The Army’s future depends on leaders and their ability to foster character, competence and commitment, said Gen. Gary Brito, commanding general of the Army Training and Doctrine Command.

“I would challenge the future leaders out there … to take all of those [values] seriously,” Brito said.

Speaking during the recent 2023 Maneuver Warfighter Conference at Fort Moore, Georgia, formerly known as Fort Benning, Brito’s remarks came as Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George pushes for efforts to strengthen the Army profession.

“Society has challenges,” Brito said. “We need to be better than those challenges in our Army. Society is not going to deploy, we will.”

Brito also stressed the importance of rebuilding trust. The Army is facing one of the most challenging recruiting environments in five decades, and among the barriers is a growing disconnect between the Army and the American public it serves. The Army also must rebuild trust with soldiers as it continues to work on improving quality of life programs and reducing harmful behaviors in the ranks.

“The moms and dads across America that allow their sons and daughters to join the Army, and even those sons and daughters that are in the Army, we need to bring that [trust] back as well,” Brito said.

Brito had some advice for young Army leaders. “Don’t be afraid to lead,” he said.

As the Army continues to strengthen the profession, it is looking to learn from global allies and conflicts. “Through the Army Training and Doctrine Command … and through the efforts of our Combined Arms Center and our Centers of Excellence, … we will do everything we can to generate professional discourse so that we get better [at] working at our profession of arms,” he said.

The Army engages in a “continual learning model” through things like training and capitalizing on “lessons learned in Ukraine … and other places, just to continue to professionalize ourselves and warfighting,” Brito said.