Since the Army’s earliest days, NCOs have driven transformation by identifying requirements, and they are still driving transformation today, a panel of senior enlisted leaders said.
As the Army aims to field new weapons and equipment, it must proactively plan prior to fielding it, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office.
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.”
Industry calls them Class 8 trucks: the legions of semitrucks and trailers that are a ubiquitous presence on America’s highways.
The combat-tested M4 carbine will remain in soldiers’ hands for a while even as the service develops a new, next-generation weapon as one of its top modernization priorities.
The Next-Generation Squad Weapon, a key part of the Soldier Lethality Cross-Functional Team’s portfolio, is undergoing “rapid prototyping right now,” said Douglas Bush, acting assistant Army secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology.
As the Army launches its latest modernization effort, Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville has made people the service’s No.
Depot-level maintenance and reporting are challenges for the Army, Lt. Gen. Duane Gamble, deputy Army chief of staff for logistics, told Congress.
“We are executing our most critical requirements, but our critical requirements don’t always fulfill our core workload requirements,” Gamble told a House subcommittee at a hearing focused on the need for the military’s organic industrial base to support modernization efforts.
The Army’s speedy efforts to field augmented reality glasses is a prime example of how the military can move quickly on technology if it tries, said Ellen Lord, the defense undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment.
Congressional appropriators who oversee military spending have expressed concern about the risky nature of Army modernization efforts.
In creating Army Futures Command in 2018 as a way of speeding development and delivery of cutting-edge capabilities to the force, Army leaders spoke about the need to overcome a risk-averse culture that had slowed research, development and the acquisition process to the point where it was hard to stay ahead of global competitors.
The House Armed Services Committee has moved to protect $801 million in Army funds from being diverted for other purposes.
On Feb. 13, the Defense Department asked permission to shift $3.8 billion in unspent fiscal 2020 dollars to be used for other purposes. This would have included $395 million for Army National Guard equipment, $205 million for Army Reserve equipment, and $201 million for Army tactical and support vehicles.
