Civil-Military Innovation Institute

09/15/2026

Fort Andrew is open for business.

Formerly known as the Adaptive Experimentation Facility, the expanded CMI2 Fort Andrew Multi-Domain Proving Ground provides military and research organizations with a realistic environment to move technology beyond the lab and into the conditions where it needs to perform.

Our active experimentation range and proving ground provide:
- Diverse terrain
- Operationally relevant scenarios
- Military participation
- Hands-on experimentation in realistic field conditions

At Fort Andrew, organizations can put emerging technologies to work, gather meaningful performance data, identify vulnerabilities, and refine solutions before deployment, acquisition, or fielding.

Visit the Fort Andrew webpage to explore capabilities and schedule a facility briefing. https://www.cmi2.org/services/fort-andrew

09/11/2026

Today we honor the indivisible American spirit as we pause to remember the tragic events of 25 years ago. We recognize our shared responses that day and in the days that followed. We honor our first responders and the heroes who rose in the face of tragedy. We are grateful for the power of this union and our call to service to protect this great nation. May we always stand together, and may we never forget. Out of many, one.

09/08/2026

NEWS - CMI2 connects Soldiers with academic researchers to address Army challenges and deliver solutions to the warfighter. Through our partnership with U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory (DEVCOM ARL) within the U.S. Army Transformation and Training Command, our team at Fort Benning, GA, facilitated collaboration between Auburn University researchers and the U.S. Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCOE).

With Catalyst Pathfinder support, Auburn University, Samuel Ginn College of Engineering researchers are developing a solution for the U.S. Army’s Polaris MRZR-Alpha 4—a lightweight, high-mobility tactical vehicle designed to deliver exceptional speed and agility.

This collaboration demonstrates the power of academia, government, and industry working together to solve complex challenges and advance the future of military technology.

✔️ $1.4M Army research contract
✔️ Advanced communications for high-mobility tactical vehicles
✔️ Rapid prototyping and technology modernization
✔️ Collaboration between Auburn University and the U.S. Army

The project Mission Command Integration Module–XL (MCIM-XL) will create a commander’s communications suite built from the ground up for the Polaris MRZR-Alpha 4, unifying disparate radios, antennas, satellite links and digital gear into a compact, durable system.

08/28/2026

NEWS - Through our partnership with the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory’s Pathfinder program, our CMI2 team at Fort Bragg (NC) helped connect East Carolina University (ECU) researchers with U.S. Army Reserve personnel to address a facilities management challenge. The collaboration led ECU to develop a predictive maintenance system that uses low-cost sensors and a user-friendly dashboard to better understand building use, anticipate maintenance needs, and inform future budgeting. Earlier this week, the effort reached an important milestone as ECU and U.S. Army Reserve Command established an agreement to further advance the capability.

This is exactly what we mean by “Innovation in the Dirt™.” We begin with the end user, connect Soldiers with technical experts, and create opportunities to build, test, refine, and transition solutions through direct warfighter engagement. Why? Because Soldiers drive innovation.

🔗 Read more about the project from ECU:

ECU-developed technology is going nationwide, helping the U.S. Army Reserve manage facilities more efficiently.

08/17/2026

🎉Congratulations to our CMI2 experimentation team and our partners at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory (DEVCOM ARL) on their shared recognition during the recent DEVCOM ARL Honorary Awards Program.

The xTechPacific Planning and Ex*****on Team, led by DEVCOM ARL and including CMI2, received the DEVCOM ARL Honorary Award for Impactful Teaming in recognition of outstanding collaboration and teamwork in planning and executing xTechPacific 2025, held at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, in September 2025. Through xTechPacific, the team enabled Soldiers to evaluate emerging technologies against near-term operational gaps in the Pacific theater, helping accelerate the development and delivery of promising capabilities into the hands of warfighters.

CMI2 earns a DEVCOM ARL Honorary Award for its xTechPacific collaboration, accelerating Soldier-driven experimentation and Army innovation.

08/12/2026

Congratulations, Jaxon Brown, Emmah Burchett, Alivia Gilliland, and Zaiah Minger on an incredible summer as our 2026 CMI2 Ignite interns! 🎉

For 10 weeks at Fort Andrew, these fantastic students from Clay County High School rolled up their sleeves and learned by doing. They worked alongside CMI2 mentors and subject matter experts, tried new things, solved problems, and gained hands-on experience with robotics, drones, 3D modeling and printing, electronics, CNC and plasma equipment, carpentry, and more.

Some of our favorite highlights:

🤖 40+ hours designing, building, and competing in robotics
🚁 Building drones for real-world experimentation and testing
🛠️ Helping build the first Tinker Tank™, our new mobile platform bringing hands-on STEM experiences to rural communities. Coming soon!
🤝 Volunteering with Mountaineer Food Bank to support families in Clay County and across rural West Virginia
💡 Learning how to design, build, problem-solve, work as a team, and turn ideas into real projects

We’re incredibly proud of everything this fantastic foursome accomplished and grateful to our team at Fort Andrew who made it such a memorable summer.

The CMI2 Ignite internship is hosted each summer, powered by ILLUME, with generous grant support in West Virginia from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation.

We can’t wait to see what you do next!

CMI2’s 2026 Ignite Summer Internship offered hands-on STEM experience in robotics, drones, technical projects, and innovation at Fort Andrew.

08/10/2026

Every day at CMI2, innovation begins with the mission, which means it starts with the Soldier. Through our support of the Catalyst Pathfinder program, managed by the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory within the U.S. Army Transformation and Training Command, we are transforming operational needs and Soldier-driven ideas into capabilities that can make a significant difference on the battlefield. To learn more about the impact of our work, or as we call it "Innovation in the Dirt®," read more.

Army Soldiers and researchers are transforming how Soldier-driven innovations are discovered, matured and quickly scaled.

08/05/2026

🎉Congratulations to the winners of Dragon’s Lair 12: SFC Brian Potts of the 1st Special Warfare Training Group and SPC Alex Kimbirskyi of the 82nd Airborne Division! Their Soldier-designed solution was developed at the Airborne Innovation Lab (a CMI2 DIRT Lab), managed by the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory within the U.S. Army Transformation and Training Command and Training Command, in partnership with CMI2.

Special thanks to our CMI2 team embedded with Soldiers at Fort Bragg, who support our warfighters every day.

📷 Staff Sgt. Brandon Hocson, XVIII Airborne Corps Public Affairs

08/03/2026

CMI2 supported the open house for the 7th Army Training Command’s Design Innovation Research and Testing (DIRT) Lab, held in Grafenwoehr, Germany, on July 31, 2026. During the event, Soldiers demonstrated how they utilize the DIRT Lab to quickly develop and test low-cost solutions to real-world challenges faced by their units. By leveraging technologies such as 3D printing, advanced manufacturing, robotics, and drones, Soldiers can rapidly prototype and test capabilities that address the challenges they encounter directly.

There are now 11 DIRT Labs throughout the world, managed by the DEVCOM Army Research Lab within the U.S. Army Transformation and Training Command, in partnership with CMI2.

U.S. Army photo - Kevin Sterling Payne