ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

As the Army’s premier training venues for maneuver formations, combat training centers must evolve to match the realities of modern warfare, according to the author of a new paper published by the Association of the U.S. Army. 

This includes wargaming pre-deployment activities with an emphasis on critical infrastructure, writes Capt. Daniel Eerhart, a psychological operations officer serving as a cyber policy, law and strategy research scientist at the Army Cyber Institute, in “Training Outside ‘The Box.’ ”

The U.S. military should double down on protecting the nation’s interests in the Arctic, a rugged and challenging region that is becoming an “increasingly active security environment,” according to a recent report from the Rand Corp.

“The [Arctic] region is essential for safeguarding the northern flanks of both North America and Europe,” the report says. “The U.S. military has invested relatively little in Arctic capabilities for the size of its Arctic area of responsibility, compared with the investments made by some other countries.” 

A sense of urgency permeates the Maneuver Center of Excellence as it trains and prepares the Army’s maneuver force for the next fight, the center’s commander said.

“I fear that we’re a miscalculation away from combat in both the theaters, and folks leaving Fort Moore have to be ready,” said Maj. Gen. Curtis Buzzard, commanding general of the Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Moore, Georgia. “We don’t want to go that route, but the best way to deter is to be well-trained and well-equipped.”

As the Army continues its transformation, it must ensure that training keeps pace with new systems and technologies, and the service must work with industry partners to expedite the acquisition process, two senior Army leaders said.

“It’s an exciting time—the Army is doing a lot, very quickly,” said Douglas Bush, the Army’s assistant secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology. “We want to make things easier for our leaders, our commanders and our soldiers.”

More training and accountability could be needed after a new report by the Government Accountability Office found many special operations troops are not meeting language proficiency goals.

More and more partners and allies in the Indo-Pacific are turning to the U.S. as they work to deter China’s “aggressive, irresponsible and insidious” behavior, the commander of U.S. Army Pacific said.

The Chinese are “conducting operations where they are violating the territorial integrity and the national sovereignty” of their neighbors in the region, and those neighbors are turning to their partner the U.S. Army, Gen. Charles Flynn said Oct. 12.