The U.S. military’s transformation efforts start and end with the service member, a panel of leaders said May 13 during a discussion on readiness, lethality and resilience.

“The Army is about people, and we don’t have readiness without people,” said Maj. Gen. Hope Rampy, commanding general of Army Human Resources Command. “You can’t have lethal warfighting capability without a soldier.”

Marine Lt. Gen. James Glynn, commander of Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, agreed. “It starts and ends with the Marine and the soldier,” he said. “The kit matters, to a point, and then it doesn’t.”

Capability and will are what drive the U.S. military’s success, he said, particularly in the talented young service members and leaders across the force.

The Army’s pursuit of excellence has no finish line, said Lt. Gen. Joel Vowell, deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific. “Everyone wants us to kill people, and that’s what we do at 3 in the morning very well, … close with, capture or kill the enemy,” he said.

From the Arctic to high altitudes, the jungle and the archipelagos of the Indo-Pacific, the Army must be ready. “We have to be lethal,” Vowell said.

To achieve that high level of readiness and lethality, “you’ve got to put the face paint on. You’ve got to get in the reps and sets,” he said. “That has not changed, regardless of the changing characteristics of the 21st century.”

The Army also must sharpen how it manages the talent in its ranks, Rampy said. “How do we continue to deliver warfighting capabilities when the active-duty end strength is the smallest it’s been since 1940, [and] at the same time, the global demand is increasing?” she said. The key lies in placing the right people in the right jobs at the right time, she said, as she urged leaders in the audience to counsel and coach their soldiers to consider their career paths. “We need you, and we want the talent you’re willing to provide in whatever capacity that is,” she said.

Glynn and Vowell both emphasized their confidence in today’s young service members. “On this end, [I have] complete confidence,” Glynn said. “You want to go tonight? Let’s go tonight. We will win because of our teamwork, because of our youngest who are out there.”

When the chips are down, service members will perform, Vowell said. “I have been really impressed with the soldier and the leaders at the small-unit formations and our operational leaders across the theater,” he said. “I sleep soundly knowing that that’s out there, that the people we have are truly fantastic.”