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In January 2025, IDGA hosted its Future Indirect Fires Summit in Austin, Texas. This two-day event brought together leaders from the indirect fire community to discuss the latest innovations in indirect fire systems, support systems, munitions, and challenges presented by the current conflict in Ukraine. Discussions on-site also focused on achieving enhanced lethality, survivability, precision, and range.

Throughout the event, attendees were urged to participate in live polling to share their thoughts on the current status of indirect fires in the U.S. Military. The following infographic displays survey results on topics such as:

• Which technology advancements hold the most promise for future fires
• Areas of munitions management that require the most attention
• The challenges of integrating new technologies into existing artillery units

Results show that there is not just one existing challenge in integrating new technologies to artillery units, but rather a handful of obstacles, making knowledge-sharing events such as the Future Indirect Fires Summit all the more critical. To continue providing a networking forum for the defense & security industry, IDGA is set to bring back the summit for an 8th year in January 2026, this time in the DC Metro Area.

Interested in seeing who attended the IDGA 2025 Future Indirect Fires Summit? Take a look at the attendee snapshot, featuring the companies, military leaders, and government officials who joined us in 2025, many of whom are expected to return in 2026!

Amidst the rapidly evolving technology landscape and need for common software systems, the US Army Futures Command is leading discussions surrounding innovations in indirect fire systems, support systems, munitions, and challenges presented by the current conflict in Ukraine, Israel, and potential future Large Scale Combat Operations in a Multi-Domain environment.

COL Michael Englis is the Army Capability Manager of Fires Cells & Targeting for the Army Futures Command where he is involved in working with acquisition teams and the operational force of the US Army and assists with the integration of new technologies. COL Englis currently manages Field Artillery Tactical Data Systems (AFATDS, being replaced by Artillery Execution Suite (AXS), targeting system (JADOCS, being replaced by JTIC2s), and all fire support equipment. IDGA sat down with COL Englis to discuss topics such as:

• The role of live data sensors in modern military operations
• The future of drone and robotic sensors in the military
• What attendees can expect to take away from the Future Indirect Fires Summit

Conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have shown a shift in modern warfare, and one pillar that embodies these changes is military artillery. One example of the evolution of military artillery is loitering munitions, which combine the accuracy of missiles with the versatility of drones.

This report will provide key information such as:

• an overview of what loitering munitions are
• how they are being used in modern conflicts
• A look at the DoD's Project Lasso

IDGA’s 2025 Future Indirect Fires Summit gathered leaders from the indirect fire community to discuss the latest innovations in indirect fire systems, support systems, munitions, and challenges presented by the current conflict in Ukraine.

To get the conversation started early, experts in the artillery and munitions field, including several conference attendees, participated in the “IDGA Future Indirect Fires Survey 2024/25.” These respondents represented US military divisions such as Army Futures Command, and the Marines, international militaries such as the French army, and defense industry leaders such as Airbus and Draper.

This report analyzes the 45+ responses to the survey, focusing on areas such as next-gen munitions capabilities and lessons learned from the conflict in Ukraine.