needed to be filled and how we might fill them.”

A panel comprised of top U.S. Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center personnel discusses how the Army is transforming through integrated experimentation August 11, 2026, at the 18th annual Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium in Novi, Michigan. Photo by Jennifer DeHaan

Vern said the Experimentation Cell works to connect technologies, close capability gaps and develop measures of performance and effectiveness. Those measures then guide experiments run with soldiers to collect data intended to speed later phases of technology development.

“By working closely with industry, it provides much better insight so you can understand exactly what the Army needs and how you want to refine your technology as you bring it back to the Soldiers,” Vern said, “especially as it moves into acquisition.”

GVSC Chief Systems Integration Officer Andrew Kerbrat spoke on the same theme.

“From an integration perspective,” Kerbrat said, “what really matters when we get to experimentation is seeing these exciting capabilities and understanding the context of how we scale them into fieldable solutions.”

“That’s where early shared understanding between Soldiers, the government engineering enterprise, and our industry partners can help, allowing us to reduce risk much quicker,” Kerbrat said.

Kerbrat said GVSC evaluates industry solutions capable of changing how soldiers fight and works to mature them for transition into the Army’s acquisition process, moving them from integration to interoperability.

“Those are the things I’m really excited about,” Kerbrat said. “When we get to learn early and we get to work together, we can identify those opportunities and get the capability to our Soldiers.”

In a separate panel of Detroit Arsenal senior leaders, GVSC Director Michael Cadieux described how the command is aligning its science and technology investments with soldier needs. He said GVSC has built a roadmap intended to keep industry partners’ work relevant to Army priorities.

“We’ve converged around five key thrust areas,” Cadieux said. “Those areas are survivability and protection, energy and power, Soldier optimization and readiness, lethality and weapons, and the fifth, which integrates all of that together, next generation maneuver formations.”

Cadieux told industry partners to keep those five areas in mind while developing and refining their technologies, saying the framework helps GVSC identify what is working and what capability gaps remain.

“When you have a capability, don’t limit your thinking to its specific purpose on one system,” Cadieux said. “Instead, ask how it can be leveraged for both offensive and defensive operations on that platform. Then, extend that thinking even more: how can that capability integrate with and provide value to an entire formation, from the platform itself to all echelons of a brigade combat team?”

Cadieux said thinking about capabilities in that broader formation context lets GVSC apply science and technology resources where they are needed and get the most from the Army’s investment.

“That’s been a major shift in how we support future capabilities programs and sustainment activities,” Cadieux said. “I’ve seen a very clear prioritizing of readiness and modernization, and a significant dedication of resources when we identify opportunities to address specific challenges.”

“When we pinpoint a way to solve a readiness problem, I’ve yet to find an example where we don’t commit resources,” Cadieux said.

GVSC is based at Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Michigan, and serves as the Army’s research and engineering organization for ground combat and tactical vehicles. This year’s GVSETS marked the 18th time the NDIA Michigan chapter has hosted the symposium.