“This is an important year, 2018, for the Army,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley said Jan. 17 at the first Institute of Land Warfare breakfast of the year, hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army. “This is a year of some very exciting things.”

“We find ourselves at a big transition point in our history,” Milley said, estimating the U.S. is in the middle of a 10- to 30-year evolution in the character of military warfare. It would be “a great strategic mistake” not to recognize the change, he said.

“We do not want a level playing field. We do not want an even fight,” he said to a crowd of more than 300.

The Army needs to make 10-fold increases in many capabilities, something that in some cases will need yet-undeveloped leaps in technology. “Some 10x capability improvements we need do not exist in the world right now but they will,” Milley said. “I am not interested in a linear progression in the force.”

The Army also must continue making readiness a priority, he said. “The world is a very dynamic place, a very dangerous place and it is a place where we, the United States, need trained, ready and capable military from all of the forces, not just the Army.”

The focus on readiness should address immediate needs and the future, he said. The Army needs 66 percent of ground forces to be at the highest level of readiness. “It is hard to get to that level,” he conceded.