# Army Expands Rapid Prototype Procurement

The U.S. Army plans to expand its Accelerated Capability Event (ACE) process, using soldier-led demonstrations and operational assessments to move selected prototypes toward purchase in weeks or months rather than through traditional, years-long timelines. Under the described pathway, 15 vendors are invited to demonstrate solutions against capability problem sets, and five receive contracts to refine their solutions before operational assessment. The Army expects to hold ACEs quarterly, with events planned for USAREUR-AF in November and SETAF-AF in February; the years for those events are not specified.

- Companies should watch for the Army’s forthcoming RFIs and assess whether their offerings address the capability problem sets presented for each event.
- The selection funnel favors solutions that can be demonstrated by soldiers and refined for operational use; prospective participants may consider teaming when broader capability needs require combined offerings.
- G-TEAD and the Army’s testing and evaluation organizations are relevant stakeholders for firms preparing demonstrations and operational assessments.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military
**Topics:** Contracting Vehicles
**Published:** October 15, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Army (Army)
- Global-Tactical Edge Acquisition Directorate (G-TEAD)
- Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC)
- Army Transformation and Training Command
- U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF)

### Key Quotes
> We call them ACEs, which allow us to identify, test, and provide contracting mechanisms to prototype solutions at operational speed. What this means in practice is a total shift from traditional years-long acquisition timelines to a responsive operational capability delivered in months and sometimes weeks, depending on the capability.
> — Col. Christopher Hill Sr., director of G-TEAD

### Sources
- [Army playing ‘ACEs’ to meet commanders’ capability needs | DefenseScoop](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/15/army-accelerated-capability-events-ace-gtead) - DefenseScoop