ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

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.”

A House subcommittee will urge the Army to concentrate on common battery charging systems rather than relying on so many different types.

In its draft report on the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on readiness asks the Army to do what the Marine Corps has been trying to do since 2016. “Common charging solutions exist,” the report says. “The Army’s use of such platforms has been limited in scope and capability.”

Input from soldiers in the field is a priority for the Army as it continues to develop new, next-generation equipment and technology, a panel of leaders said. 

The Army has made soldier-centered design a critical part of its modernization effort because it’s essential to understanding the tactical and operational needs of the Army, said Charneta Samms, the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Science and Technology-Integration chief technology officer. 

The rise of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems could make it more difficult for the U.S. Army and its allies to deter potential adversaries, according to a recent Rand Corp. report.

“Up to this point, deterrence has primarily involved humans attempting to affect the decision calculus and perceptions of other humans,” the report says. “But what happens when decision-making processes are no longer fully under the control of humans?”

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. 

Chris Brose, author of The Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare, will speak Aug. 10 as part of the Association of the U.S. Army’s Thought Leaders webinar series.

The presentation begins at 10 a.m. Eastern time. The event is free, but registration is required.

In his book, Brose examines how artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and other emerging technologies will define the future battlefield—and warns that the U.S. must adapt and respond in order to remain the world’s dominant military power.

A new Land Warfare Paper published by the Association of the U.S. Army focuses on how armed robotic systems would operate under the Army’s strict command and control doctrine.

Written by international security and counterterrorism expert Robert Bunker, an adjunct professor at the Army War College’s Strategic Studies Institute, the paper looks at how decision-making by machines is different than decisions made by humans. Machines don’t have morals or emotions, he writes, “nor do they understand honor, integrity or self-sacrifice.”