ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

As a new unprovoked invasion ignites war in the Middle East, the U.S. Army is watching—and it’s better prepared to assist now than it was two years ago.

That’s the message from Douglas Bush, assistant Army secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology. Speaking Oct. 9 at the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2023 Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C., Bush hailed the transformation that has taken place within Army acquisition in the past year, motivated by the urgent need to support Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia. 

Technology will be a necessary part of future battle, but the Army’s strength lies in its leaders and soldiers’ ability to shoot, move and communicate, said Gen. James Rainey, commander of Army Futures Command.

Speaking at the recent 2023 Maneuver Warfighter Conference at Fort Moore, Georgia, formerly known as Fort Benning, Rainey and the command’s senior enlisted leader, Command Sgt. Maj. Brian Hester, emphasized the need for soldiers to be good at the basics of fighting and killing the enemy.

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.”

The Army’s transformation push becomes more important every day, said Gen. James Rainey, commanding general of Army Futures Command.

Speaking July 27 at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Warfighter Summit and Exposition in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Rainey said, “There are absolutely some seriously disruptive things happening in the world and happening in our profession right now.”

Faced with one of the “most disruptive” periods in time, the Army must move now to deter aggression and transform for the future, the commanding general of Army Futures Command said.

“We have one United States Army. When the country says go, we’re going,” Gen. James Rainey said May 18 during a keynote presentation to close the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2023 LANPAC Symposium and Exposition in Honolulu.

Rainey said the Army’s modernization efforts are on track, but “we’ve got to get after this.”

A new cross-functional team focused on contested logistics is being stood up in Huntsville, Alabama, the commander of Army Futures Command announced March 29 at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Global Force Symposium and Exposition.

The Association of the U.S. Army’s 2023 Global Force Symposium and Exposition kicks off March 28, and there is still time to register.

Scheduled for March 28–30 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama, this will be the first in-person Global Force Symposium since 2019.

This year’s theme is “Designing and Sustaining the Army of 2040,” with keynote speeches and panel discussions focused on the continued transformation of the Army as the force prepares for a complex future battlefield.