ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

In a ceremony Oct. 2 in Austin, Texas, the Army stood up U.S. Army Transformation and Training Command as part of its effort to create a leaner, more lethal force.

The command, also known as T2COM, merges U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command and U.S. Army Futures Command. TRADOC was inactivated on Sept. 26 after more than 52 years, while the 7-year-old Futures Command was inactivated Oct. 2.

After more than 52 years, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command has been inactivated as the Army prepares to stand up U.S. Army Transformation and Training Command.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George joined Gen. Gary Brito, Training and Doctrine Command’s 18th and final commander, for an inactivation ceremony on Sept. 26 at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.

As the Army transforms for the future, leaders also must focus on being ready to fight whenever they’re called, the commanding general of U.S. Army Futures Command said.

“We could go to war tonight, this weekend,” Gen. James Rainey said. “If I was in command, if I had a guidon right now, I’d be figuring out how to go to war tonight with the people I’ve got, the kit I’ve got, because that’s what’s going to happen if we go.”

A senior leader at U.S. Army Futures Command has been tapped to lead the new U.S. Army Transformation and Training Command.

If confirmed by the Senate, Lt. Gen. David Hodne, deputy commanding general of futures and concepts, also will receive a fourth star.

In its quest to transform, the Army is pledging to be a better customer as it looks to industry for the latest technology and equipment.

Through continuous experimentation and close coordination, the Army’s transformation has rapidly evolved, a senior Army leader said.

Using the first Project Convergence experiment in 2020 as an example, Lt. Gen. David Hodne, director of the Futures and Concepts Center at Army Futures Command, said it was clear that the cross-functional teams established to focus on each of the Army’s modernization priorities needed to work together.

Gen. James Rainey, commanding general of Army Futures Command, will speak March 26 as part of the Strategic Landpower Dialogue co-hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The event will take place in conjunction with AUSA’s Global Force Symposium and Exposition in Huntsville, Alabama, marking the first time the popular dialogue series is held outside of Washington, D.C.

Launched effects are the “most cross-cutting” capability in the Army because they offer several options to commanders, a senior leader said.

In remarks at an Association of the U.S. Army Hot Topic on land-based fires in large-scale combat operations, Brig. Gen. Cain Baker, director of the Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional Team, said that launched effects are much more than just the ground or air platforms they deploy from.

With the future of conflict uncertain and technology evolving at a rapid pace, the Army must make adaptability a top priority, said Gen. James Rainey, commander of Army Futures Command.