ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Commanders on the future battlefield will find themselves racing against adversaries that are faster and more capable than ever before, a senior Army leader said.

“The ability to sense first, to understand first, to decide first, which gives you the ability to act faster than a future opponent, is going to be a significant advantage for any commander on the future battlefield,” said Gen. Mike Murray, commander of Army Futures Command.

The Army is teaming up with the other services as it gears up for Project Convergence 21, the next big event in its ongoing effort to test new and developing technologies. 

Led by Army Futures Command and announced in 2020, Project Convergence is a series of demonstrations and experiments that Gen. Mike Murray, commander of Futures Command, has called the Army’s “campaign of learning.” 

The first event took place last fall at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona.

As the Army undertakes its most extensive transformation effort in decades, the service’s goal is not to get into a fight, the commander of Army Futures Command said.

“Overmatch is about fighting and winning, but overmatch is also about the ability to deter,” said Gen. Mike Murray.

The second day of Global Force Next, the Association of the U.S. Army’s three-day virtual conference, features a keynote address by Gen. Mike Murray, commanding general of Army Futures Command. 

This year’s theme is “The U.S. Army: Protecting Tomorrow Through Persistent Modernization.” Presentations throughout the event will focus on the Army’s transformation and modernization efforts and include updates from Army Futures Command’s eight cross-functional teams. 

As the Army continues to refine its Multi-Domain Operations concept, the service is seeking to start a conversation about what the future may look like—and what kind of world soldiers will find themselves operating in.

From a world where the U.S. and China compete for global primacy to a future of persistent instability and conflict, the Army must think “rigorously and creatively” about the future, Gen. Mike Murray, commanding general of Army Futures Command, writes in the foreword of a pamphlet produced by the command.

While recognizing that presidential elections can often mean many changes, Army Futures Command's commander said he expects most of the Army’s priorities are likely to stay the same.

“I remain committed, as long as the Army will have me, to maintain that momentum regardless of the upcoming changes with the new administration,” said Gen. Mike Murray, speaking at a Jan. 25 webinar hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “Our modernization priorities have remained consistent, and they will remain consistent.”

From artificial intelligence to robotics, the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command is busy turning science fiction into soldiers’ future capabilities, according to its commanding general.

Through Team Ignite, a collaborative effort with Army Futures Command’s Futures and Concepts Center, the command is helping shape concepts and capabilities for the future battlefield.

The Army’s modernization efforts have not slowed down in the face of 2020 challenges, said Gen. Mike Murray, commanding general of Army Futures Command, citing as an example the recently completed six-week exercise that’s part of the service’s Project Convergence initiative.

Winning on the future battlefield, where all domains will be at stake, will require more than just cooperation between the services, according to the general in charge of the Army’s modernization efforts.

“We’ve never done it alone in the past, [and] we’re never going to do it alone in the future,” said Gen. John Murray, commander of Army Futures Command.

“We have to build joint synergy,” he said Sept. 10 during a virtual conference hosted by Defense News, stressing that cooperation alone between the services isn’t enough.

Unmanned ground vehicles have made the transition from science fiction to reality, with platforms already proving their value to land forces. 

There are limits, though, on how fast progress can be made. Alexander Kott, an Army Research Laboratory scientist specializing in cyber resiliency, said the only limit on unmanned systems will be the speed of advances in science and technology. He said transformational, game-changing unmanned systems can be expected.