The Army is preparing to combat global adversaries with speed and precision as it transforms, Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Mingus said.

“The Army is building a force that is leaner, more lethal, and equipped to operate in contested domains with speed and precision,” Mingus said May 6 in testimony before the House Armed Services subcommittee on readiness. “Under transformation in contact … we are enhancing our tactical networks, rapidly fueling [unmanned aircraft systems], counter-UAS, electronic warfare systems, increasing mobility across our formations.”

Today, over 110,000 soldiers are deployed or forward stationed across 140 countries to deter, defend and provide immediate response options, Mingus said. “The Army remains engaged worldwide, responding to immediate security challenges while modernizing to ensure long-term readiness,” Mingus said.

Army transformation efforts and investments in training, force posture and modernization “ensure readiness for both immediate and future demands,” he said. ‘

Transforming in contact, an initiative that puts new and emerging technologies in soldiers’ hands for testing and experimentation, has already delivered new capabilities and is poised to expand over the next few years.

“In the last 10 months, [transforming in contact] delivered 11 new capabilities and technologies to warfighters” in the 101st Airborne Division, 25th Infantry Division, 10th Mountain Division and the Army National Guard’s 34th Infantry Division, Mingus said. In fiscal years 2025 and 2026, “we’ll expand this effort to entire divisions and beyond,” he said.

At the service level, the new Army Transformation Initiative, which was outlined in a May 1 message to the force from Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, will enable a new era of transformation, Mingus said.

“The Army Transformation Initiative … expands this transformation in contact,” he said. “It allows us to restructure formations to dominate future battlefields, while also advancing the development and delivery of critical capabilities and end programs that no longer deliver value.”

Under the newly announced initiatives, the Army plans to merge commands, restructure units, eliminate staff positions, reform acquisition processes and cancel obsolete programs in favor of unmanned systems, long-range fires and more.

Though the Army is ready for war, the service recognizes the need to adapt continually to keep pace with adversaries, Mingus said. “The Army stands ready to defend our nation,” he said. “However, being forward doesn't guarantee we're ahead. Our adversaries are adapting faster than our processes, and our Army cannot afford to treat readiness, modernization and force structure as separate conversations.”

Mingus also warned that a “modern, capable force is not built in a single budget cycle.”

“It takes years of sustained investment, careful planning and a commitment to keeping pace with an evolving adversary,” he said. “Our adversaries are not waiting for us to catch up, and they are not making the same compromises we are.”