ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

From off-the-shelf technology that can help soldiers today to next-generation autonomous vehicles and command-and-control capabilities, Army Futures Command is looking to its industry teammates for help.

“Indisputably, the amount of technology disruption in the character of war is unprecedented, and it just keeps getting faster and faster,” said Gen. James Rainey, commanding general of Futures Command.

The Army needs help from industry, academia and others as it envisions and designs the Army of 2040, the commander of Army Futures Command said.

From transforming its formations to improving human-machine integration, “we need some help,” Gen. James Rainey said during a keynote speech at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Global Force Symposium and Exposition earlier this year.

“War will remain a contest of wills between humans,” Rainey said. “What’s not going to change about the future? I would offer that. That is indisputable.”

Equipment the Army has been sending to Ukraine to help in the fight against Russia has been proven “highly effective” in combat, a senior Army official said.

Douglas Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, said the performance of vehicles and munitions in Ukraine “validates the Army’s approach to how we produce things and how we test and design them.”

Managing the aviation supply chain in a contested environment will require more forethought and planning than ever before, Army and industry leaders said.

In just the past few years, the COVID-19 pandemic, a national labor shortage and technological advances that can be used by adversaries to disrupt operations have already had an impact on the supply chain.

Army program offices responsible for the aviation supply pipeline are addressing the risks early by working closely with intelligence officers to vet new vendors, order parts and equipment and approve subcontracts.

Speed, agility and partnerships with industry are critical to the Army’s success as it transforms the force for the future, a panel of experts said during the Association of the U.S. Army’s Global Force Symposium and Exposition in Huntsville, Alabama.

“We have to be able to react at a speed that paces the threat, and that includes in acquisition,” said Douglas Bush, assistant Army secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology. Congress has helped, he said, by giving the Army various authorities to “go much more quickly when we need to.”

In its quest to help soldiers enhance their physical and mental performance, Army Futures Command brought together experts from the private sector to discuss new technologies and emerging trends.

Over a two-day symposium, the experts from academia and sports and technology companies weighed in on optimizing human performance by focusing on cognition among people with physically demanding jobs, using wearable technology or analog methods to encourage desired outcomes, making healthy choices, and examining the role of data in enabling better health, precision and resilience.

The Army is working to invest $16 billion to provide much needed upgrades and modernization to its depots, arsenals and ammunition plants, senior leaders told Congress.

Part of a 15-year plan to modernize the organic industrial base, the effort represents an “urgent need to improve production facilities and manufacturing processes to enhance worker safety, reduce environmental impacts and sustain production continuity,” said Douglas Bush, assistant Army secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology.

Army efforts to improve the resilience and security of its installations require close cooperation with contractors and communities, Lt. Gen. Jason Evans, deputy Army chief of staff for installations, said April 13.

Installations “are no longer a sanctuary,” Evans said. Instead, they would be considered part of the front line of future warfare. Preparing for this culture change requires a new breed of installation commander and staff who will need ongoing and up-to-date training, he said.

Unpredictable funding is threatening the Army’s 15-year plan to modernize its organic industrial base, the senior officer in charge of Army sustainment said.

Gen. Ed Daly, commander of Army Materiel Command, described the current base as a “20th century capability to support a 21st century Army and joint force.”

Delaying the implementation of Materiel Command’s modernization initiatives, he said, “would have very significant consequences as it applies to the organic industrial base, which is my portfolio” in the Army’s broader modernization strategy.

The Army must continue transforming its organic industrial base to ensure the safety of its workforce and the readiness of the force, senior leaders said Oct. 13 during a contemporary military forum titled “Driving Deliberate Change in the Industrial Base Through Innovation, Vision and Cooperation.”