The Army’s plan to abandon obsolete systems and modernize
The Army is preparing to transform itself into the fighting force of the future over the coming years — an effort congressional and military leaders admit is long overdue. As the Army’s top officer stated, “Yesterday’s weapons will not win tomorrow’s wars.”
The initiative could lead to major changes implemented as soon as 2026, with more in 2027.
Exhibit A: Ukraine
Perhaps the greatest example of the progressing battlefield is Ukraine’s “Operation Spiderweb”, in which 170 drones, costing as little as $300 a piece, were used to destroy one-third of Russia’s cruise missile carrier fleet, or about $7 billion worth of aircraft.
In a letter to Army leaders, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George acknowledged the evolution.
“Battlefields across the world are changing at a rapid pace. Autonomous systems are becoming more lethal and less expensive. Sensors and decoys are everywhere. Dual-use technologies are continuously evolving and outpacing our processes to defeat them,” the Army heads wrote.“To maintain our edge on the battlefield, our Army will transform to a leaner, more lethal force by adapting how we fight, train, organize and buy equipment.”
To summarize, the Army must keep up with the times; a statement that, on its face, is simple and logical. It’s significantly more complicated when equipment and personnel changes are factored into the equation.
Out with the old, in with the new
This transformation means order cancellations for iconic aircraft and vehicles, like the Apache helicopter, Gray Eagle drone and the Humvee.
“We will also continue to cancel programs that deliver dated, late-to-need, overpriced, or difficult-to-maintain capabilities,” Driscoll and George wrote.
That means factories that build weapons and vehicles could be shut down, and the military personnel who operate them could be gone too.
Economic and personnel impacts
This could have a big impact on a local county’s economy. Twenty U.S. Representatives wrote a letter that stated they want the Humvee to receive greater investment. The letter was led by Rep. Rudy Yakym, R-Ind., who represents the Mishawaka, Indiana, site where Humvees are built.
As the representatives explained, AM General, which manufactures light tactical vehicles for the Department of Defense, employs more than 1,100 people at facilities in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. The company also has a supplier base across 43 states.
According to personnel, the First Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, based in Conroe, Texas, is being decommissioned. Texas Republican Rep. Morgan Luttrell’s reaction shows how difficult it is to lose a staple of a county or district.
“You’re coming into my house, where I was born and raised in this county, and you’re taking something away from me and I want to know why,” Luttrell told Driscoll and George. “I’m curious why you wouldn’t try to modernize that unit instead of decommissioning it.”
George answered: “I think when you’re over-structured on a specific asset and you’re underinvesting in others, you have to make decisions on that.”
“What we have committed ourselves to is that we’re not going to keep equipment that we don’t need, systems that we don’t need,” George said.
The first steps
The Army wants to make many of these transformational changes soon. Pentagon leaders want to increase 3D printing and other manufacturing capabilities by next year; field long-range missiles capable of striking moving land and maritime targets by 2027 and achieve what’s called air littoral dominance by 2027 — in other words, dominate the air just above the ground where drones fly.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
