Army leaders must master the basics to effectively lead the service’s transformation and preparation for the future fight, said Gen. Gary Brito, commanding general of Army Training and Doctrine Command.

“It all boils down to [our ability to] overmatch … the enemy … and being damn good at your basic blocking and tackling,” Brito said during the 2024 Maneuver Warfighter Conference at Fort Moore, Georgia. “We need to train the most lethal warfighting soldiers and develop competent leaders. … That’s the core mission.”

Building cohesive teams will remain paramount to effective modernization, Brito said.

“You all will be charged with leading cohesive teams,” he said. “The privates will be introduced to why we need to be cohesive … [and] the importance of the battle buddy. That's going to mean a lot. It gives you that first building block that you continue to build upon.”

To reduce harmful behaviors, the Army has begun infusing foundational skills training earlier in a soldier’s career. The skills training aims to build more cohesive teams, foster soldiers’ communication skills, reduce sexual harassment and assault and encourage financial literacy.

“We’re just entering phase two,” Brito said. “All the training battalions at Fort Jackson [in South Carolina] going through basic training have run through it. The two training brigades here at Fort Moore have expanded [the pilot] over the One-Station Unit Training model, and we're experimenting with it during Advanced Individual Training … at Fort Huachuca [in Arizona]. Starting this fiscal year 2025, we'll start spreading it to other locations.”

As the Army shifts from counterinsurgency operations to large-scale combat operations, Brito urged young leaders to “master the basics.”

“It's about our ability to fight, deploy, win and come back, probably at a large scale,” he said. “I can't underscore what we need to continue to do well, and that's [for soldiers to] be very, very proficient and lethal at their respective skill.”