Executive Summary
This presentation outlines the coordination calls for JIFX 26-2, a joint interagency field experimentation event hosted by the Naval Postgraduate School. JIFX aims to accelerate early-stage technology development for national and collective security challenges through collaborative, austere, and failure-tolerant experimentation. The event will take place at Camp Roberts, California, focusing on various military-relevant facilities.
Why It Matters
This document details a key US Department of Defense experimentation event, JIFX, which is crucial for understanding how emerging military technologies are tested and integrated into defense capabilities.
Key Takeaways
- JIFX is a collaborative field experimentation event led by the Naval Postgraduate School to accelerate early-stage technology development for national and collective security.
Source evidence · PDF page 6
The JIFX team leads experimentation in alternative methods to enable rapid technological development by cultivating a community of interest and hosting broadly scoped quarterly collaborative field events.
- The event encourages collaboration and embraces failure as a learning opportunity to push the boundaries of what is possible in military technology.
Source evidence · PDF page 6
Goal: Enable DoD, US government, and allied stakeholders to identify, influence, and accelerate early-stage technology development that address national and collective security challenges.
- JIFX 26-2 will be held from February 23-27, 2026, at the NPS Field Laboratory at Camp Roberts, utilizing facilities like McMillan Airfield and the Combined Arms Collective Training Facility.
Source evidence · PDF page 9
FUNDAMENTAL TENETS AUSTERE BY DESIGN COLLABORATION IS EXPECTED BOUNDED, NOT CONTROLLED DEVELOP NOW FAILURE = LEARNING INCLUSIVE
Strategic Relevance
JIFX provides a critical platform for the US military and its allies to rapidly test and evaluate nascent technologies, fostering innovation and potentially shortening the development cycle for capabilities addressing future security threats. Its emphasis on collaboration and learning from failure is vital for adapting to evolving operational environments.