The U.S. finds itself in pivotal times, facing challenges in a world that feels more perilous than ever. To continue to meet these challenges and prepare for the future, the Army continues to focus on transformation. The service must not be held captive to how it has done business for the past 30 years but rather develop innovative solutions to solve Army problems—focused on desired outcomes, return on investment and impacts to Army readiness. To do so, the Army must leverage the strength of the nation’s total industrial might in both traditional military-industry partnerships and new collaborations to solve the Army’s biggest challenges together.
American national power depends on a strong industrial base capable of meeting peacetime and wartime production demands. Together, the Army is forging stronger partnerships across the defense industry to ensure soldiers possess needed firepower to dominate the battlefield. The Army must pursue opportunities to revitalize the defense industrial base and to better support tactical forces operating in theater.
Reshape and Reimagine
In support of the Army’s continuous transformation, U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC) is exploring options to reshape and reimagine the Army’s organic industrial base. Known as the OIB, the organic industrial base is not just a collection of facilities and equipment, it is a vital component of U.S. national security. The OIB—23 depots, arsenals and ammunition plants providing critical readiness for the joint force forward and from the strategic support area—is essential for maintaining the Army’s operational readiness and ensuring soldiers have vital equipment when they need it. As stated in the 2025 National Security Strategy, “a strong, capable military cannot exist without a strong, capable defense industrial base.” Army senior leaders are listening, supportive and willing to advocate for policy change when necessary to meet the national directive to revitalize and supercharge America’s defense industrial base, and as such, the Army is making necessary investments to ensure its OIB continues to modernize and innovate to keep pace with the demands of a dynamic battlefield.
The Army continues to make significant strides in its 15-year OIB modernization efforts, investing nearly $100 million in facility and equipment upgrades across its sites. The service is capitalizing on new technologies and engaging with industry partners to improve processes and increase production capability and stockpile capacity. This includes breaking ground on a 6.8 mm ammunition production facility in support of the Next Generation Squad Weapon program at Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, Missouri; McAlester Army Ammunition Plant in McAlester, Oklahoma, formally unveiling a modernized facility designed to support the U.S. military’s air defense capabilities known as the Theater Readiness Monitoring Facility; and Tobyhanna Army Depot in Pennsylvania opening its Microelectronics Manufacturing Facility, where a team of engineers and technicians develop, repair, manufacture and test capabilities for circuit cards required by complex military weapons systems.
These three investments are just examples of how the Army continues delivering on its promise to bring the OIB into the 21st century, investing in new technologies and innovative manufacturing processes that enhance production capabilities and leverage industry best practices.
Advanced Capabilities
The future battlefield will require expanded capabilities in advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence and machine learning. To do this, Rock Island Arsenal-Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center in Illinois continues leading the way in advanced and additive manufacturing, creating temporary replacement parts for critical manufacturing equipment, significantly reducing downtime and extending the lifespan of aging machinery. In addition, this year, the center achieved AS9100 certification, a globally recognized standard for quality management systems for the aerospace industry. This marks a pivotal moment in the historic factory’s ongoing modernization and expansion into new, high-tech markets, positioning the facility among a select group of organizations globally recognized for commitment to aerospace quality standards.
The command also is focusing efforts to expand OIB capabilities to support a pilot program meant to rapidly develop, test and produce small unmanned aerial systems using innovative manufacturing methods. Public-private partnership not only will boost OIB workload but stimulate the U.S. drone industry, support American manufacturing, increase access to rare earth materials, produce low-cost components and ultimately deliver drones to the Army.
While the OIB is crucial to Army success, leaders also recognize the importance of partnerships with the defense industrial base and broader industry landscape. Collaboration with industry experts is essential for identifying innovative solutions to enhance the soldier experience. As AMC looks forward, it must strengthen these partnerships across the board.
As the Army transforms, leaders must ensure soldiers are well prepared and enabled to meet operational demands. Enhancing the soldier experience remains a core component of AMC’s ability to meet the Army’s directive for the command to deliver ready combat formations.
Food Service
AMC also sees a pressing need for collaboration in modernizing the way the Army feeds soldiers. The Army is transforming its food program to enhance quality of life and nutrition for soldiers and their families. To provide greater flexibility, the Army has introduced food trucks, kiosks and a Performance Meal Prep Program for nutritious grab-and-go options.
Building off this momentum, the Army is executing a pilot program for campus-style dining venues, or CSDVs, offering more variety, made-to-order meals and better ambiance based on soldier feedback.
The Army Nonappropriated Fund Contracting Office at U.S. Army Installation Management Command, G-9, on behalf of AMC, awarded Compass Group USA Inc. a concession contract last August to create unique campus-style dining venues at Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Stewart, Georgia; Fort Carson, Colorado; and Fort Drum, New York. These pilot locations are expected to open by spring 2026.
Similarly, the Dining Excellence, or DINEX, initiative aims to replace legacy contracts with innovative commercial practices to improve service at high-volume training installations. Additionally, the Flexible Eating and Expanded Dining (FEED) initiative will allow soldiers to use their meal entitlements at various locations across an installation, including Army and Air Force Exchange Service facilities.
The Army tested this initiative at Fort Hood last August, and almost 80% of soldiers who participated chose healthier options.
In addition, soldiers took advantage of the expanded flexibility and versatility, using more than 160 lunch entitlements and 30 breakfast entitlements after 3 p.m.
Ultimately, these comprehensive and complementary initiatives are designed to provide soldiers with healthy, accessible and convenient food options that fit the demands of modern military life.
This partnership is creating a positive seismic shift in food service operations. It’s all about taking care of the war-fighter by increasing healthier, more easily accessible food options that are convenient to them.
Housing Initiatives
Similarly, the Army must look to industry partners for solutions related to on-post housing. The need for quality housing is paramount for soldiers and their families. By collaborating with industry leaders, the Army can explore innovative housing solutions. Last year at Fort Bliss, Texas, leaders cut the ribbon on the U.S. military’s first 3D-printed barracks. The barracks, which can house up to 56 soldiers per building, are made of a unique concrete-based material that can be tailored to local environmental conditions, like humidity and temperature, to optimize performance.
The Army also continues to focus on investment and reinvestment strategies to ensure long-term viability and quality housing, and to make every installation the No. 1 residential choice for soldiers and their families.
Privatization leverages private-sector expertise, innovation and capital to improve military housing.
Rapid Change
With increasingly constrained resources, contested networks and an accelerated operational tempo, successful sustainment demands greater reliance on automation and data-driven insights. Data is no longer just a support function—it’s central to everything the Army does. Looking to industry for best practices, the sustainment enterprise has leveraged advanced analytics and artificial intelligence, or A3I, to streamline processes, maximize resources and implement new tactics, techniques and procedures.
The pace of change remains unrelenting. The Army is at a pivotal moment for meaningful reform and change. To maintain military dominance and prepare for large-scale conflict, the Army fundamentally is reshaping how it operates and acquires capabilities. It is imperative that leaders continue to invest in industrial capabilities, enhance the soldier experience and leverage industry partners’ expertise. Together, we can find solutions to the hard problems facing the Army.
Lt. Gen. Chris Mohan has been the commanding general of U.S. Army Materiel Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, since November 2025. He previously served as AMC’s acting commander since March 2024 and deputy commanding general. He deployed multiple times in support of operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. He was commissioned in 1989 from Appalachian State University, North Carolina, as a Distinguished Military Graduate. He has two master’s degrees: one in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, and one in military strategy from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.