On 14 October 2024, Secretary Wormuth shared the current US Army Transformation Strategy and the successes to date. The Army is shifting its focus from addressing counterterrorism to preparation for large-scale combat. This is a tectonic shift that requires a change in weapon systems, force structure, and personnel.
- Transformation of Weapon Systems – This involves increasing capabilities of air defense along with increasing long range strike capability augmented by long range assault aircraft. For example, this includes modernization of high-demand air and missile defense units, replacing legacy Patriot radars with LTAMDS, and using the new Integrated Battle Command System to connect a wide range of sensors across platforms. This is significantly increasing capacity of Patriot air defenses. Prototypes are underway for the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft, the Army’s tilt-rotor next-generation helicopter. The Army’s new ground-launched system that can fire Tomahawks or SM-6 missiles and strike targets over 1,000 miles away was only a blueprint four years ago; today it is a reality. Living within the current budget constraints, the Army ended FARA, Shadow and Raven Programs to allow financial and human resources to be concentrated on these new, critical capabilities.
- Transformation of Force Structure – Along with changes to weapon systems, the force structure is being realigned to prosecute large-scale combat. Tens of thousands of unfilled spaces in units focused on counterterrorism have been eliminated. Instead, units have been formed to provide indirect fire protection battalions, counter small-UAS batteries, and M-SHORAD battalions. Three of these new multi-domain task forces (MTDF) are already up and running. One of these MDTFs recently participated in Exercise Valiant Shield 24 – held across Hawaii, Japan, Guam, and Palau. During the exercise, the task force tested high-altitude balloons equipped with electromagnetic sensors as well as ultra-long-endurance unmanned systems. This included live fire using an autonomous launcher and the Precision Strike Missile. This exercise showed how the MDTF can use its intelligence, space, cyber, and targeting capabilities to enable long-range strikes against adversaries with considerable defensive capabilities – a must-do mission for the Army in the Indo-Pacific.
- Transformation of Recruiting – Finding citizens interested in Army service is a challenge. Fewer than a quarter of Americans are eligible for military service, and fewer than ten percent of young people are interested in serving. Unemployment is at a historic low: more than sixty percent of high school graduates are going straight to college, and many young people know very little about the Army or what we offer. “Be All You Can Be” was resurrected and adapted the campaign to the realities of the 21st-century marketplace. Every trooper was challenged to help us recruit using the soldier referral program, resulting in over 4,000 new contracts just this year. And for young Americans who had the desire to join the Army but not the test scores, we created the Future Soldier Prep Course to give them a path to meet our standards. These efforts paid off. The Army not only surpassed the goal to recruit 55,000 new soldiers this year, but also far exceeded our goal to send 5,000 into the delayed entry program. This transformation has been enabled thru, for the first time ever, the deployment of warrant officers to specialize in recruiting. I met one of these men and he described how he is using his “Why”, the impact the Army has had on his life, as his central messaging in bringing in young people to the Army.
The Army is demonstrating impressive results as moving a large institution is very difficult. The changes in such a short period of time demonstrates how clearly the Army has articulated its strategy and aligned its execution of weapons, enabling technology and people to enable the strategy. These changes are profound and critical to our nation’s success. The defense industry is bringing new capabilities to bear to support this mission and we continue to see mid-size to large companies focused on acquisition of the underlying technology to give them an advantage in support of the Army’s mission. AI, ML, offensive and defensive cyber, avionics and electronics are all highly sought after in the M&A market, along with rapid prototyping and flexible manufacturing to support new weapon systems.
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