Latest news with #ArmyFuturesCommand
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
The US Army's done with Humvees and the Robotic Combat Vehicles. Here's what leaders want instead.
The US Army is taking a hard look at what systems and platforms it doesn't need for future conflicts. The Army secretary and a top general gave BI some insight into this process. The service is undergoing a major transformation initiative after a directive earlier this year. US Army leaders say Humvees and Robotic Combat Vehicles aren't useful for future fights, but the Infantry Squad Vehicle is. Ongoing decisions about what stays and what goes are part of a larger transformation initiative that has the Army reviewing its force structure and cutting certain programs it deems no longer necessary for the kinds of wars the US military wants to be ready to fight should worse come to worst. Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll and Gen. James Rainey, the commanding general overseeing Army Futures Command, talked to Business Insider about some of what is getting axed and why. Driscoll pointed to the Robotic Combat Vehicle, or RCV, program, which launched in 2019 with the goal of integrating autonomous and remotely operated capabilities into the Army's ground systems. Three versions were initially planned — an expendable light variant, a durable medium variant, and a lethal heavy variant designed for combat against an enemy armored vehicle. But the development of the RCV hit snags. "We know we need autonomy, we know that we need the ability to move things in a way that is not controlled by human beings," Driscoll said. But the requirements the Army put together for it ended up making it just this "incredibly large, incredibly heavy, incredibly expensive, relatively exquisite tool," he said. By the time the Army went to purchase them, the threats to the RCV, like small, hostile drones, had grown substantially. In Ukraine, slow, heavy, expensive vehicles have been prime targets for cheap exploding drones. "It might have been there in the beginning and we got it wrong from the very beginning," he said, "but at a minimum, by the time it came due for us actually purchase a lot of these and get them into formations, it just no longer made sense anymore." He called the move to end the program "a hard decision." The Humvee, or High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, is also being phased out. "It's 40 years old. It was useful in its time," Rainey said. "If you look at the ubiquitous sensing drones just in Ukraine and Russia, the survivability of a wheeled vehicle is very low." The Army also recently ended the M10 Booker Mobile Protected Firepower program just before it was set to go into full-rate production and after spending well over a billion dollars on the project. The decision was made in response to ongoing global conflicts "and in support of the strategic objectives outlined in the Army Transformation Initiative," according to a memo issued by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth earlier this year. The memo outlined the focal points, timelines, and priorities of the Army going forward, including reducing and restructuring attack helicopter formations and augmenting them with unmanned aircraft, putting thousands of drones into the hands of soldiers, and focusing on the Indo-Pacific theater and China. The efforts in the directive are estimated to cost around $36 billion over the next five years and represent one of the largest Army overhauls since the end of the Cold War. Army officials have said it's designed to increase lethality and readiness in the service and is focused on the needs of individual warfighters. In the interview with BI, Driscoll and Rainey identified one platform that represents what it wants more of. "We have a requirements and acquisitions success story with the Infantry Squad Vehicles," Rainey said. The relatively new M1301 Infantry Squad Vehicle entered service in 2020. Rainey said that the platform was designed well and requirements were useful and thoughtful. "We went fast, but we iterated with soldiers continually through the process. We ended up with a very useful vehicle," he said. Driscoll said that in conversations with soldiers, the Army learned that they wanted a vehicle to prioritize speed and all-terrain driving over protection. It speaks to, the service secretary said, the Army "trying to build a menu of offensive and defensive solutions." For some missions, something like the Infantry Squad Vehicle will be more effective. And for others, a heavier, more armored platform could still be valuable and available. Much of what Driscoll and others say they're focused on comes out of efforts to be smarter and more cost-effective in Army purchases. "We feel a large enough existential threat, and it is important enough that we can no longer make decisions simply based off where jobs might exist or what private companies may benefit from our decisions," he said. "Instead, we have to optimize for soldier lethality in the fight ahead." Lethality is a guiding principle for the US Department of Defense under Hegseth and the Trump administration. It was a core objective for the Biden administration and first Trump one, as well as past administrations, though the interpretations were different. Generally, it serves as a subjective measuring stick for DoD programs and projects, the aim being to be able to effectively defeat an enemy. Right now, that long-standing Pentagon buzzword is the deciding factor for what the Army and other services prioritize. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
04-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
The US Army's done with Humvees and the Robotic Combat Vehicles. Here's what leaders want instead.
US Army leaders say Humvees and Robotic Combat Vehicles aren't useful for future fights, but the Infantry Squad Vehicle is. Ongoing decisions about what stays and what goes are part of a larger transformation initiative that has the Army reviewing its force structure and cutting certain programs it deems no longer necessary for the kinds of wars the US military wants to be ready to fight should worse come to worst. Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll and Gen. James Rainey, the commanding general overseeing Army Futures Command, talked to Business Insider about some of what is getting axed and why. Driscoll pointed to the Robotic Combat Vehicle, or RCV, program, which launched in 2019 with the goal of integrating autonomous and remotely operated capabilities into the Army's ground systems. Three versions were initially planned — an expendable light variant, a durable medium variant, and a lethal heavy variant designed for combat against an enemy armored vehicle. But the development of the RCV hit snags. "We know we need autonomy, we know that we need the ability to move things in a way that is not controlled by human beings," Driscoll said. But the requirements the Army put together for it ended up making it just this "incredibly large, incredibly heavy, incredibly expensive, relatively exquisite tool," he said. By the time the Army went to purchase them, the threats to the RCV, like small, hostile drones, had grown substantially. In Ukraine, slow, heavy, expensive vehicles have been prime targets for cheap exploding drones. "It might have been there in the beginning and we got it wrong from the very beginning," he said, "but at a minimum, by the time it came due for us actually purchase a lot of these and get them into formations, it just no longer made sense anymore." He called the move to end the program "a hard decision." The Humvee, or High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, is also being phased out. "It's 40 years old. It was useful in its time," Rainey said. "If you look at the ubiquitous sensing drones just in Ukraine and Russia, the survivability of a wheeled vehicle is very low." The Army also recently ended the M10 Booker Mobile Protected Firepower program just before it was set to go into full-rate production and after spending well over a billion dollars on the project. The decision was made in response to ongoing global conflicts "and in support of the strategic objectives outlined in the Army Transformation Initiative," according to a memo issued by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth earlier this year. The memo outlined the focal points, timelines, and priorities of the Army going forward, including reducing and restructuring attack helicopter formations and augmenting them with unmanned aircraft, putting thousands of drones into the hands of soldiers, and focusing on the Indo-Pacific theater and China. The efforts in the directive are estimated to cost around $36 billion over the next five years and represent one of the largest Army overhauls since the end of the Cold War. Army officials have said it's designed to increase lethality and readiness in the service and is focused on the needs of individual warfighters. In the interview with BI, Driscoll and Rainey identified one platform that represents what it wants more of. "We have a requirements and acquisitions success story with the Infantry Squad Vehicles," Rainey said. The relatively new M1301 Infantry Squad Vehicle entered service in 2020. Rainey said that the platform was designed well and requirements were useful and thoughtful. "We went fast, but we iterated with soldiers continually through the process. We ended up with a very useful vehicle," he said. Driscoll said that in conversations with soldiers, the Army learned that they wanted a vehicle to prioritize speed and all-terrain driving over protection. It speaks to, the service secretary said, the Army "trying to build a menu of offensive and defensive solutions." For some missions, something like the Infantry Squad Vehicle will be more effective. And for others, a heavier, more armored platform could still be valuable and available. Much of what Driscoll and others say they're focused on comes out of efforts to be smarter and more cost-effective in Army purchases. "We feel a large enough existential threat, and it is important enough that we can no longer make decisions simply based off where jobs might exist or what private companies may benefit from our decisions," he said. "Instead, we have to optimize for soldier lethality in the fight ahead." Lethality is a guiding principle for the US Department of Defense under Hegseth and the Trump administration. It was a core objective for the Biden administration and first Trump one, as well as past administrations, though the interpretations were different. Generally, it serves as a subjective measuring stick for DoD programs and projects, the aim being to be able to effectively defeat an enemy. Right now, that long-standing Pentagon buzzword is the deciding factor for what the Army and other services prioritize.
Business Insider
26-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Defense companies need to 'quit trying to sell us pieces of the puzzle' and work together, says top US general
US defense firms need to "stop selling us pieces of the puzzle" and work more closely together to counter threats around areas like drones and Artificial Intelligence, a top US general said. Gen. Jim Rainey, the head of Army Futures Command, discussed emerging threats and the US military's capacity to counter them in an episode of the War on the Rocks podcast, released on Wednesday. The deployment of AI in warfare and drones are "the biggest two places we need to close the ground quickly," he said. Rainey identified technologies like microwaves, lasers, and electronic warfare as ways to counter these threats, but said weak spots remained and called for the defense industry to "self-organize" to identify solutions. "What we really need is people to quit trying to sell us pieces of the puzzle, and somebody to pull that team together with the sum of those capabilities," he said. Drones have emerged as a key weapon in the war in Ukraine, where both Russia and Ukraine have used them for surveillance and fitted them with bombs to be used as remotely-controlled explosives. China and the US are also experimenting with sophisticated AI-enabled drones that can operate independently of human control, including some that can be deployed as part of a "swarm," operating autonomously and in coordination. The Pentagon has been urgently seeking ways to combat drones, with then-US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin releasing a counter-drone strategy in December. Private sector companies, including the likes of California-based Anduril, are also rolling out new tech solutions. In his remarks, Rainey called for "a bunch of companies to come together, go find the best high-power microwave guy or two, get the best radar people," and then bring them together into an "integrated, data-centric AI-driven capability."
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sen. Tim Kaine says merger between TRADOC and AFC not expected to impact Fort Eustis
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — A merger of the Army Futures Command (AFC), headquartered in Austin, Texas, and the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, is raising concerns among some community members. According to a release from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the army plans to undergo a transformation and acquisition reform, which would include streamlining its force structure, eliminating wasteful spending, modernizing inefficient defense contracts and restructuring the army force structure. Part of the reform includes the merger of AFC and TRADOC. The release states this will help 'ensure strategic readiness, efficiency, and modernization.' AFC's website states they currently have over 17,000 personnel worldwide and work to ensure United States soldiers 'remain at the forefront of technological innovation and warfighting ability.' TRADOC's website states they help to train, educate and build the Army. Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, however, said the merger is not expected to impact personnel at Fort Eustis, where TRADOC is headquartered. 'Army leadership told me that, despite the merger of TRADOC and Army Futures Command, TRADOC operations will remain at Fort Eustis with no significant change to personnel levels,' Kaine said. 'This will provide continuity for servicemembers, their families, contractors and the Hampton Roads community. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I will continue to monitor the situation to make sure these assurances are upheld.' The full release of the Army Transformation and Acquisition Reform can be read in full below: ARMY-TRANSFORMATION-AND-ACQUISITION-REFORMDownload Continue to check for updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Army Futures Command prepares for ‘significant transformation' as warfare sees an evolution
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The group in charge of modernizing the military will soon undergo one of the 'most significant transformation(s) the Army has seen in a generation.' Army Futures Command (AFC), based in downtown Austin, will soon merge with the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) after an order by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The order, issued on April 30, aims to divest 'outdated, redundant and inefficient programs.' A spokesperson with AFC told KXAN the Army Transformation Initiative will 'make the Army more lethal.' 'These changes will help the Army transform with urgency to meet the challenges in the priority theater, the Indo-Pacific and breakdown institutional barriers and inertia that undermine our transformation efforts,' the spokesperson said. ARMY-TRANSFORMATION-AND-ACQUISITION-REFORMDownload The spokesperson did not have details on what the merger will look like at the time. 'The army headquarters in downtown Austin is here because we wanted to be in a tech hub. We wanted to be with startups. We wanted to be with venture capitalists. We wanted to be with a center of academia,' said General Michael C. McCurry, chief of staff at AFC. AFC, according to McCurry, is designed to anticipate the future of war and figure out what technology and tools are needed. 'I was a young major in the Middle East during the global war on terror, and, you know, I remember the first day I saw a great big unmanned system,' McCurry said. Today, unmanned systems are commonplace. They can even be spotted on Austin's streets in the form of driverless cars. 'My number one goal is just to make sure it's never going to be a fair fight,' McCurry said. 'That our soldiers are armed with things that make it not a fair fight for the guy on the other side.' Driverless vehicles, like drones, once served as scouts that snapped photos of the enemy. The future could see these tools become the vanguard. 'I grew up in the cavalry, and we always said, 'make contact with the smallest element.' Well, now it's make contact with an unmanned element first,' McCurry said. Technology to protect soldiers a cornerstone of modern warfare, Army Futures Command says The general thinks first about protecting soldiers, whom he calls the 'silver bullet' of the U.S. Armed Forces. He has two children and a son-in-law currently serving. 'Other countries around the world fight a group of things, we fight with a formation of capability. And we try to build that around our soldiers,' McCurry said. McCurry said integrating soldiers and technology is the real future of war. 'Is it something that has to be done a long time where somebody won't be able to go to sleep? Is it something that's exceedingly dangerous, like breaching a minefield or penetrating an air defense line? Those things we want to do with machines.' Announced in July 2018, Army Futures Command's Austin headquarters was established by President Donald Trump during his first term in office. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
