ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

The items soldiers carry into battle today and into the future are being identified and developed with more precision, thanks to at least one new process that has emerged through the Army’s modernization initiatives.

The Army is taking a close look at itself—from how it fights to how it recruits, trains and equips soldiers—as it transitions from almost two decades of counterinsurgency warfare and prepares to fight a near-peer competitor.

From teaming with robots to reading minds, the Army Research Laboratory made some critical science and technology advancements last year.

Overall capability puts the U.S. Army “in a league of its own,” but there are some capability gaps because of modernization efforts by other nations, the Rand Corp. concludes in a new report comparing U.S. systems with those of its foreign counterparts. 

Rigid mobilization processes and limited authorities restrict combatant commanders’ ability to quickly employ reserve component forces for contingencies that fall short of armed combat, according to a new report published by the Association of the U.S. Army.

The Kentucky National Guard has received the first of more than 36,000 sets of equipment being shipped to locations across the Army before October 2020, when the new Army Combat Fitness Test becomes the test of record.

The Army must continue to modernize, recruit and retain the best talent, and remain focused as it competes with near-peer adversaries such as Russia and China, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said.

There won’t be “anything easy” about deploying 20,000 U.S.-based soldiers to Europe for an exercise this spring, but planning and carrying it out will reinforce training and readiness and demonstrate the military’s ability to rapidly project forces anywhere in the world, senior leaders said.

The Army faces a complex challenge as it works to balance its modernization efforts with the demand for troops around the world, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said.

Warfighters are the big emphasis in the Defense Department’s recently released Digital Modernization Strategy, which focuses on innovation, optimization, cybersecurity and cultivating talent.