ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

The Army is reworking its sustainment doctrine and training soldiers in combat support and combat service support jobs to be “more datacentric” in preparation for large-scale combat, the Army’s top logistician said.

In remarks at a breakfast hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army as part of its Coffee Series, Lt. Gen. Charles Hamilton, deputy Army chief of staff for logistics, G-4, said the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February caused the Army sustainment sector to rethink its posture for large-scale combat and how soldiers are preparing to support the warfighter.

In its quest to help soldiers enhance their physical and mental performance, Army Futures Command brought together experts from the private sector to discuss new technologies and emerging trends.

Over a two-day symposium, the experts from academia and sports and technology companies weighed in on optimizing human performance by focusing on cognition among people with physically demanding jobs, using wearable technology or analog methods to encourage desired outcomes, making healthy choices, and examining the role of data in enabling better health, precision and resilience.

Software developed by an Army sergeant could better equip the military as it seeks new ways to counter the rising and evolving threat of drones. 

During a recent deployment to Saudi Arabia, Massachusetts Army National Guard Sgt. Mickey Reeve used his free time to develop a counter-unmanned aerial systems software. His work won the inaugural Innovation Oasis competition hosted by U.S. Central Command.

By providing weapons and training, the U.S. is working to put the Ukrainians in the “strongest possible position” to defend their sovereignty and engage the Russians from a “position of strength,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said.

Speaking Dec. 3 on a panel during the Reagan National Defense Forum, Wormuth said the stakes are high. “Given what is at stake in Ukraine, not just for the Ukrainians, but for NATO and for the entire free world, it’s in our interest to give them what they need to defend their territory and push the Russians out,” she said.

As the Army works to electrify its combat vehicles, it will not compromise combat effectiveness, a senior Army leader said.

Army plans to field hybrid-drive tactical vehicles by 2035 and fully electric tactical vehicles by 2050 align with a broader service strategy to slow climate change and transition more fully to renewable energy sources. 

But the Army’s top acquisition official says this move will also make soldiers more effective against the enemy.