One of the week's major highlights was the enthusiastic engagement surrounding iRIS Gen2, Celeris Systems' next-generation, AI-enabled Mission Decision Intelligence platform.

Throughout the conference, attendees experienced firsthand how iRIS Gen2 is transforming traditionally disconnected engineering and acquisition processes into a connected, intelligent digital ecosystem.

By bringing together mission needs, system requirements, verification planning, test evidence, risk management, and program readiness, iRIS Gen2 delivers a unified view of information that enables organizations to improve traceability, accelerate planning, and make better-informed decisions.

The platform's emerging AI-enabled capabilities generated particularly valuable discussions about how organizations can reduce administrative burdens, accelerate knowledge transfer, and transform complex engineering information into actionable mission intelligence.

The message resonated throughout the week: The future of digital engineering isn't simply about managing more data. It's about connecting the right information, at the right time, to make better decisions.

Driving the Conversation Through Education and Innovation

Celeris Systems played an active role in the conference's technical program, contributing to two important educational sessions.

On Tuesday morning, Celeris Systems joined representatives from the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Test & Evaluation Division to deliver an engaging four-hour tutorial titled "Mission Need to Decision

Advantage — World-Class T&E: Are We There Yet?"

Led by Dr. Suzanne Beers and Angel Martinez of Celeris Systems, alongside Joe Manas and David Harrison of NDIA, the tutorial challenged participants to rethink how the T&E community can achieve faster, more integrated, and more mission-informed decision-making.

The session explored the intersection of Mission Engineering, Digital Engineering, T&E, and advanced decision-support methodologies, culminating in a live demonstration of iRIS Gen2 and its potential to connect these disciplines within a unified digital environment.

The momentum continued Friday morning when Dr. Suzanne Beers represented Celeris Systems in Technical Track #6: Test Planning, presenting "Mission Need to Decision Advantage: AI-Enabled ME-DE-T&E."

The presentation highlighted how integrated digital engineering and AI-enabled capabilities can help organizations streamline test planning, strengthen the connection between mission objectives and verification activities, and improve confidence in acquisition and operational readiness decisions.

Together, these sessions reinforced Celeris Systems' commitment to not only developing innovative technology, but also advancing the knowledge, practices, and collaboration necessary to modernize the broader T&E community.

An Energized Exhibit Floor and Meaningful New Connections

Beyond the technical sessions, the Celeris Systems exhibit booth became a hub for productive conversations, live demonstrations, and discussions about the future of connected engineering environments.

Visitors explored iRIS Gen2's evolving capabilities and saw how the platform establishes a continuous digital thread connecting mission needs to acquisition decisions.

The demonstrations sparked discussions about practical opportunities to modernize requirements management, verification planning, test execution, risk management, and decision support across complex programs.

Equally important were the opportunities to reconnect with longtime colleagues and industry partners while establishing new relationships with organizations facing similar digital transformation challenges.

These conversations provided valuable insights into emerging customer priorities, potential collaboration opportunities, and the growing demand for integrated, AI-enabled engineering solutions.

Building Momentum Beyond FORGE ’26

As Celeris Systems looks ahead, the enthusiasm and engagement experienced at ITEA FORGE ’26 have reinforced the company's vision for iRIS Gen2 and the critical role that connected digital engineering environments will play in the future of mission execution.

The relationships strengthened, ideas exchanged, and opportunities identified throughout the conference provide a strong foundation for continued collaboration, future demonstrations, and potential pilot engagements.

"What made this year's FORGE conference particularly exciting was the quality of the conversations and the shared recognition that our industry is ready for a more connected, intelligent approach to engineering and decision-making," said Angel Martinez, President and CEO of Celeris Systems. "We came to Scottsdale to share what we've been building with iRIS Gen2, but we returned with something equally valuable: new relationships, fresh perspectives, and tremendous enthusiasm for what we can accomplish together. This is exactly the kind of collaboration that drives meaningful innovation."

Thank You, ITEA!

Celeris Systems extends its sincere appreciation to the International Test and Evaluation Association (ITEA), conference organizers, presenters, exhibitors, and everyone who contributed to making FORGE ’26 such a rewarding experience.

A special thank-you goes to the many colleagues, customers, partners, and new acquaintances who took the time to attend our presentations, visit our booth, share their insights, and explore opportunities for future collaboration.

We returned from Scottsdale energized, inspired, and more committed than ever to advancing Mission Decision Intelligence. The conversations started at FORGE ’26 are just the beginning!

About Celeris Systems, Inc.

Celeris Systems, Inc. is an innovative aerospace and defense engineering company specializing in systems engineering, digital engineering, Test & Evaluation, and AI-enabled decision-support solutions. Through its flagship iRIS platform, Celeris Systems helps organizations connect mission objectives, engineering information, verification evidence, and program readiness to accelerate informed decision-making and mission success.