The reorganization plan of the United States Army is a modernization (2015–2028) and reorganization (2006–2016) plan of the United States Army implemented (2006–2016) under the direction of Brigade Modernization Command. This effort formally began in 2006 when General Peter Schoomaker (the 35th Army Chief of Staff) was given the support to move the Army from its Cold War divisional orientation to a full-spectrum capability with fully manned, equipped and trained brigades; this effort was completed by the end of 2016.[1] It has been the most comprehensive reorganization since World War II and included modular combat brigades, support brigades, and command headquarters, as well as rebalancing the active and reserve components. The plan was first proposed by the Army's 34th Chief of Staff, Eric Shinseki, in 1999, but was bitterly opposed internally by the Army.[2]
By 2028, in Multi-Domain Operations (MDO)[b]—as part of the Joint force, Army Strategy is to counter a near-peer adversary which is capable of competition in all domains.[c][3][4][5][6][7][8] In 2019, the planning was for Large Scale ground Combat Operations (LSCO) at echelons above the brigade combat team (meaning division-sized units, or larger).[9][10][11] Multi-Domain Task Forces (MDTFs) operate in a combatant commander's theater (area of responsibility). MDTFs are experimental brigade-sized units which are tailored to the theater; they are to operate subordinate to a Theater fires command, or to a corps, or division headquarters, jointly or independently, depending on the mission.[12][4] These MDTFs increase the "capability to connect with national assets" in space and cyber, with "the capacity to penetrate with long range fires, with the ability to integrate all domains".[12][13] —This is integrated deterrence:[14][15] taking existing capabilities, as well as building on new capabilities, which have been deployed in new and networked ways,[c] all tailored to the security landscape of the respective regions, in order to deter the antagonists.[16][17]
In 2020, the Army's 40th Chief of Staff, Gen. James C. McConville, was calling for transformational change, rather than incremental change by the Army.[18]: minute 4:55 In 2021, McConville laid out Aimpoint 2035, a direction for the Army to achieve Corps-level Large-scale combat operations (LSCO) by 2035, with Waypoints from 2021 to 2028.[19][20][21] In the fall of 2018, Army Strategy for the next ten years was articulated listeding four Lines of Effort to be implemented.[22] By August 2023, the Army's 41st[23][24] Chief of Staff Gen. Randy A. George could lay out his priorities:[25] The priorities are
Prior to the appointment of General Schoomaker, the Army was organized around large, mostly mechanized divisions, of around 15,000 soldiers each, with the aim of being able to fight in two major theatres simultaneously. Under the new plan, the Army would be organized around modular brigades of 3,000–4,000 soldiers each, with the aim of being able to deploy continuously in different parts of the world, and effectively organizing the Army closer to the way it fights.[citation needed]
An additional 30,000 soldiers were recruited as a short-term measure to assist in the structural changes, although a permanent end-strength change was not expected because of fears of future funding cuts, forcing the Army to pay for the additional personnel from procurement and readiness accounts. Up to 60% of the defense budget is spent on personnel and an extra 10,000 soldiers would cost US$1.4 billion annually.[citation needed]
"Belfer Center Conference on Military Transformation" was held by the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, co-sponsored by the United States Army War College and the Dwight D. Eisenhower National Security Series, on November 22 and 23, 2002.[27] It brought together present and former defense officials and military commanders to assess the Department of Defense's progress in achieving a "transformation" of U.S. military capabilities.
In 2004, the United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM), which commands most active and reserve forces based in the Continental United States, was tasked with supervising the modular transformation of its subordinate structure.
In March 2004, a contract was awarded to Anteon Corporation (later a part of General Dynamics) to provide "Modularity Coordination Cells" (MCCs) to each transforming corps, division and brigade within FORSCOM. Each MCC contained a team of functional area specialists who provided direct, ground-level support to the unit. The MCCs were coordinated by the Anteon office in Atlanta, Georgia.
In 2007 a new deployment scheme known as Grow the Army was adopted that enabled the Army to carry out continuous operations.[28] The plan was modified several times including an expansion of troop numbers in 2007 and changes to the number of modular brigades. On 25 June 2013, plans were announced to disband 13 modular brigade combat teams (BCTs) and expand the remaining brigades with an extra maneuver battalion, extra fires batteries, and an engineer battalion.
In 2009 an 'ongoing campaign of learning' was the capstone concept for force commanders, meant to carry the Army from 2016 to 2028.[29][21]
The Secretary of the Army approved implementing "Army Force Generation" (ARFORGEN), a transformational force generation model, in 2006. ARFORGEN process diagram [47]
ARFORGEN model concept development began in the summer of 2004 and received its final approval from the Army's senior leadership in early 2006.[48]
FORSCOM, Department of the Army AR 525-29 Military Operations, Army Force Generation, 14 Mar 2011[dead link]
In 2016 the Army force generation process ARFORGEN was sidelined because it relied mostly on the Active Army, in favor of the total force policy, which includes the Reserve and National Guard; in the new model, the total force could have fallen to 980,000 by 2018,[49] subject to DoD's Defense Strategic Guidance to the Joint Staff.[50]: note especially pp.1–3 By 15 June 2017, the Department of the Army approved an increase in the Active Army's end-strength from 475,000 to 476,000. The total Army end-strength increases to 1.018 million.[51]
Planning process, evolution, and transformationEdit
The commander-in-chief directs the planning process, through guidance to the Army by the Secretary of Defense.[50] Every year, Army Posture Statements by the Secretary of the Army and the Chief of Staff of the Army summarize their assessment[e] of the Army's ability to respond to world events,[53][54] and also to transform for the future.[55] In support of transformation for the future, TRADOC, upon the advice of the Army's stakeholders, has assembled 20 warfighting challenges.[56] These challenges are under evaluation during annual Army warfighting assessments, such as AWA 17.1, held in October 2016. AWA 17.1 was an assessment by 5,000 US Soldiers, Special Operations Forces, Airmen, and Marines,[57] as well as by British, Australian, Canadian, Danish, and Italian troops.[58][59][60][61] For example, "reach-back" is among the capabilities being assessed; when under attack in an unexpected location, a Soldier on the move might use Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T). At the halt, a light Transportable Tactical Command Communications (T2C2 Lite) system[62]: p.356 [63][64][65][66] could reach back to a mobile command post, to communicate the unexpected situation to higher echelons,[67][68] a building block in multi-domain operations.[69][70][22][71]
Implementation and current statusEdit
Grow the Army was a transformation and re-stationing initiative of the United States Army which began in 2007 and was scheduled to be completed by fiscal year 2013. The initiative was designed to grow the army by almost 75,000 soldiers, while realigning a large portion of the force in Europe to the continental United States in compliance with the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure suggestions. This grew the force from 42 Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) and 75 modular support brigades in 2007 to 45 Brigade Combat Teams and 83 modular support brigades by 2013.
On 25 June 2013, 38th Army Chief of Staff General Raymond T. Odierno announced plans to disband 13 brigade combat teams and reduce troop strengths by 80,000 soldiers. While the number of BCTs will be reduced, the size of remaining BCTs will increase, on average, to about 4,500 soldiers. That will be accomplished, in many cases, by moving existing battalions and other assets from existing BCTs into other brigades. Two brigade combat teams in Germany had already been deactivated and a further 10 brigade combat teams slated for deactivation were announced by General Odierno on 25 June. (An additional brigade combat team was announced for deactivation 6 November 2014.) At the same time the maneuver battalions from the disbanded brigades will be used to augment armored and infantry brigade combat teams with a third maneuver battalion and expanded brigades fires capabilities by adding a third battery to the existing fires battalions. Furthermore, all brigade combat teams—armored, infantry and Stryker—will gain a Brigade Engineer Battalion, with "gap-crossing" and route-clearance capability.[72]
On 6 November 2014, it was reported that the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, currently stationed in South Korea, was to be deactivated in June 2015 and be replaced by a succession of U.S.-based brigade combat teams, which are to be rotated in and out, at the same nine-month tempo as practiced by the Army from 2001 to 2014.[73]
Eleven brigades were inactivated by 2015. The remaining brigades as of 2015 are listed below. On 16 March 2016, the Deputy Commanding General (DCG) of FORSCOM announced that the brigades would now also train to move their equipment to their new surge location as well as to train for the requirements of their next deployment.[74][75][76][77]
By 2018, 23rd Secretary of the Army Mark Esper noted that even though the large deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan had ceased, at any given time, three of the Armored Brigade Combat Teams are deployed to EUCOM, CENTCOM, and INDOPACOM, respectively, while two Infantry Brigade Combat Teams are deployed to Iraq, and Afghanistan, respectively.[78]
[At any given time,] there are more than 100,000 Soldiers deployed around the world —23rd Secretary of the Army Mark Esper[78]
In 2019 the 23rd Secretary of the Army asserted that the planning efforts, including Futures Command, the SFABs, and the Decisive Action readiness training of the BCTs are preparing the Army for competition with both near-peer and regional powers.[79][80] The Army and Marine Corps have issued "clear explanations and guidance for the 429 articles of the Geneva Conventions".[81][82]
The Budget Control Act could potentially restrict funds by 2020.[94] By 2024–2025, the Fiscal Year Development Plan (FYDP) will have reallocated $10 billion more into development of the top 6 modernization priorities,[d] taking those funds from legacy spending budgets.[95]
Reorganization plans by unit typeEdit
The Army has now been organized around modular brigades of 3,000–4,000 soldiers each, with the aim of being able to deploy continuously in different parts of the world, and effectively organizing the Army closer to the way it fights. The fact that this modernization is now in place has been acknowledged by the renaming of the 'Brigade Modernization Command' to the "U.S. Army Joint Modernization Command," on 16 February 2017.[1]
By 2021 the Army of 2030 was envisioned to consist of Brigades for the close fight, Divisions for Large scale combat operations, Corps for enduring, sustained operations, and Theater-scale commands.[19][20][a]
Modular combat brigades are self-contained combined arms formations.[103][104] They are standardized formations across the active and reserve components, meaning an Armored BCT at Fort Cavazos is the same as one at Fort Stewart.[f]
Reconnaissance plays a large role in the new organizational designs. The Army felt the acquisition of the target was the weak link in the chain of finding, fixing, closing with, and destroying the enemy. The Army felt that it had already sufficient lethal platforms to take out the enemy and thus the number of reconnaissance units in each brigade was increased.[g] The brigades sometimes depend on joint fires from the Air Force and Navy to accomplish their mission. As a result, the amount of field artillery has been reduced in the brigade design.
The three types of BCTs are Armored Brigade Combat Teams (ABCTs), Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCTs) (includes Light, Air Assault and Airborne units), and Stryker Brigade Combat Teams (SBCTs).
Armored Brigade structure
Armored Brigade Combat Teams, or ABCTs consist of 4,743 troops. This includes the third maneuver battalion as laid out in 2013. The changes announced by the U.S. army on 25 June 2013,[72] include adding a third maneuver battalion to the brigade, a second engineer company to a new Brigade Engineer Battalion, a third battery to the FA battalion, and reducing the size of each battery from 8 to 6 guns. These changes will also increase the number of troops in the affected battalions and also increase the total troops in the brigade. Since the brigade has more organic units, the command structure includes a deputy commander (in addition to the traditional executive officer) and a larger staff capable of working with civil affairs, special operations, psychological operations, air defense, and aviation units. An Armored BCT consists of:
the brigade headquarters and headquarters company (HHC): 43 officers, 17 warrant officers, 125 enlisted personnel – total: 185 soldiers.
a Cavalry (formerly Armed Reconnaissance) Squadron, consisting of a headquarters troop (HHT) and three reconnaissance troops and one armored troop. The HHT fields 2× M3A3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicles (CFVs) and 3× M7A3 Bradley Fire Support Vehicles, while each reconnaissance troop fields 7× M3A3 CFVs. The squadron fields 35 officers and 385 enlisted personnel – total: 424 soldiers.
three identical combined arms battalions, flagged as a battalion of an infantry, armored or cavalry regiment. Each battalion consists of a headquarters and headquarters company, two tank companies and two mechanized infantry companies. The battalions field 48 officers and 580 enlisted personnel each – total: 628 soldiers. The HHC fields 1× M1A2main battle tank, 1× M2A3 infantry fighting vehicle, 3× M3A3 cavalry fighting vehicles, 4× M7A3 fire support vehicles and 4× M1064 mortar carriers with M120 120 mm mortars. Each of the two tank companies fields 14× M1A2main battle tanks, while each mechanized infantry company fields 14× M2A3 infantry fighting vehicles. In 2016, the ABCT's combined arms battalions adopted a triangle structure, of two armored battalions (of two armored companies plus a single mechanized infantry company) plus a mechanized infantry battalion (of two mechanized companies and one armored company).[107] This resulted in the reduction of two mechanized infantry companies; the deleted armored company was reflagged as a troop to the Cavalry Squadron.
a Field Artillery battalion, consisting of a headquarters battery, two cannon batteries with 8× M109A6self-propelled 155 mm howitzers each (the changes announced by the U.S. Army on 25 June 2013,[72] include adding a third battery to the FA battalion, and reducing the size of each battery from 8 to 6 guns; these changes also increase the number of troops in the affected battalions and also increase the total troops in the Brigade), and a target acquisition platoon. 24 officers, 2 warrant officers, 296 enlisted personnel – total: 322 soldiers.
a brigade support battalion (BSB),[108] consisting of a headquarters, medical, distribution and maintenance company, plus six forward support companies, each of which support one of the three combined arms battalions, the cavalry squadron, the engineer battalion and the field artillery battalion. 61 officers, 14 warrant officers, 1,019 enlisted personnel – total: 1,094 soldiers.
Infantry Brigade structure
Infantry Brigade Combat Team, or IBCTs, comprised around 3,300 soldiers, in the pre-2013 design, which did not include the 3rd maneuver battalion. The 2013 end-strength is now 4,413 Soldiers:
Special Troops Battalion (now Brigade Engineer Battalion)
Stryker Brigade Combat Team or SBCTs comprised about 3,900 soldiers, making it the largest of the three combat brigade constructs in the 2006 design, and over 4,500 Soldiers in the 2013 reform. Its design includes:
Headquarters Company
Cavalry Squadron (with three 14-vehicle, two-120 mm mortar reconnaissance troops plus a surveillance troop with UAVs and NBC detection capability)
(3) Stryker infantry battalions (each with three rifle companies with 12 infantry-carrying vehicles, 3 mobile gun platforms, 2 120 mm mortars, and around 100 infantry dismounts each, plus an HHC with scout, mortar and medical platoons and a sniper section.)
Engineer Company (folded into the Brigade Engineer Battalion) [An additional engineer company was added to the battalion[72] in the 2013 reform]
Signal Company (folded into the Brigade Engineer Battalion)
Military Intelligence Company (with UAV platoon) (folded into the Brigade Engineer Battalion)
Anti-tank company (9 TOW-equipped Stryker vehicles) (folded into the Brigade Engineer Battalion)
Field Artillery Battalion (three 6-gun 155 mm Howitzer batteries, target acquisition platoon, and a joint fires cell)
Brigade Support Battalion (headquarters, medical, maintenance, and distribution companies)[108]
Modular support brigadesEdit
Combat support brigadesEdit
Heavy Combat Aviation Brigade StructureFull Spectrum Combat Aviation Brigade Structure
Similar modularity will exist for support units which fall into five types: Aviation, Fires (artillery), Battlefield Surveillance (intelligence), Maneuver Enhancement (engineers, signal, military police, chemical, and rear-area support), and Sustainment (logistics, medical, transportation, maintenance, etc.). In the past, artillery, combat support, and logistics support only resided at the division level and brigades were assigned those units only on a temporary basis when brigades transformed into "brigade combat teams" for particular deployments.
Combat Aviation Brigades are multi-functional, offering a combination of attack helicopters (i.e., Boeing AH-64 Apache), reconnaissance helicopters (i.e., OH-58 Kiowa), medium-lift helicopters (i.e., UH-60 Black Hawk), heavy-lift helicopters (i.e., CH-47 Chinook), and medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) capability. Aviation will not be organic to combat brigades but will continue to reside at the division-level due to resource constraints.
Heavy divisions (of which there are six) will have 48 Apaches, 38 Blackhawks, 12 Chinooks, and 12 Medevac helicopters in their aviation brigade. These are divided into two aviation attack battalions, an assault lift battalion, a general aviation support battalion. An aviation support battalion will have headquarters, refuelling/resupply, repair/maintenance, and communications companies.[109] Light divisions will have aviation brigades with 60 armed reconnaissance helicopters and no Apaches, with the remaining structure the same. The remaining divisions will have aviation brigades with 30 armed reconnaissance helicopters and 24 Apaches, with the remaining structure the same. Ten Army Apache helicopter units will convert to heavy attack reconnaissance squadrons, with 12 RQ-7B Shadow drones apiece.[106][110] The helicopters to fill out these large, combined-arms division-level aviation brigades comes from aviation units that used to reside at the corps-level.
Fires Brigade Structure
Field Artillery Brigades (known as "Fires Brigades" prior to 2014) provide traditional artillery fire (M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzer, M270 MLRS and HIMARS rocket artillery) as well as information operations and non-lethal effects capabilities. After the 2013 reform, the expertise formerly embodied in the pre-2007 Division Artillery (DIVARTY) was formally re-instituted in the Division Artillery (DIVARTY) of 2015, with a colonel as commander.[111] The operational Fires battalions will now report to this new formulation of DIVARTY, for training and operational Fires standards, as well as to the BCT.[112][113]
Air Defense: The Army was no longer to provide an organic air defense artillery (ADA) battalion to its divisions as of 2007. Nine of the ten active component (AC) divisional ADA battalions and two of the eight reserve (ARNG) divisional ADA battalions will deactivate. The remaining AC divisional ADA battalion along with six ARNG divisional ADA battalions will be pooled at the Unit of Employment to provide on-call air and missile defense (AMD) protection. The pool of Army AMD resources will address operational requirements in a tailorable and timely manner without stripping assigned AMD capability from other missions. Maneuver short-range air defense (MSHORAD)[114] with laser cannon prototypes fielding by 2020.[115] But by 2015 the Division Artillery was restored.
Maneuver Enhancement Brigades are designed to be self-contained, and will command units such as chemical, military police, civil affairs units, and tactical units such as a maneuver infantry battalion. These formations are designed so that they can operate with coalition, or joint forces such as the Marine Corps, or can span the gap between modular combat brigades and other modular support brigades.[h]
Combat Sustainment Brigade Structure
Sustainment Brigades provide echelon-above-brigade-level logistics.[117] On its rotation to South Korea, 3rd ABCT, 1st Armored Division deployed its supply support activity (SSA) common authorized stockage list (CASL)[118] as well.[119] The CASL allows the ABCT to draw additional stocks beyond its pipeline of materiel from GCSS-A.[119] The DoD-level Global Combat Support System includes an Army-level tool (GCSS-A), which runs on tablet computers with bar code readers which 92-A specialists use to enter and track materiel requests, as the materiel makes its way through the supply chain to the brigades.[120] This additional information can then be used by GCSS-A to trigger resupply for Army pre-positioned stocks, typically by sea.[120][121]: p.12 The data in GCSS-Army is displayed on the Commander's Dashboard —Army Readiness-Common Operating Picture (AR-COP); this dashboard is also available to the commander at BCT, division, corps, and Army levels.[122]
Battlefield Surveillance Brigade Structure
The former Battlefield Surveillance Brigades,[123] now denoted Military Intelligence Brigades (Expeditionary), will offer additional UAVs and long-term surveillance detachments.[124] Each of the three active duty brigades is attached to an Army Corps.[123]
Maneuver Enhancement Brigade Structure
Security Force Assistance BrigadesEdit
Security force assistance brigades (SFABs) are brigades whose mission is to train, advise, and assist (TAA) the armed forces of other states. The SFAB are neither bound by conventional decisive operations nor counter-insurgency operations. Operationally, a 500-soldier SFAB would free-up a 4500-soldier BCT from a TAA mission. On 23 June 2016 General Mark Milley revealed plans for train/advise/assist Brigades, consisting of seasoned officers and NCOs with a full chain of command,[125]: Minute 18:40/1:00:45 but no junior Soldiers. In the event of a national emergency the end-strengths of the SFABs could be augmented with new soldiers from basic training and advanced individual training.[125]
An SFAB was projected to consist of 500 senior officers and NCOs, which, the Army says, could act as a cadre to reform a full BCT in a matter of months.[126] In May 2017, the initial SFAB staffing of 529 soldiers was underway, including 360 officers. The officers will have had previous command experience.[125]: 21:20 Commanders and leaders will have previously led BCTs at the same echelon.[127] The remaining personnel, all senior NCOs, are to be recruited from across the Army.[128][129][130] Promotable E-4s who volunteer for the SFAB are automatically promoted to Sergeant upon completion of the Military Advisor Training Academy.[131] A team of twelve soldiers would include a medic, personnel for intelligence support, and air support,[132] as cited by Keller.[133][134]
These SFABs would be trained in languages, how to work with interpreters,[135] and equipped with the latest equipment[136] such as Integrated Tactical Network (ITN)[137] using T2C2 systems[138][139] including secure, but unclassified, communications[140] and weapons to support coalition partners,[141] as well as unmanned aircraft systems (UASs).[142] The first five SFABs would align with the Combatant Commands (SOUTHCOM, AFRICOM, CENTCOM, EUCOM, and USINDOPACOM, respectively);[19] an SFAB could provide up to 58 teams (possibly with additional Soldiers for force protection).[141]
Funding for the first two SFABs was secured in June 2017.[51] By October 2017, the first of six planned SFABs (the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade)[143] was established at Fort Moore.[144][125]: minute 50:00 On 16 October 2017, BG Brian Mennes of Force Management in the Army's G3/5/7 announced accelerated deployment of the first two SFABs, possibly by Spring 2018 to Afghanistan and Iraq, if required.[141] This was approved in early July 2017, by the 27th Secretary of Defense and the 39th Chief of Staff of the Army. On 8 February 2018, 1st SFAB held an activation ceremony at Fort Moore, revealing its colors and heraldry for the first time, and then cased its colors for the deployment to Afghanistan.[145] 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade deployed to Afghanistan in spring 2018.[146]
On 8 December 2017, the Army announced the activation of the 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade,[147] for January 2018, the second of six planned SFABs. The SFAB are to consist of about 800 senior and noncommissioned officers who have served at the same echelon, with proven expertise in advise-and-assist operations with foreign security forces. Fort Liberty was chosen as the station for the second SFAB[148] in anticipation of the time projected to train a Security Force Assistance Brigade.[147] On 17 January 2018 39th Chief of Staff Mark Milley announced the activation of the third SFAB.[133] 2nd SFAB undergoes three months of training beginning October 2018, to be followed by a Joint Readiness Training Center Rotation beginning January 2019, and deployment in spring 2019.[149] The 3rd, 4th, and 5th SFABs are to be stationed at Fort Cavazos, Fort Carson, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, respectively;[150] the headquarters of the 54th Security Force Assistance Brigade, made up from the Army National Guard, will be in Indiana, one of six states to contribute an element of 54th SFAB.[151] It is likely that these brigades will be seeing service within United States Central Command.[152][153]
The Security Force Assistance Command (SFAC), a one-star division-level command[154] and all six SFABs will be activated by 2020.[22] The Security Force Assistance Directorate, a one-star Directorate for the SFABs, is part of FORSCOM in Fort Liberty. SFAD will be responsible for the Military Advisor Training Academy as well.[155][156] The 1st SFAB commander was promoted to Brigadier General in Gardez, Afghanistan on 18 August 2018.[157] The 2nd SFAB commander was promoted to Brigadier General 7 September 2018.[158] SFAC and 2nd SFAB were activated in a joint ceremony at Fort Liberty on 3 December 2018.[154] 2nd SFAB deployed to Afghanistan in February 2019.[159][160] 3rd SFAB activated at Fort Hood on 16 July 2019;[161] 3rd SFAB will relieve 2nd SFAB in Afghanistan for the Winter 2019 rotation.[162]
Security Assistance is part of The Army Strategy 2018's Line of Effort 4: "Strengthen Alliances and Partnerships".[22] The Security Assistance Command is based at Redstone Arsenal[163] (but the SFAC is based at Fort Liberty).[154]
Army Field Support BrigadesEdit
Army Field Support Brigades (AFSBs) have been utilized to field materiel in multiple Combatant Command's Areas of Responsibility (AORs).[164][121]: p22-27 and p.77–78 Initially 405th AFSBprepositioned stocks for a partial brigade; eventually, the 405th was to field materiel for an ABCT, a Division headquarters, a Fires Brigade, and a Sustainment Brigade in their AOR, which required multinational agreements.[165] Similarly, 401st AFSB configured materiel for an ABCT in their AOR as well. The objective has been combat configuration: maintain their vehicles to support a 96-hour readiness window for a deployed ABCT on demand.[166] In addition, 403rd Army Field Support Brigade maintains prepositioned stocks for their AOR.
Command headquartersEdit
Below the Combatant Commands echelon, Division commands will command and control their combat and support brigades.[167] Divisions will operate as plug-and-play headquarters commands (similar to corps) instead of fixed formations with permanently assigned units. Any combination of brigades may be allocated to a division command for a particular mission, up to a maximum of four combat brigades. For instance, the 3rd Infantry Division headquarters could be assigned two armor brigades and two infantry brigades based on the expected requirements of a given mission. On its next deployment, the same division may have one Stryker brigade and two armor brigades assigned to it. The same modus operandi holds true for support units. The goal of reorganization with regard to logistics is to streamline the logistics command structure[168] so that combat service support can fulfill its support mission more efficiently.[169][170]
The division headquarters itself has also been redesigned as a modular unit that can be assigned an array of units and serve in many different operational environments.[171] The new term for this headquarters is the UEx (or Unit of Employment, X). The headquarters is designed to be able to operate as part of a joint force, command joint forces with augmentation, and command at the operational level of warfare (not just the tactical level). It will include organic security personnel and signal capability plus liaison elements. As of March 2015, nine of the ten regular Army division headquarters, and two national guard division headquarters are committed in support of Combatant Commands.[53]: Executive Summary [172][173]
When not deployed, the division will have responsibility for the training and readiness of a certain number of modular brigades units. For instance, the 3rd Infantry Division headquarters module based at Fort Stewart, GA is responsible for the readiness of its combat brigades and other units of the division (that is, 3rd ID is responsible for administrative control —ADCON of its downtrace units), assuming they have not been deployed separately under a different division.
The re-designed headquarters module comprises around 1,000 soldiers including over 200 officers. It includes:
A Main Command Post where mission planning and analysis are conducted
A mobile command group for commanding while on the move
(2) Tactical Command Posts to exercise control of brigades[174]
Liaison elements
A special troops battalion with a security company and signal company
Divisions will continue to be commanded by major generals, unless coalition requirements require otherwise. Regional army commands (e.g. 3rd Army, 7th Army, 8th Army) will remain in use in the future but with changes to the organization of their headquarters designed to make the commands more integrated and relevant in the structure of the reorganized Army, as the chain of command for a deployed division headquarters now runs directly to an Army service component command (ASCC), or to FORSCOM.[171]
In January 2017, examples of pared-down tactical operations centers, suitable for brigades and divisions, were demonstrated at a command post huddle at Fort Bliss. The huddle of the commanders of FORSCOM, United States Army Reserve Command, First Army, I and III Corps, 9 of the Active Army divisions, and other formations discussed standardized solutions for streamlining command posts.[174] The Army is paring-down the tactical operations centers, and making them more agile,[167][175][176][177] to increase their survivability.[113][178][179] By July 2019 battalion command posts have demonstrated jump times of just over 3 hours, at the combat training centers, repeated 90 to 120 times in a rotation.[180][181][182] The C5ISR center of CCDC ran a series of experiments (Network Modernization Experiment 2020 — NetModX 20) whether using LTE for connecting nodes in a distributed Command post environment was feasible, from July to October 2020.[183][184][185][186][187]
AFC, grew from 12 people at headquarters in 2018[188][189] to 24,000 in 25 states and 15 countries in 2019.[190] Although the Army has enjoyed overmatch for the past seventy years,[34] more rapid modernization for conflict with near-peers is the reason for AFC, which will be focused on achieving clear overmatch[191] in six areas — long-range precision fires,[192][193] next-generation combat vehicle, future vertical lift platforms, a mobile & expeditionary Army network,[194][195] air & missile defense capabilities,[196] and soldier lethality[197] (i.e. artillery, armor, aviation, signal, air defense artillery, and infantry).[d]
In a break with Army custom, AFC headquarters was placed in a downtown property of the University of Texas System, and project-driven soldiers and Army civilians with entrepreneurs/innovators in tech hubs.[198][199][31] AFC was activated on 24 August 2018, in Austin, Texas;[200] AFC soldiers were to blend into Austin by not wearing their uniforms to work side by side with civilians in the tech hubs.[201]: minute 6:20
The organizational design of AFC was informed by the cancellation of the Army's Future Combat Systems project, McCarthy said.[31]: Minute 19:40 Thus "unity of command and purpose"[31]: Minutes 12:22, 23:01
The Program Executive Offices (PEOs) of ASA (ALT) will have a dotted-line relationship with Futures Command.[202][d]
The first tranche of transfers into AFC included: Capabilities Integration Center (ARCIC), Capability Development and Integration Directorates (CDIDs), and TRADOC Analysis Center (TRAC) from TRADOC, and RDECOM (including the six research, development and engineering centers (RDECs), and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL)[206]), and Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity (AMSAA), from AMC, as announced by Secretary Esper on 4 June 2018.[207] TRADOC's new role is amended accordingly.[207] The Principal Military Deputy to the ASA(ALT) was also to become deputy commanding general for Combat Systems, Army Futures Command, while leading the PEOs; he has directed each PEO who does not have a CFT to coordinate with, to immediately form one, at least informally.[208] General Murray has announced that AFC intends to be a global command, in its search for disruptive technologies.[209] 39th Army Chief of Staff Milley was looking for AFC to attain full operational capability (FOC) by August 2019,[201] a goal since met.
As this modernized materiel is fielded to the brigades, the scheme is to equip the units with the highest levels of readiness for deployment with upgraded equipment earliest, while continuing to train the remaining units to attain their full mission capability.[210]
In 2017, the concept of multi-domain battle (MDB)[211] had emerged from TRADOC,[212] for which the Army sought joint approval from the other services; instead, the Air Force recommended multi-domain operations (MDO)[b] as the operating concept.[213][3][214]
Multi-domain operations cover integrated operation of cyberspace, space (meaning satellite operations, from the Army's perspective), land, maritime, and air.[215] A multi-domain task force was stood up in 2018 in I Corps for the Pacific,[211] built around 17th Field Artillery Brigade. MDO in the Pacific has to involve maritime operations; MDO is planned for EUCOM in 2020.[3][216] Multi-domain battalions, first stood up in 2019, comprise a single unit for air, land, space, and cyber domains[217] to ensure integration of cyber/EW, space, and information operations in more levels of command.
To me, ARCIC's [MDO] analysis means the Army's got to be able to sink ships, neutralize satellites, shoot down missiles, and deny the enemy the ability to command and control its forces.
In a conflict, friendly forces (denoted in black)[4] work as an integrated force against adversaries (denoted in red). The force operates in Multi-domains (gray, yellow, light gray, dark gray, and dark blue) —Space, Cyber, Air, Land, and Maritime respectively— severally and simultaneously cooperating across domains.[226][j] These operations will disrupt the adversaries, and present them multiple simultaneous dilemmas. The operations are designed to encourage adversaries to learn the advantages of a return to competition, rather than continuing a conflict.[227]
If you want to rapidly integrate all domains in order to take advantage of opportunities on a very lethal battlefield, you need a different type of C2 [command and control] structure. —Lt. Gen. Eric J. Wesley[228][3][229][230]
DeterrenceEdit
In the decade from 2009 to 2019 the Army was transitioning its brigade-based counterinsurgency effort to modernization of the echelons above brigade; by 2021 integrated deterrence (a campaign operating across domains, by a single commander to meet the objective of the Joint and Allied Force —the concept is scalable, assigning one objective per task force commander) against possible adversaries was underway, as part of the Joint force's campaign of learning.[231]
TRADOC designed exercises for Joint warfighter assessments —JWA 19,[232][233][234] at Fort Lewis, to clarify the jumps for Command Posts, to ensure their survivability during future operations. In 2019, there was a new focus on planning for large-scale ground combat operations (LSCO),[235][236][237][238][239] "that will require echelons above brigade, all of which will solve unique and distinct problems that a given BCT can't solve by itself."— LTG Eric Wesley.[6][71] Computer simulations (DOTMLPF), of the survivability rates for the units, were then compared with the interaction strategies, tactics and operations of JWA 19, a highly contested environment.[232] JWA 19 occurred at multiple operational speeds, in multiple domains served by multiple services (cyber: operating in milliseconds; air: operations at 500 miles per hour; maritime: 30 knots; and ground: 2 miles per hour). JWA 19 involved the militaries of the US, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, France, Australia and Singapore.[234][c][k][l]
Mesh networking is in play for the Mobile, Expeditionary Network: In Fiscal Year 2019, the network CFT, PEO 3CT, and PEO Soldier used Network Integration Evaluation 18.2[242] for experiments with brigade level scalability.[243][244][245][246][247] Among the takeaways was to avoid overspecifying the requirements (in ITN[136][248] Information Systems Initial Capabilities Document) to meet operational needs,[243] such as interoperability with other networks.[249][250]: minute 26:40 [251] ITN —Integrated Tactical Network is being fielded to four brigades in 2021.[252] Up through 2028, every two years the Army will insert new capability sets for ITN (Capability sets '21, '23, '25, etc.).[253][254][246]
On 25 September 2020 Army Chief of Staff Gen. James C. McConville discussed the combination of Multi-domain operations (MDO) and Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown.[255] On 2 October 2020 the 40th Chief of Staff of the Army and the 22nd Chief of Staff of the Air Force signed a Memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) of the two services, a two-year agreement. Their staffs met again after 60 days to show their progress on connecting the Army's Project Convergence and the Air Force's ABMS into a data fabric in 2021.[256][257][258][259][46][231][260]
CompetitionEdit
In September and November 2019 the Department of Defense (DoD) "scheduled a series of globally integrated exercises with participation from across the US government interagency to refine our plans" —19th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford.[228] This exercise was designed to help 27th Secretary of Defense Mark Esper develop new plans, in the face of a change in chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.[228] Specifically what was missing in 2019 was a joint concept[229] shared at the appropriate operational speed between the several domains, among the respective services, when fighting a peer adversary. —LTG Eric Wesley[c][261][262][263]Note the referenced LRHW graphic depicting a 2019 scenario—[264][265][266] This is a return to the use of echelons above brigade (Divisions, Corps, and Field Armies),[m] with specific tasks to force current adversaries to return to competition, rather than continue conflict;[268][228][269]kill chains were formed within seconds, by live-fire demonstration, as of September 2020.[37][c]
In the Army of 2030 a division would be the Unit of Action, rather than a brigade.[270][271][272] Artillery, engineer, and intelligence units would mass at the division echelon;[270] brigades would become smaller to become more maneuverable.[271] A corps would sustain the brigades' endurance for the longer fight;[270][271] the higher echelons (field army, corps, and division) would gain the resources they would need for the duration of an operation.[273]
By 2021 the Department of Defense could train for crises using capabilities it had developed jointly among its military departments, using concepts it had settled upon experimentally, beginning in 2019:
Multi-domain operations (MDO)[b] span multiple domains: cislunar space, land, air, maritime, cyber, and populations.[274]: minute 17:45 [275] Echelons above brigade (division, corps, and theater army) engage in a continuum of conflict.[n] —This illustration is from The MDO Concept, TRADOC pamphlet 525-3-1.
Note: the following training scenario, to gain relative advantage, is only one of the possible paths suggested by following the 5 red numbered bullet points in the illustration.
Competition— No overt hostilities are yet detected. Blue bar (force projection) is in standoff against red bar (threat).
Strategic Support area— National assets (blue) detect breaching of standoff by adversary (in red).
Close area support— blue assets hand-off to the combatant commands, who are to create effects visible to the adversary (in red).
Deep maneuver— blue combatant actions dis-integrate adversary efforts (per TRADOC pamphlet 525-3-1: "militarily compete, penetrate, dis-integrate, and exploit" the adversary); —Operational and Strategic deep fires create effects on the adversary. Adversary is further subject to defeat in detail, until adversaries perceive they are overmatched (no more red assets to expend).
Adversary retreats to standoff. The populations perceive that the adversary is defeated, for now. (Compare to Perkins' cycle, 'return to competition', in which deterrence has succeeded in avoiding a total war, in favor of pushing an adversary back to standoff (the red threat bar). Blue force projection still has overmatched red threat.)
In 2019 the 27th Secretary of Defense ordered the four services and the Joint staff to create a new joint warfighting concept for All-domain operations (ADO), operating simultaneously in the air, land, sea, space, cyber, and the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS).[n] In 2021 the 28th Secretary of Defense approved the Joint warfighting concept (JWC), which remains classified.[276][b]
the Air Force takes the lead for command and control (C2). The Joint services each have a C2 concept to be scaled —for the Army, C2 requires thousands of connections with the sensors and shooters,[o] as compared with hundreds of connections with the sensors and shooters for the Air Force Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS);[279][280][c][281]
the Navy will lead concept development in Joint fires:[278] its newest equipment (the newer Littoral Combat Ships, the MQ-8C, and the Naval Strike Missile) provides standoff for the Navy against its near-peers.[282][283] In February 2020, voices at the tactical level were supporting cross-domain, cross-role, cross-service interoperation: "Any sensor should be able to link to any shooter and any command and control node".[284] The combination of F-35-based targeting coordinates, Long range precision fires, and Low-earth-orbit satellite capability overmatches the competition, according to Lt. Gen. Eric Wesley.[285] A Space sensor layer of satellites (at 1200 miles above earth)[286] would position hundreds of Low-earth-orbit sensors for tracking hypersonic vehicles. This tracking layer would provide guidance information to the interceptors in the missile defense system.[286][287][274][288]
In late December 2019, the Air Force, Army, and Navy ran a Joint all-domain command and control (JADC2)[323][244] connection exercise of Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS)[324] for the first time. This exercise is denoted ABMS Onramp, and will occur at four month intervals.[324] JADC2 is a joint multi-domain operation (MDO);[297] the exercise will involve the Army's Long range fires, ground-based troops, and Sentinel radar. The Air Force contributes F-22s and F-35s, while the Navy is bringing F-35Cs and a destroyer to ABMS Onramp.[325][326] The December 2019 exercise used a NORTHCOM scenario.[327]
An M109A7 self-propelled howitzer at Yuma Proving Ground
The April 2020 test of ABMS was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.[328] The test was to have spanned bases from Eglin AFB to Nellis AFB; from Yuma Proving Ground to White Sands Missile Range— in this test, a simulated attack was to take place on 3 geographic commands: on Space Command, on Northern Command, and on Strategic Command's nuclear command, control, and communications.
JADC2 is to ensure continuity of commander's intent[329]— JADC2 was to be exercised in late August or early September 2020.[328][330][331]Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) is undergoing a Limited user test in August–September 2020 in preparation for a Milestone C acquisition decision.[332] IBCS is a critical building block for JADC2;[332] the ABMS test is a separate project.[333] Thirty-three different hardware platforms, some using 5G, 70 industry teams, and 65 government teams[q]: minute 9:30 participated in this ABMS Onramp, the first week in September 2020.[q][334][279] By 13 May 2021 the 28th Secretary of Defense had approved the JADC2 strategy.[335][336] On 11 August 2021 JROC had identified a 5th functional capability (IAMD) in addition to the 4 functional battles, or competitive advantages already identified.[320][337]
In August 2020 a Large force test event (LFTE) was completed at Nellis AFB; the test event demonstrated the ability of F-35s to orchestrate SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defense) using F-22s, F-15Es, E/A-18Gs, B-2s, and RQ-170s.[338] In addition the ability of F-35s to direct Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) was demonstrated during the 2020 Orange Flag event at Edwards AFB (Orange Flag showed the ability of an F-35A to collect targeting data, relay that data to an airborne communications node, as well as to a simulated IBCS station).[338]
Project Convergence (PC20)
In fall 2020, Futures Command is testing the data links between the Army's AI task force and its helicopters —Future Vertical Lift (FVL), its long-range missile launchers —Long range precision fires (LRPF), and its combat vehicles —(NGCV);[333][39][339] in fall 2021 and going forward, the links between ABMS and Multi-domain operations are invited when the Army's Air and Missile Defense capabilities (AMD's IBCS and MSHORAD —Maneuver short-range air defense) have undergone further testing.[333][340]
In September 2020, an ABMS Demonstration at WSMR (White Sands Missile Range) shot down cruise missile surrogates with hypervelocity (speeds of Mach 5) projectiles jointly developed by the Army and Navy. The Army interceptor stems from an XM109 Paladin howitzer;[341] the Navy interceptor stems from a deck gun.[37][342][343] The data feeds used both 4G and 5G, as well as cloud-based AI feeds, to form the kill chains.[37] The kill chains directing the intercepts were developed from 60 data feeds, and took seconds to develop, as opposed to the minutes which previous processes took. Other 'sensor-to-shooter' kill chains included AIM-9 missiles launched from F-16s and MQ-9s, as well as a ground-launched AIM-9 missile (which was designed to be an air-to-air munition). Four National Test Ranges were involved in the demonstration,[37] as well as five combatant commands.[341][342][344] In October 2020 the DoD Acquisition chief completed an extensive redesign of the Adaptive acquisition framework (AAF) including software acquisition, middle-tier acquisition, defense business systems, acquisition of services, urgent capability acquisition and major capability acquisition. AAF now adheres to the updated DoD 5000.01 policy approved in September 2020 by her lead, the Deputy Defense Secretary.[315]
In June 2021 the 28th secretary of defense issued a classified memorandum directing the Services to engage in more joint experimentation and prototyping, in support of the All-domain operations (JADO) concept (the Joint warfighting concept).[348][276]In fall 2021,[349][350] a Joint Force (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Special Operations) used Project Convergence 2021 (PC21) to simulate the distances in the First island chain of the Pacific Ocean,[351][j] which Army Long-Range Precision Fires (LRPF) are to cover.[353][354] A Multi-domain task force (MDTF), and Special Forces took the lead during the Competition phase of the exercise.[r] In June 2021 the 35th Deputy secretary of defense announced
the RDER (Rapid defense experimentation reserve, "Raider") to fund those defense organizations which successfully institutionalize experiments to exercise joint warfighting capability.[358][s]
One example might be, say an end-to-end flow of data, say in a kill chain from an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance detection of an enemy hypersonic weapons launch, to interdiction of the threat, to battle damage assessment.
Note that exercises to deepen a service silo have a disadvantage in a competition for RDER funding.[358]
an AI and data acceleration initiative[t] to help the 11 combatant commands apply their new capabilities; teams of specialists are to assist the combatant commanders to automate the data flows[360] of what are currently manual exercises in the respective command posts.[362][363][311] The most effective processes are to be left in place after the exercises.[u]
Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS), an IAMD Battle Command System, is an Army project to unify its disparate anti-missile systems (such as the THAAD, and MIM-104 Patriot missiles) and their radars/sensors (such as THAAD's AN/TPY-2 radar, AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel, and Patriot AN/MPQ-65 radars). IBCS is being exercised in Fall 2021 (Project Convergence 2021) to experiment with its connection to JADC2 and ABMS.[370] JROC is appending IAMD capability (IAMD interoperability) to the JWC (Joint warfighting concept)[320] (Monte Carlo simulations of hundreds of thousands of IBCS missile data tracks were generated by an Army Air Defense Artillery battalion exercising IBCS in 2020;[371] The test created terabytes of data to be queried.[372][373] i.e., "connect any sensor to any shooter and any command and control node" —Eric Wesley)[c]
In a review of Project Convergence 2021 (PC2021) the director of the Network Cross-functional team (CFT) was able to state 5 takeaways for the Integrated Tactical Network:[374]
"the need for a joint operational common picture"– [374] ("provide commanders with a single pane of glass [on a computer screen]")[376]
In August 2023 the Navy's § Live, Virtual, and Constructive environment simulated joint operation across multiple domains. This involved 22 global time zones, and simulated Joint Staff, civilian leaders, and non-navy personnel.[377]
CrisisEdit
By September 2020 the joint modernization efforts to retain overmatch in a crisis were visible in the press reports covering the joint level (DoD and the military departments).[37]
In the view of John Hyten, 11th Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, in a crisis, each force is to have both a self-defense capability, and a deep strike capability,[213][378] operating under a unified command and control structure,[379][380] simultaneously across the domains, against the enemy.[37][4][n][13] The potential capability exposed by the use of AI in September 2020 posed a choice for the combatant commanders, who needed to select their top priority, by answering "What do you want and how do we do it?" in November 2020.[38] Hyten then had an opportunity to shape the operation of the Joint requirements oversight council, by providing a common operational picture to the combatant commanders and their forces in the respective domains,[38] to get to a position of relative advantage very quickly (faster than the enemy's OODA loop).[297][381]
In FY2021, TITAN (Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node)[v] was to undergo an Analysis of Alternatives (AOA).[a][w] TITAN is part of the network to integrate sensors and shooters in Multi-domain operations (MDO), in seconds. By FY2022 TITAN was meant to be a Program of Record, for CJADC2;[387] additional Soldier touchpoints will assess capabilities of two prototype satellite ground stations for downselect in 14 months by FY2023, and follow-on phases III and IV.[x]
Return to competitionEdit
By 2020 the Joint all-domain concept[n] was converging on the need for the allies and partners to convince the adversary that it is in everyone's interest to return to competition,[211][268][329][396][397] well short of conflict between near-peer adversaries.[37][380] In 2021 the 40th Chief of Staff of the Army described the Army's role in the Continuum of military competition, a Joint concept.[20]
An ongoing series of programs to strengthen relationships between the Army and its allies and partners is being implemented.[400][401][402][403][404] These programs include demonstrations of cooperation, interoperability, and preparedness of its partners.[405][266][406][407][408][409][19] For example, in 2019 the Army uses DoD's State Partnership Program, to link 22 National Guard Bilateral Affairs Officers (BAOs) with 22 allies or partners in the 54 countries in European Command's area to facilitate common defense interests with the US.[410][411] In all, 89 partnerships now exist.[412][413][414]See: Foreign Area Officer (FAO)
DoD's Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) has convened 100 online participants from 13 countries to discuss how to use AI in a way that is consonant with their national ethical principles, termed the 'AI Partnership for Defense' in 2020.[400][415][416][417][300] For example, the US has a policy of human permission needed in order to trigger the automatic kill chains.[418] In 2021 the 28th Secretary of defense committed to the department's ethical use of AI capabilities in a "responsible, equitable, traceable, reliable, and governable" way.[y]
In 2019 the 27th Secretary of Defense Mark Esper identified the Indo-Pacific Theater as the priority theater for the United States.[421] A multi-domain task force for the Indo-Pacific Theater is planned for a Defender exercise.[422][423][424][223] However, in light of the DoD 60-day travel ban due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of CONUS-based troops participating in Defender Europe 2020 was reduced to those troops already in Europe.[z]
COVID-19 has been a 'wake up call to DoD' —Matthew Donovan[429]
In 2020 the Army lost 3 NTC training rotations to COVID-19.[430][431]
JWA 20 was intended to exercise Multi-domain operations, and multinational forces, in EUCOM for 2020.[c][aa]See: Vostok 2018. EUCOM's Multi-domain task force is to be smaller than the Pacific's task force.[434][435][ab] It is expected that the task forces are to be employed in the Defender exercises in both EUCOM[436] and the Pacific.[434][266] Defender Europe 2020 was to test the ability to deploy 20,000 Soldiers across Europe, for a 37,000-member exercise.[ac]
Defender Europe 2020, a division-sized exercise was cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Elements of the 1st Cavalry, 82nd Airborne, 1st Armored, 1st Infantry, and 3rd Infantry Divisions, 11 National Guard states and seven Army Reserve units were to rapidly deploy.[71][444][445][446][447]
Reception, staging, onward movement and integration (RSOI) of a division-sized formation in EUCOM. A National Guard Brigade was to draw from pre-positioned stocks in EUCOM.[ad]
An immediate response force from 82nd Airborne Division was to conduct joint forcible entries.[ae]
A division command post spread across Europe was to conduct JWA 20, to test multi-domain operations (MDO) and other Futures Command capabilities, such as an initial prototype of Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node (TITAN),[382] a ground station for integrating the data feed between "sensors and shooters".[383]
While in Europe, the units were to spread out across the region for separate exercises with allies and partners to participate in their annual exercises.[219]
A river crossing (see M1074 Joint Assault Bridge),[af] forward passages of lines (one unit passes through a position held by another unit),[453] and a maritime off-load mission was to have been conducted.
Army forces were to clear the training areas, return pre-positioned stocks,[454] consolidate, and redeploy (in this case, to home station).[425] Returning troops were ordered to quarantine for two weeks without experiencing any flu-like symptoms. Social distancing, masks, and other protective measures were employed, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Defender Europe 2021 ran from March til June 2021, involving dozens of operations, using 28,000 troops from 26 countries, from the Baltic nations to Morocco.[455][456][457] Defender Europe 2021 integrated a V Corps command post exercise in preparation for operations with a multi-national division. Allies and partners were to participate in the chain of command, as well.[458][ag]
In April 2019 Germany's 1st Panzer Division took the role of exercise High Command (HICON) at Hohenfels Training Area, primarily for German 21st Armored Brigade, the Lithuanian Iron Wolf Brigade, and their subordinate units; 5,630 participants from 15 nations took part in this Joint multinational exercise, which rotates the lead among the coalition partners. The German division already had Dutch, British and Polish officers within its ranks.[462] The Army's 2nd Battalion, 34th Armored Regiment, took part in the exercise.[463][464] Six engineering advisor teams from 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade provided hands-on experience and testing of secure communications between NATO allies and partners.[465][61][466][467]
A reciprocal exchange of general officers between France and the US is taking place in 2019, under the U.S. Army Military Personnel Exchange Program (MPEP).[468][469] Such programs with the UK, Australia, and Canada have already existed with the US.[468] A reciprocal pact for US and UK capabilities in Future Vertical Lift aircraft and Long Range Precision Fires artillery was signed in July 2020.[470] The UK and Australia are planning to participate in the US Army's Project Convergence 2022.[471]
Multi-domain task forces (MDTFs)
Multi-domain task force (MDTF), a brigade-sized formation.[4][12][472][473] Five MDTFs are planned:[19][ab] 3 for INDOPACOM,[474] 1 for EUCOM, 1 formerly for the Arctic (but now the 3rd MDTF in INDOPACOM),[475] and 1 for global response, each tailored for the needs of the Joint force commander.[ah] An MDTF can simultaneously operate across multiple stages of the conflict continuum,[477]: minute 32:45 and engage antagonists at thousands of miles,[478] for sustained periods.[ab][479]
In April 2021, the Army announced that EUCOM's Multi-domain task force (MDTF),[480][ab] and a Theater Fires Command[481][482] to control it, are to deploy to the European Theater, and are based in Wiesbaden, Germany. The Fires command is a headquarters to coordinate Long range fires (for ranges from 300 miles to thousands of miles) for the European theater.[483]
In April 2021, 3000 headquarters-level troops, including UK 3rd Division and French 3rd Division, came to Fort Cavazos to exercise Corps-level and Division-level staffs on Large-scale combat operations (LSCO).[484][485] The Mission CommandCenter of Excellence (MCCoE) provided Opposing forces (OPFOR) and multiple dilemmas for the Warfighters to train on. III Armored Corps commander Pat White stated "the key goal of the exercise, to build international partnerships and increase interoperability, was realized".[484] British and French commanders noted the need to further develop electronic warfare and signals intelligence capabilities.[486]
In May 2021, 7th Army Training Command led Dynamic Front 21 (DF21), a USAEUR-AF exercise in integrating joint fires for artillery units from 15 nations. The exercise was meant to increase the readiness, lethality, and interoperability for nearly 1800 artillery troops from the 15 nations at Camp Aachen, Germany. Later locations for DF21 included Vilseck Army Air Field, Germany, Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, and Torun, Poland.[487]
V Corps FOC
In October 2021 V Corps attained Full operational capability (FOC) by completing Warfighter exercise 22-1 (WFX 22-1),[488] in a series of command post exercises in Large scale combat operations (LSCO).[489] The operations involved a combatant command, Active Army, Reserve and National Guard components, a Theater training command, and a sustainment command,[488] as well as multi-national partners.[487][458] V Corps was slated to lead the Defender Europe 22, as of October 2021.[490]
In 2020 the Secretary of the Army announced 5-month extended rotations to United States Indo-Pacific Command countries such as Thailand, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea.[491] Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) task forces in the region have already been engaging in MDO-like exercises in concert with the armed forces of Japan, Thailand, and Singapore.[491]
Two Multi-domain task forces are being requested for Indo-Pacom for 2021.[492][493][383][382][ab][472][494]5th Security Force Assistance Brigade is regionally aligned with USINDOPACOM,[495] and plans to keep one-third of the brigade's advisor teams there at all times, while the other teams train at home station (JBLM), for their assignments in the region.[496] The third[497][498] and fourth[499] ABMS Onramp exercises of Joint all-domain command and control (JADC2) are being planned in 2020, and 2021 for INDOPACOM, and EUCOM respectively.[ai] This is meant to bring key US allies into the planning for the Joint All-Domain Operations Concept,[213][37][497] thereby enabling their "participation in planning, execution and then debrief" after a coalition exercise[499] in overmatching the adversary,[380] and maintaining a Common operational picture (COP),[288][300] to review measured responses, both kinetic and nonkinetic.[397][314] The COVID-19 pandemic actually provided the impetus for rapid fielding of a DoD technology for separating Top secret, Secret, and Unclassified messaging, a necessary function for the Intelligence community.[aj] The JSIL connection of experimental networks with Army battle labs is a way to determine the bandwidth needed for these vignettes, to prepare Project Convergence 2021 for Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2).[471][503]
Defender Pacific 2021 focuses on the southwest Pacific region.[504] The Army was to draw from a pre-positioned stock for its units, exercise its watercraft and an MDTF's long range precision fires.[504] In 2021 the 28th Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, stated he expected to "review our posture in the Pacific from all aspects including presence, capabilities, logistics, exercises, infrastructure, and capacity building and cooperation with allies and partners" during his questioning by the Senate Armed Services Committee.[ak] Integrated deterrence is the objective of the 28th Secretary of defense, in joint exercises in Australian waters,[508] with HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) in the South China Sea,[509] and by US Special Forces soldiers (Green Berets) with Japan's Self-defense force (JGSDF) parachuting onto Guam.[510][320] On 15 September 2021 the ministers of defense, and foreign affairs, and the secretaries of defense, and state for Australia, and the US, respectively, namely Peter Dutton, Marise Payne, Lloyd Austin, and Antony Blinken signed statements of intent to jointly build nuclear submarines, and share National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) data, as well as a space framework.[511]See AUKUS. On 24 September 2021 the heads of state of Australia, India, Japan, and the US (the Quadrilateral Security Dialog) met face-to-face to discuss cybersecurity, and fix supply chain vulnerabilities, such as electronic chip, and 5G technology.[512] FY2021 marks the end of the Army's manpower expansion, in its effort to modernize.[513][514]
Arctic strategy
In January 2021 the Army announced its arctic strategy, for arctic, extreme cold, and mountainous environments, which affect the NORTHCOM, EUCOM, and INDOPACOM combatant commands.[515][516] A two-star multi-domain-enabled operational headquarters will be established for the Arctic.[517] Soldiers will be receiving extra support for adapting to the Alaskan Arctic,[518][519] beginning in 2022 and going forward.[520][521] The BCTs of US Army Alaska are reflagging as of 6 June 2022 from 1st SBCT/25th ID, and 4th IBCT/25th ID, to 1st IBCT/11th ID (Airborne), and 2nd IBCT/11th ID (Airborne) respectively; US Army Alaska is now 11th Infantry Division (Airborne) as of 6 June 2022.[522] The Bundeswehr is thinking of training in Alaska.[523] An Arctic Multi-domain task force (MDTF) was planned,[475][ah] to balance the interests of the 8 partners of the Arctic Council, which include Russia, and China as an observer nation.[al]See Cold Response
Defender Europe 2022
Defender Europe 2022 started 3 May 2022, under the command and control of V Corps, which has had a forward-deployed Headquarters in Europe since 2021. The exercises will involve 11 allied and partner nations, including Denmark, Estonia, Germany, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, and Great Britain. Defender Europe 2022 had been previously planned, on a longer timescale than the wartime events of 2022, such as the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[am] For example, a float ribbon bridge was erected by troops from Fort Hood, Texas who are deploying to Europe.[531] The bridge came from pre-positioned stocks drawn from APS-2, located in Europe.[532][533]
PC22
Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Canada, and other allies and partners (such as universities)[43][534][535] expect they will bring experiments or prototype capabilities to Project Convergence 2022.[346] PC22 will require connection of the allies and partners; the connections were exercised during COMMEX 1B in June.[536] Global defender 2022 (GD22) will culminate with Project Convergence 2022 (PC22).[537][538] In the week of 6 Jun 2022 planning for PC22 at Fort Bliss was finalized. The UK and Australian planners were added to the PC22 experiment; their concepts join the 100 technologies incorporated by USAF, Navy, Marines, and Space Force planners. The commander of AFC's Futures and Concepts Lieutenant Gen. Scott McKean, and peers for the services and allies took this opportunity to mutually review their plans for the FY2022 event.[539][540][541][542][543][544][545]
The Synthetic Training Environment's One World Terrain (OWT) data sets are beginning to be used as operational planning tools, for example by V corps, and at PC20, and at PC21. As virtual maps, rather than paper maps, they can project scenarios which will also be used at PC22 in October and November 2022.[546]
In October 2022, the experiments from the previous Project Convergence were scaled up, from just Army in PC21 to joint and international exercises in PC22.[547] AI was utilized not just for autonomous flight, but also for predicting where logistics would be needed in contested environments.[547] PC22 experimented with some 300 technologies.[548][549] Scenarios during PC22 included Tomahawk, SM-6, and LRHW missiles.[547][a][304]82nd Airborne participated in the PC22 experiments, using newly developed equipment.[550][551][552][553][554]
In November 2022, at PC22, the use of an uncrewed Black Hawk helicopter under autonomous control was demonstrated in a contested logistics exercise.[555]
Defender 2023
In April 2023 Defender 2023, a logistics exercise of US Army Europe and Africa[556] was transported to Naval Station Rota, Spain. Spain was the host nation for 5-159th GSAB (5th Battalion, a general support aviation battalion of the 159th Aviation Regiment). 5th Battalion is an Army Reserve unit out of Fort Eustis, Virginia. The aviation materiel included CH-47s, Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks, and supporting equipment.[556]
PC24
Project Convergence co-locates from WSMR and YPG (the hub), to allies and partners.[557][558][559] PC24 could occur by spring 2024.[560][561][46]
Training and readinessEdit
Under Schoomaker, combat training centers (CTCs) emphasized the contemporary operating environment (such as an urban, ethnically-sensitive city in Iraq) and stress units according to the unit mission and the commanders' assessments, collaborating often to support holistic collective training programs, rather than by exception as was formerly the case.
Schoomaker's plan was to resource units based on the mission they are expected to accomplish (major combat versus SASO, or stability and support operations), regardless of component (active or reserve). Instead of using snapshot readiness reports, the Army now rates units based on the mission they are expected to perform given their position across the three force pools ('reset', 'train/ready', and 'available').[562] The Army now deploys units upon each commanders' signature on the certificate of their unit's assessment (viz., Ready). As of June 2016, only one-third of the Army's brigades were ready to deploy.[563][564]: 5:55 By 2019, two-thirds of the Active Army's brigades[210] and half of the BCTs of the Total Army (both Active and Reserve components) are now at the highest level of readiness.[565] The FY2021 budget request allows two-thirds of the Total Army (1,012,200 Soldiers by 2022) to reach the highest level of readiness by FY2022 —Maj. Gen. Paul Chamberlain.[513][566]
Soldiers need to be ready[an] 100 percent of the time
Robert B. Abrams, FORSCOM commander, June 2, 2016[49]
39th Chief of Staff Mark Milley's readiness objective is that all operational units be at 90 percent of the authorized strength in 2018, at 100 percent by 2021, and at 105 percent by 2023.[567][568] The observer coach/trainers[569] at the combat training centers, recruiters,[570][571] and drill sergeants are to be filled to 100 percent strength by the end of 2018.[567][572] In November 2018, written deployability standards (Army Directive 2018–22) were set by the Secretary and the Chief of Staff of the Army; failure to meet the standard means a soldier has six months to remedy this, or face separation from the Army.[573] The directive does not apply to about 60,000 of the 1,016,000 Soldiers of the Army; 70–80 percent of the 60,000 are non-deployable for medical reasons. Non-deployables have declined from 121,000 in 2017.[573] The Army combat fitness test (ACFT) will test all soldiers;[574] at the minimum, the 3-Repetition Maximum Deadlift, the Sprint-Drag-Carry and an aerobic event will be required of all soldiers, including those with profiles (meaning there is an annotation in their record See: PULHES Factor); the assessment of the alternative aerobic test will be completed by 19 October 2019.[575]
Soldier and Family Readiness GroupsEdit
By 2022 surveys of military servicemen, veterans, and spouses and family were indicating that financial and other difficulties were raising questions about the viability of an all-volunteer force.[576][577]
Soldiers and Army spouses belong to Soldier and Family Readiness Groups (SFRGs),[578][579][an] renamed from (FRGs)[582] which mirror the command structure of an Army unit—the spouse of the 40th Chief of Staff of the United States Army has served on the FRG at every echelon of the Army.[583]: Ryan McCarthy, minute 39:33 The name change to SFRG is to be more inclusive of single soldiers, single parents, and also those with nontraditional families.[579] An S/FRG seeks to meet the needs of soldiers and their families, for example during a deployment,[584] or to address privatized housing deficiencies,[585] or to aid spouses find jobs.[586] As a soldier transfers in and out of an installation, the soldier's entire family will typically undergo a permanent change of station (PCS) to the next post. PCS to Europe and Japan is now uniformly for 36 months, regardless of family status[587][588] (formerly 36 months for families). Transfers typically follow the cycle of the school year to minimize disruption in an Army family.[589] By policy, DoD families stationed in Europe and Japan who have school-aged children are served by American school systems— the Department of Defense Dependents Schools.[590] Noncombatant evacuation operations are a contingency which an FRG could publicize and plan for, should the need arise.[121]: p.11 In 2021, a new Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) is being tested by 300 families who are undergoing a permanent change of station (PCS).[591]
When a family emergency occurs, the informal support of that unit's S/FRG is available to the soldier.[584][592] (But the Army Emergency Relief fund is available to any soldier with a phone call to their local garrison.[593][594][595] Seventy-five Fisher Houses maintain home-away-from-home suites for families undergoing medical treatment of a loved one. The Army, Navy, and Air Force Medical Treatment Facilities (MTFs) are scheduled to complete their transfer to the Defense Health Agency (DHA) no later than 21 October 2021. This has been a ten-year process. The directors of each home installation's Medical treatment facility (MTF) continue to report to the commanders of their respective installations. This change transfers all civilian employees of each Medical treatment facility (MTF) to the Defense Health Agency (DHA).[596][597]) The name change links Soldier Readiness with Family Readiness.[582] Commanders will retain full responsibility for Soldier sponsorship after a move, especially for first term Soldiers in that move.[598][599]
In response to Army tenant problems with privatized base housing, IMCOM was subordinated to Army Materiel Command (AMC) on 8 March 2019.[600][601][602] By 2020, AMC's commander and the Residential community initiative (RCI) groups had formulated a 50-year plan. The Army's RCI groups, "seven private housing companies, which have 50-year lease agreements" on 98% of Army housing at 44 installations, will work with the Army for long-term housing improvements,[603][604][605] and remediation.[602][606][607]
In response to the report of the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee, the Army has established the People first task force (PFTF), an Army-wide task force that is headed by 3 chairs: 1) Lt. Gen. Gary M. Brito, 2) Diane M. Randon, and 3) Sgt. Maj. Julie A.M. Guerra, who are: 1) the deputy chief of staff G-1, 2) the assistant deputy chief of staff G-2, and 3) the assistant deputy chief of staff G-2 Sgt. Maj. respectively.[613] Cohesion assessment teams (CATs), part of the People first task force, work with brigade commanders on their brigade's command climate. The Cohesion assessment team interviews members of that brigade or battalion, to identify any problems. The CAT then works with the unit commanders to address the root causes of those problems.[614] On 13 May 2022 Fort Hood's People First Center opened its doors; the center is to offer immersive experiences for participants over several days, centered on "family advocacy, sexual harassment and assault prevention, equal opportunity, resiliency, substance abuse, suicide [prevention][615] (The Senate Armed Services Committee is requesting that the military track suicides by MOS.),[616] and spiritual readiness ... all housed at the center with training focused on immersion", collocated with subject matter experts.[617][599]
Plans are being formulated for mobilization of the Army Reserve (42,000 to 45,000 soldiers) very quickly.[618] For example, 'Ready Force X' (RFX) teams have fielded Deployment Assistance Team Command and Control Cells to expedite the associated equipment to the various ports and vessels which is required for the specific Reserve personnel who have been notified that they are deploying.[619]FORSCOM's mobilization and force generation installations (MFGIs) have fluctuated from two primary[620][621] installations (2018) to an envisioned eleven primary and fourteen contingency MFGIs, in preparation for future actions against near-peers.[622][623][624][71]
National Guard trainingEdit
The 29th chief of the National Guard Bureau, as director of the Army National Guard, plans to align existing ARNG divisions with subordinate training formations.[625] This plan increases the number of divisions in the Total Army from 10 to 18, and increases the readiness of the National Guard divisions, by aligning their training plans with large-scale combat operations.[625] Additional advantages of the August 2020 plan are increased opportunity for talent management, from the Company to the Division level, and opportunity for leader development unfettered by geographical restriction.[71][444]
"Associated units" training programEdit
The Army announced a pilot program, 'associated units', in which a National Guard or Reserve unit would now train with a specific active Army formation. These units would wear the patch of the specific Army division before their deployment to a theater;[626]36th Infantry Division headquarters deployed to Afghanistan in May 2016 for a train, advise, assist mission.[627]
The Army Reserve, whose headquarters are co-located with FORSCOM, and the National Guard, are testing the associated units program in a three-year pilot program with the active Army. The program will use the First Army training roles at the Army Combat Training Centers at Fort Irwin, Fort Polk, and regional and overseas training facilities.[628]
The pilot program complements FORSCOM's total force partnerships with the National Guard, begun in 2014.[629] Summer 2016 will see the first of these units.
3rd Infantry BCT, 10th Mountain Division, stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana, associated with the 36th Infantry Division, Texas Army National Guard
48th Infantry BCT, Georgia ARNG, associated with the 3rd Infantry Division, Stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia
86th Infantry BCT, Vermont ARNG, associated with the 10th Mountain Division, stationed at Fort Drum, New York
81st Armored BCT, Washington ARNG, associated with the 7th Infantry Division, stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington
Task Force 1-28th Infantry Battalion., 3rd Infantry Division, stationed at Fort Moore, Georgia, associated with the 48th Infantry BCT, Georgia Army National Guard
100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry Regiment, USAR, associated with the 3rd Infantry BCT, 25th Infantry Division, stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
1st Battalion (Airborne), 143rd Infantry Regiment Texas ARNG, associated with the 173rd Airborne BCT, stationed in Vicenza, Italy
1st Battalion, 151st Infantry Regiment, Indiana ARNG, associated with the 2nd Infantry BCT, 25th Infantry Division, stationed at Schofield Barracks
5th Engineer Battalion, stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, associated with the 35th Engineer Brigade, Missouri ARNG
840th Engineer Company, Texas ARNG, associated with the 36th Engineer Brigade, stationed at Fort Cavazos, Texas
824th Quartermaster Company, USAR, associated with the 82nd Airborne Division's Sustainment Brigade, stationed at Fort Liberty, North Carolina
249th Transportation Company, Texas ARNG, associated with the 1st Cavalry Division's Sustainment Brigade., stationed in Fort Cavazos
1245th Transportation Company, Oklahoma ARNG, associated with the 1st Cavalry Division's Sustainment Brigade., stationed in Fort Cavazos
1176th Transportation Company, Tennessee ARNG, associated with the 101st Airborne Division's Sustainment Brigade, stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky
2123rd Transportation Company, Kentucky ARNG, associated with the 101st Airborne Division's Sustainment Brigade, stationed at Fort Campbell
Rifleman trainingEdit
Soldiers train for weapons handling, and marksmanship first individually, on static firing ranges, and then on simulators such as an Engagement Skills Trainer (EST). More advanced training on squad level simulators (Squad Advanced Marksmanship-Trainer (SAMT)) place a squad in virtual engagements against avatars of various types,[632] using M4 carbine, M249 light machine gun and M9 Beretta pistol simulated weapon systems.[632] Home stations are to receive Synthetic training environments (STEs) for mission training, as an alternative to rotations to the National Combat Training Centers, which operate Brigade-level training against an Opposing force (OPFOR) with near-peer equipment.
Some installations have urban training facilities for infantrymen, in preparation for brigade-level training.[633]
A 2019 marksmanship manual TC 3-20.40, Training and Qualification-Individual Weapons (the "Dot-40") now mandates the use of the simulators, as if the soldier were in combat.[634] The Dot-40 is to be used by the entire Army, from the Cadets at West Point to the Active Army, the Army Reserve, and Army National Guard;[634] the Dot-40 tests how rapidly soldiers can load and reload while standing, kneeling, lying prone, and firing from behind a barrier.[634] The marksmanship tests of a soldier's critical thinking, selecting targets to shoot at, in which order, and the accuracy of each shot are recorded by the simulators.[634]
Stryker trainingEdit
Up to a platoon-sized unit of a Stryker brigade combat team, and dismounted infantry, can train on Stryker simulators (Stryker Virtual Collective Trainer – SVCT), which are in the process of being installed at eight home stations. The fourth was being completed as of 2019.[635] Forty-five infantrymen (four Stryker shells) or thirty-six scouts (six Stryker shells) can rehearse their battle rhythm on a virtual battlefield, record their lessons learned, give their after-action reports, and repeat, as a team. The Stryker gunner's seat comes directly from a Stryker vehicle and has a Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS) and joystick to control a virtual .50 caliber (12.7 mm) heavy machine gun or a virtual 30 mm autocannon and other CROWS configurations are possible.[635][636]
Digital air ground integration ranges (DAGIRs)Edit
Live-fire digital air ground integration ranges (DAGIRs) were first conceptualized in the 1990s, and established in 2012,[637] with follow-on in 2019.[638] The ranges initially included 23 miles of tank trails,[639] targets, battlefield effects simulators, and digital wiring for aerial scorekeeping.[638] These ranges are designed for coordinating air and ground exercises before full-on sessions at the National Training Centers.[638]
Training against OPFORsEdit
Opposing-Forces Surrogate Vehicles (OSVs) undergoing maintenance at Anniston Army Depot
Deceptive data intended to divide deployed forces are making their way into the news feeds, and are falsely implicating actual soldiers who are deployed at the time of the false social media reports, which are mixing fact and fiction.[644][13]
The Army now has its tenth direct-commissioned cyber officer: a Sergeant First Class with a computer engineering degree, and a masters in system engineering was commissioned a major in the National Guard, 91st Cyber Brigade, on 30 July 2020.[645]
Soldier integration facilityEdit
PEO Soldier has established a Soldier integration facility (SIF) at Fort Belvoir which allows prototyping and evaluation of combat capabilities for the Army Soldier.[646]CCDC Soldier center in Natick Massachusetts, Night Vision Lab at Fort Belvoir Virginia, and Maneuver Battle Lab at Fort Moore Georgia have prototyped ideas at the SIF.[646]
Applications for Synthetic Training Environment (STE)Edit
The Squad Advanced Marksmanship Training (SAMT) system, developed by the STE Cross-functional team from Futures Command, has an application for 1st SFAB.[647] Bluetooth enabled replicas of M4 rifles and M9 and Glock 19 pistols, with compressed air recoil approximate the form, fit and function of the weapons that the Soldiers are using in close combat. For 1st SFAB, scenarios included virtual reality attacks which felt like engagements in a room. The scenarios can involve the entire SFAB Advisor team, and engagements can be repeated over and over again. Advanced marksmanship skills such as firing with the non-dominant hand, and firing on the move can be practiced.[647]
Nine Army sites are now equipped with the SAMT. Over twenty systems are planned for locations in the United States.[647] The Close combat tactical trainers are in use, for example, to train 3rd Infantry Division headquarters for a gunnery training event (convoy protection role),[648] and 2nd BCT/ 82nd Airborne close combat training.[649]
The concept has been extended to the Live, Virtual, Constructive Integrating Architecture (LVC-IA), to integrate the National Guard, and the Reserves, with Active Army.[650]
"A simulation places leadership teams in a situation akin to a Combat Training Center rotation, an intellectually and emotionally challenging environment that forgives the mistakes of the participants "—Dr. Charles K. Pickar[651][652]
"It is important for Soldiers to have an open and clear mind during the simulation so that they learn something from the experience." —Tim Glaspie[648]
"Repetition increases a team's situational understanding of the tactics they'll use" —Maj. Anthony Clas[653]
The force generation system, posited in 2006 by General Schoomaker, projected that the U.S. Army would be deployed continuously. The Army would serve as an expeditionary force to fight a protracted campaign against terrorism and stand ready for other potential contingencies across the full-spectrum of operations (from humanitarian and stability operations to major combat operations against a conventional foe).
Under ideal circumstances, Army units would have a minimum "dwell time," a minimum duration of which it would remain at home station before deployment. Active-duty units would be prepared to deploy once every three years. Army Reserve units would be prepared to deploy once every five years. National Guard units would be prepared to deploy once every six years. A total of 71 combat brigades would form the Army's rotation basis, 42 from the active component with the balance from the reserves.
Thus, around 15 active-duty combat brigades would be available for deployment each year under the 2006 force-generation plan. An additional 4 or 5 brigades would be available for deployment from the reserve component. The plan was designed to provide more stability to soldiers and their families. Within the system, a surge capability would exist so that about an additional 18 brigades could be deployed in addition to the 19 or 20 scheduled brigades.
From General Dan McNeil, former Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) Commander: Within the Army Forces Generation (ARFORGEN) model, brigade combat teams (BCTs) would move through a series of three force pools;[562] they would enter the model at its inception, the "reset force pool", upon completion of a deployment cycle. There they would re-equip and reman while executing all individual predeployment training requirements, attaining readiness as quickly as possible. Reset or "R" day, recommended by FORSCOM and approved by Headquarters, Department of the Army, would be marked by BCT changes of command, preceded or followed closely by other key leadership transitions. While in the reset pool, formations would be remanned, reaching 100% of mission required strength by the end of the phase, while also reorganizing and fielding new equipment, if appropriate. In addition, it is there that units would be confirmed against future missions, either as deployment expeditionary forces (DEFs-BCTs trained for known operational requirements), ready expeditionary forces (REFs-BCTs that form the pool of available forces for short-notice missions) or contingency expeditionary forces (CEFs-BCTs earmarked for contingency operations).
Based on their commanders' assessments, units would move to the ready force pool, from which they could deploy should they be needed, and in which the unit training focus would be at the higher collective levels. Units would enter the available force pool when there is approximately one year left in the cycle, after validating their collective mission-essential task list proficiency (either core or theater-specific tasks) via battle-staff and dirt-mission rehearsal exercises. The available phase would be the only phase with a specified time limit: one year. Not unlike the division-ready brigades of past decades, these formations would deploy to fulfill specific requirements or stand ready to fulfill short-notice deployments within 30 days.
The goal was to generate forces 12–18 months in advance of combatant commanders' requirements and to begin preparing every unit for its future mission as early as possible in order to increase its overall proficiency.
Personnel management would also be reorganized as part of the Army transformation. Previously, personnel was managed on an individual basis in which soldiers were rotated without regard for the effect on unit cohesion. This system required unpopular measures such as "stop loss" and "stop move" in order to maintain force levels. In contrast, the new personnel system would operate on a unit basis to the maximum extent possible, with the goal of allowing teams to remain together longer and enabling families to establish ties within their communities.
Abrams 2016 noted that mid-level Army soldiers found they faced an unexpected uptempo in their requirements,[49] while entry-level soldiers in fact welcomed the increased challenge.[49]
Readiness modelEdit
ARFORGEN, "a structured progression of increased unit readiness over time, resulting in recurring periods of availability of trained, ready, and cohesive units prepared for operational deployment in support of geographic Combatant Commander requirements" was utilized in the 2010s.[657][168][237][658] ARFORGEN was replaced by the Sustainable Readiness Model (SRM) in 2017.[659][660][49][74] In 2016 the 39th Chief of Staff of the Army identified the objective of a sustainable readiness process as over 66 percent of the Active Army in combat ready state at any time;[661] in 2019 the readiness objective of the National Guard and Army Reserve units was set to be 33 percent; Total Army readiness for deployment was 40 percent in 2019.[210][an]
Regionally Aligned Readiness and Modernization Model (ReARMM) is a unit lifecycle model which goes into effect in October 2021.[662][663] ReARMM was introduced in October 2020. It is a force generation model which uses the total Army, the Reserve components as well as Active component when planning.[664]Dynamic force employment (DFE) will be used more often.[664] The Operational tempo will decrease, which gives Commanders will more times, 'training windows' during which their units can train, first at the small-unit level, and then at larger-step modernization of their formations.[662] The units can then train at echelon for Large scale combat operations (LSCO) at a more measured pace.[662]
In 2018 39th Chief of Staff Mark Milley's readiness objective is that all operational units be at 90 percent of the authorized strength in 2018, at 100 percent by 2021, and at 105 percent by 2023.[567] The observer coach/trainers at the combat training centers, recruiters, and drill sergeants are to be filled to 100 percent strength by the end of 2018.[567]
The requested strength of the Active Army in FY2020 is increasing by 4,000 additional troops from the current 476,000 soldiers;[11] this request covers the near-term needs for cyber, air & missile defense, and fires (Army modernization).[11][665]
Organic industrial base (OIB)
The Army’s Organic industrial base (OIB) Modernization Implementation Plan got a refresh in 2022, with a review of the "23 depots, arsenals and ammunition plants that manufacture, reset and maintain Army equipment", in light of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[666][667][668]
The Acting CG of FORSCOM, Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson, has noted that the Sustainable Readiness Model uses the Army standard for maintenance readiness, denoted TM 10/20,[74] which makes commanders responsible for maintaining their equipment to the TM 10/20 standard, meaning that "all routine maintenance is executed and all deficiencies are repaired".[669]: p. 79 But Richardson has also spoken out about aviation-related supplier deficiencies hurting readiness both at the combatant commands and at the home stations.[670][671]
Prepositioned stocksEdit
Materiel for 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division,[672] arriving in Gdańsk, Poland
By 2020 AMC had seven Army prepositioned stocks.[682]
Medical readiness is being tested by the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Agency, a Life Cycle Management Command (LCMC). The LCMCs are stocking three additional locations in the US (APS-1), as well as APS-2 (EUCOM), and Korea, as of 12 February 2019.[683] For example, during Operation Spartan Shield, the LCMC's relevant AFSB effected the hand-off of prepositioned stocks to 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) within 96 hours.[684] In the same Operation, 155th ABCT was issued an entire equipment set for an ABCT, drawn from APS-5 stocks, over 13,000 pieces.[685]
Air Defense Artillery deploymentsEdit
On 27 March 2018 the 678th Air Defense Artillery Brigade (South Carolina National Guard) deployed to EUCOM, Ansbach Germany for a nine-month rotation, for the first time since the Cold War.[686]10th AAMDC is the executive agent for EUCOM.
In September 2018, the Wall Street Journal reported that four Patriot systems— Two from Kuwait, and one apiece from Jordan and Bahrain are redeploying back to the U.S. for refurbishment and upgrades, and will not be replaced.[687][688] In June 2021, 8 Patriot batteries and a THAAD battery are being withdrawn from the CENTCOM area to focus on Russia and China.[689] By March 2022 NATO Patriot batteries had begun repositioning to Slovakia, and Poland from the Netherlands, and Germany respectively.[690][691]
Forward-deployed materielEdit
As the U.S. Army's only forward-deployed Airborne brigade, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, stationed in EUCOM, was supplied with new communications materiel — Integrated Tactical Networks (ITN) in 2018.[692] New ground combat vehicles, the Infantry Carrier Vehicle – Dragoon (M1126 Infantry Carrier Vehicle) are being supplied to 2nd Cavalry Regiment. ICVDs are Strykers with an unmanned turret and 30 mm autocannon (CROWS), and an integrated commander's station, upgraded suspension and larger tires.[692][693][694] The Army brigades of EUCOM have been in position for testing materiel, as its elements engaged in a 2018 road march through Europe, training with 19 ally and partner nations in Poland in 2018.[692]
This initiative, designed by then-DoD-Secretary James Mattis, exercises the ability of selected BCTs to rapidly surge combat-ready forces into a theater,[71] such as EUCOM, on short notice.[698][699] In several such cases, at the direction of the Secretary of Defense in March 2019, troops were rapidly alerted, recalled and deployed to a forward position, under (simulated) emergency conditions, to prove a capability (such as an ABCT, and a THAAD battery)[700][701][702] against near-peers.[703] The ABCT element next participated in a joint live-fire exercise with Polish troops of the 12th Mechanized Brigade, 12th Mechanised Division (Poland) in Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area, Poland.[704] (A Mission Command element of TRADOC served in the role of echelon-above-brigade for the maneuver and interoperability of the joint multi-national armored brigades.)[704] In September 2018, the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment had already assumed a forward deployment in Poland.[705][706] Poland and the US are planning for regular rotations going forward.[707][708][709][710][711] A Combat Aviation Brigade element, an Armored Combat Brigade element, and a Division Headquarters element will rotate in.[712]
Similar initiatives are planned for other alliances.[26][713]
In August 2020 Poland agreed to pay almost all costs associated with US presence in the country;[714][408] a forward command post for V Corps in Poland has been codified in an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the US and Poland.[715][712][716][717][718][719] Poland is buying 250 M1A2 Abrams tanks as of 14 July 2021.[720][721][722] Poland ordered an additional 116 used M1A1 Abrams tanks, with faster delivery dates on 15 July 2022.[723] The first 14 of an expected 42 M1A1 Abrams tanks arrived in Poland on 28 June 2023; the 42 will comprise one tank battalion; the 42 tanks are to be the 2023 tranche of 116 M1A1 tanks for Poland.[724][723][725]
In addition to tanks, Poland is buying attack helicopters,[726] Patriot missiles,[727]HIMARS, and F-35s.[725] Poland is buying 96 AH-64E Apaches (to equip six squadrons).[728] Naval Strike Missiles,[729] and LTAMDS missile defense radars.[730] Poland is seeking more HIMARS rockets and launchers, with an eye toward local rocket production in the future.[731] In July 2022, six IBCS Engagement Operations Centers attained basic operational capability in Poland,[732] and are a component for JADC2.
FORSCOM exercised its Emergency deployment readiness exercises (EDREs) in 2019 by sending 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division to the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, Louisiana, by sealift, simultaneously exercising the logistics planners at Fort Drum, the seaports in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Port Arthur, Texas, as well as 2nd BCT.[74] Through the EDRE program, 20 of the ports have been exercised to ready them for sealift deployments.[74] A division-sized move of 20,000 pieces of equipment from the US to Europe began a month-long process in January 2020.[440][445][408] In 2020 the pre-COVID-19 plan was "wide-spanning maneuvers will focus on the Baltic States, Poland, and Georgia" (at the time) which would have involved 36,000 troops from 11 countries ranging from the Baltic to the Black Seas,[443] a number still in flux.[425] A number of the Defender-2020 objectives were met in 2020, despite a 60-day travel ban by DoD.
By 2020 the 27th Secretary of Defense signaled that ABMS, its Internet of Military Things, and JADC2 were important parts for Dynamic force employment (DFE) in the Joint All-domain Operations Concept.[733] The Combatant commanders at Eucom, and at IndoPacom sought the AGM-183A (ARRW) hypersonic weapon on the bomber fleet for Dynamic force employment.[734]
In light of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, thousands more troops have posted or rotated to Europe.[735] As of February 2023 the US is planning a HIMARS training center in Poland.[736][737][738] In order to get 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, the Army is weighing options with the fastest delivery times, none of which are sooner than year-end 2023.[739][ao][740]
Force size and unit organizationEdit
Overall, the Army would end up with 71 brigade combat teams and 212 support brigades, in the pre-2013 design. The Regular Army would move from 33 brigade combat teams in 2003 to 43 brigade combat teams together with 75 modular support brigades, for a total of 118 Regular Army modular brigades. In addition the previously un-designated training brigades such as the Infantry Training Brigade at Fort Moore assumed the lineage & honors of formerly active Regular Army combat brigades. In 2017 there were 31 brigade combat teams in the Active Army. Within the Army National Guard, there were to be 28 brigade combat teams and 78 support brigades. Within the Army Reserve, the objective was 59 support brigades. Chief of Staff Mark Milley credits Creighton Abrams (Chief of Staff 1972-1974), for placing most of the support brigades in the Reserve and National Guard in order to ensure that the nation would use the total army rather than only the active army in an extended war involving the entire nation.[125]: minute 42:30 [741]
The Reserve component will be playing an increased role.[71] In the Total Army, eight Army National Guard divisions are to be trained to increase their readiness for large-scale combat operations,[625][444] making 58 BCTs in the Total Army in 2018,[742] and six SFABs in 2020.
First US Army, headquartered at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois (A component of FORSCOM; responsible for training the reserve components when mobilized for overseas deployment)
Note: these formations were subject to change, announced in 2013 reform[743]
In the post-2013 design, the Regular Army was planned to reduce to 32 BCTs after all the BCTs had been announced for inactivation.[744] The 2018 budget was to further reduce 40,000 active-duty soldiers from 490,000 in 2015 to 450,000 by 2018 fiscal year-end. Thirty installations would have been affected; six of these installations would have accounted for over 12,000 of those to be let go. In early 2015, the plan was to cut entire BCTs; by July 2015, a new plan, to downsize a BCT (4,500 soldiers) to a maneuver battalion task force (1,032 soldiers, with the possibility of upsizing if need be) was formulated. In 2015, a plan was instituted to allow further shrinking of the Army, by converting selected brigades to maneuver battalion task forces.[745] A maneuver battalion task force includes about 1,050 Soldiers rather than the 4,000 in a full BCT.[746] This 9 July 2015 plan, however, would preclude rapid deployment of such a unit until it has been reconstituted back to full re-deployable strength. This is being addressed with the § "Associated units" training program from the Reserve and Guard.
In 2017 the National Defense Strategy and National Security Strategy[564]: 4:30 and a § Sustainable Readiness Model (SRM) managed to halt the cuts.[660][49] Funding was allocated for two (out of six planned) Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs) in 2016[747] composed of 529 senior officers and senior NCOs (a full chain of command for a BCT).[748] By 2020 all 6 SFABs were activated.
3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command relocates from Fort Knox to Fort Liberty[745]
1st Theater Sustainment Command relocates from Fort Liberty to Fort Knox[745][236]
ARNG
81st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 40th Infantry Division to become an associated unit (SBCT) of 7th Infantry Division (81st's armor assets to be pre-positioned in Europe).
^ abcdIn Force modernization,[96] Deputy Chiefs of Staff G-8 and G-3/5/7 sit on the Army Requirements Oversight Council (AROC), to advise the Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA).[97]: diagram on p.559 [98][99] The commander, AFC is responsible for Force design.[98]
The Army's Force management model begins with a projection of the Future operating environment, in terms of resources: political, military, economic, social, information, infrastructure, physical environment, and the time available to bring the Current army to bear on the situation.[99]
The AROC serves as a discussion forum of these factors.[98][100]
The relevant strategy is provided by the Army's leadership.
A DOTMLPF analysis models the factors necessary to change the Current force into a relevant Future force.
A JCIDS process identifies the gaps in capability between Current and Future force.
A Force design to meet the materiel gaps is underway.
An organization with the desired capabilities (manpower, materiel, training) is brought to bear on each gap.[96]
AR 5-22(pdf) lists the Force modernization proponent for each Army branch, which can be a CoE or Branch proponent leader.
Staff uses a Synchronization meeting[101]: minute 8:29 before seeking approval —HTAR Force Management 3-2b: "Managing change in any large, complex organization requires the synchronization of many interrelated processes".[97]: p2-27
Approved requests then await resource deliveries which then become available to the combatant commanders.[102]
^ abcdeThe Army's unclassified Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) concept is "the combined arms employment of capabilities from all domains that create and exploit relative advantages to defeat enemy forces, achieve objectives and consolidate gains during competition, crisis, and armed conflict".[277]
^ abcdefghSee Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (November 22, 2019) SecArmy's Multi-Domain Kill Chain: Space-Cloud-AI Army Multi-Domain Operations Concept, December 2018 slide from TRADOC pamphlet 525-3-1 (Dec 2018). Multi-domain operations (MDO)[b] span multiple domains: cislunar space, land, air, maritime, cyber, and populations.
In September 2020 an ABMS Onramp demonstrated a § specific scenario, which can be illustrated by the 5 red numbered bullet points from the slide in TRADOC pamphlet 525-3-1:
Competition— No overt hostilities are yet detected. Blue bar (force projection) is in standoff against red bar (threat).
Strategic Support area— National assets (blue) detect breaching of standoff by adversary (in red).
Close area support— blue assets hand-off to the combatant commands, who are to create effects visible to the adversary (in red).
Deep maneuver— blue combatant actions dis-integrate adversary efforts (per TRADOC pamphlet 525-3-1: "militarily compete, penetrate, dis-integrate, and exploit" the adversary); —Operational and Strategic deep fires create effects on the adversary. Adversary is further subject to defeat in detail, until adversaries perceive they are overmatched (no more red assets to expend).
Adversary retreats to standoff. The populations perceive that the adversary is defeated, for now. (Compare to Perkins' cycle, 'return to competition', in which deterrence has succeeded in avoiding a total war, in favor of pushing an adversary back to standoff (the red threat bar). Blue force projection still has overmatched red threat.
^ abcdeThe capabilities as prioritized by the 39th Chief of Staff, will use subject matter experts in the realms of requirements, acquisition, science and technology, test, resourcing, costing, and sustainment, using Cross Functional Teams (CFTs) for:
Above, 'dotted line' relationship (i.e., coordination) is denoted by a ' ... '
^2015 Army Operating Concept (AOC): "Win in a Complex World"[52]: minute 1:15:00/1:22:58
^One consequence of a standardized BCT is that actions performed by one BCT can be made in behalf of a successor BCT. Thus pre-positioned stocks can aid in the rapidity of deployment: Army Prepositioned Stocks site in the Netherlands was established 15 Dec 2016, which will store and service about 1,600 U.S. Army vehicles.
U.S. military equipment to arrive in Germany, 6-9 Jan 2017
Tank Brigade (3ABCT/4th ID) sets quick pace moving to Europe
Soldiers Journal: Rolling Into Europe (3ABCT/4th ID)
^The Army is introducing drones in its combat aviation brigades in order to increase its reconnaissance capability.[105][106]
^In the 2013 reform the active duty brigades are deactivating by 2015, leaving only the National Guard's, and the Reserve's, maneuver enhancement brigades.[116] ]
^(22 Mar 2022) See, for example the ongoing thread of Prof. Paul Poast[225]
^ abOn 5 June 2023 Army Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center awarded contracts to close down the autonomous vehicle leader-follower program[226] in favor of a competitive commercial autonomy package.[352]
^Michael Lundy (Sep 2018) The U.S. Army Concept for Multi-Domain Combined Arms Operations at Echelons Above Brigade 2025–2040 Echelons Above Brigade (EAB), as cited by Scott McKean[46]
^"The Maneuver Captains Career Course (MCCC) at Fort Moore, Georgia" is preparing exercises in which the division is the Unit of Action, rather than the brigade.[267]
^ abcdColin Clark (18 Feb 2020) Gen. Hyten On The New American Way of War: All-Domain Operations (ADO)
"A computer-coordinated fight": in the air, land, sea, space, cyber, and the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS)
"forces from satellites to foot soldiers to submarines sharing battle data at machine-to-machine speed"
"it's the ability to integrate and effectively command and control all domains in a conflict or in a crisis seamlessly"—Gen. Hyten, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
All-Domain Operations (ADO) use global capabilities: "space, cyber, deterrent [the nuclear triad (for mutually assured destruction in the Cold War, an evolving concept in itself)], transportation, electromagnetic spectrum operations, missile defense"
^Blue force tracking—The Army now has technology to keep track of its warfighters, down to the squad level position, or even individual soldier position.
5:00 Foundational IoT: Containerized software systems, forming the connective tissue between domains, devices, platforms, populations.
16:15 There is not going to be one machine-to-machine system in the future force, but rather a set of machine-to-machine data-exchanges (in publishable, understandable, communicable, discoverable formats).
22:50 A new kind of requirements process (horizontal (modernize seamlessly over time) rather than vertical, top-down processes for hardware). If a standard exists, such as 5G, or APIs, use it.
27:50 A culture change, elevating data in importance, over bullets, will be required to win wars. Simplification of the ABMS user interface will be necessary, in order to present the relevant mission-dependent data to the Soldier, or Combatant commander.
31:30 There will be so much happening, that phone calls will be seen as the obstacle they are, during ABMS Onramp, just like the COVID-19 data needs.
35:00 deviceONE operates on SIPRNET tablets today. Portions of ABMS are operational today (25 August 2020).
39:50 a devOps mentality will be required; X as a Service (XaaS) is needed for Developer's adaptability and agility in the face of uncertain threats --an OODA loop with 4-month cycles. Agility and adaptability are needed for the Onramps. A set of Use cases are the targets to be sought during the development process.
49:20 70 industry team offerings are welcome, include 50%-solutions as well.
52:00 There is no way the Acquisition process can have a lead Systems Integrator to serve as Prime Contractor for a program— Replace this with a tool, a common infrastructure (tech stack) with full authorities (IRAD, Design Reviews, -- DoD has to be good at IT).
56:10 for the Army, ABMS means National-level situation awareness, that is tuned, relevant to the mission— from the Soldier on the ground, or to the Combatant Commander.
1:00:00 Use robotic agents (drones as wingmen or battle-buddies) to absorb threats at the tip of the spear; 1:06:00 pull people back from the tip of the spear, in favor of robots. Have people make the calls/commands to direct the strikes; this will not replace the warfighter.
1:14:00 ABMS scale-up — If we fail, this won't be tried again for years.
^RDER will fund the Combatant Commander's experiments in Joint Warfighting Concepts: °advanced fires, °command and control, °information advantage, and °contested logistics; the Concepts' exercise coordination and execution cell will be funded from RDER.[359][360][361]
^ abcdeWhen used in multi-domain operations, I2CEWS denotes Intelligence, Information, Cyber, Electronic Warfare, and Space. See: ISR, or Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
^DEFENDER Europe 21 was a large-scale U.S. Army-led, multinational, joint exercise designed to build readiness and interoperability between U.S., NATO and partner militaries. DEFENDER Europe 21 included a greater number of NATO ally and partner nations conducting activities over a wider area than what was planned for in 2020, which was severely restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 28,000 multinational forces from 26 nations conducted near-simultaneous operations across more than 30 training areas in a dozen countries. DEFENDER Europe 21 also included significant involvement of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy. The exercise utilized key ground and maritime routes bridging Europe, Asia and Africa. The exercise incorporated new or high-end capabilities including air and missile defense assets, as well as assets from the U.S. Army Security Force Assistance Brigades and the recently reactivated V Corps. Defender Europe 21 was one of the largest U.S.-Army, NATO-led military exercises in Europe in decades. The exercise began in mid-March and lasted until June 2021. It included "nearly simultaneous operations across more than 30 training areas" in Estonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Kosovo and other countries.[459][460] Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, commanding general of the United States Army Europe and Africa, said that "While we are closely monitoring the COVID situation, we’ve proven we have the capability to train safely despite the pandemic."[459] Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said that Russia has deployed troops to its western borders for "combat training exercises" in response to NATO "military activities that threaten Russia."[461]See Defender Europe 2022
^ abThe Army (21 Jun 2022) has released a "programmatic environmental assessment (PEA) and draft finding of no significant impact (FONSI) regarding the stationing of a multi-domain task force (MDTF)".[476] Two configurations were considered: 1) a full MDTF of 3,000 troops, and 2) a base MDTF of 400 with headquarters.
^[497][342][502] In 2021 an MDTF exercised its sensor-to-shooter capabilities in operational vignettes at Joint Systems Integration Lab (JSIL, Aberdeen MD).[471]
^As part of the Warfighter exercises 22-1, which completed in October 2021, V Corps attained Full operational capability. The Army alternates its annual Defender exercises between the Pacific and Europe. Thus V Corps was preparing for the Eucom exercises of 2022 in 2021. The COVID pandemic disrupted the 2020 European exercises, however.[490]
^ abcReadiness means: Be informed; Make A Plan; Build a Kit; and Get Involved[580][581]
^ Poland, Australia, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Taiwan are M1 Abrams customers.
^ abcdTRADOC TRADOC Pamphlet 525-3-1 (6 December 2018) The U.S. Army in Multi-Domain Operations 2028, "describes how US Army forces, as part of the Joint Force, will militarily compete, penetrate, dis-integrate, and exploit our adversaries in the future." Link moved here
^ abcdeUS Army (2020) AMERICA’S ARMY: READY NOW,INVESTING IN THE FUTURE FY19-21 accomplishments and investment plan
^Todd South, Military Times (8 May 2019) 4 things the general in charge of the Army's newest command says are needed to win the wars of the future
^ abAnthony Small, U.S. Army Futures Command (March 13, 2019) Futures Command highlights changes, new structure at SXSW: "Synchronizing or creating convergence allows the joint force to create overmatch" —Eric Wesley
^ abSydney J. Freedberg, Jr. (28 May 2019) Beyond INF: An Affordable Arsenal Of Long-Range Missiles? INF Treaty likely to expire in August 2019
^William B King (AMC) (18 February 2020) Conference focuses on Army modernization, equipping Soldiers Equipping Enterprise (AMC) + Modernization Enterprise (AFC)
^Jim Garamone, Defense.gov (August 9, 2019) Milley discusses Army changes as he passes authority
^ ab"Army announces activation of additional corps headquarters". US Army. Washington, DC. 11 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
^ abc23rd Secretary Mark Esper and 39th Chief of Staff Mark Milley (MARCH 26, 2019) ON THE POSTURE OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY
^ abcSydney Freedberg, Jr. (27 April 2020) Army Rebuilds Artillery Arm For Large-Scale War
^ abcTheresa Hitchens (19 Aug 2020) Air & Space Forces Add Cyber To All-Domain Ops Data Library
^C Todd Lopez (21 Apr 2022) Austin to Host Meeting in Germany to Discuss Ukraine's Long-Term Defense Needs integrate with allies and partners
^Jim Garamone (5 Aug 2022) Austin Launches New Round of Discussions With Hemispheric Partners
^—Sec. Def. Lloyd Austin— Gen Charles Flynn (12 Oct 2021) AUSA 2021 Warriors Corner – New Approaches, New Dilemmas and New Opportunities: U.S. Army Multi-Domain Land Power in the Indo-Pacific video clip,minute 3:06. See, sense, understand Indo-Pacom
^Davis Winkie (28 Jun 2023) Exclusive: Army secretary talks force structure cuts, SOF 'reform' in favor of MDTFs, IFPC (indirect fires protection capability), DE-MSHORAD (directed energy mobile short-range air defense using high-energy lasers); and maintaining the Immediate response force
^Martin, Jeff (24 January 2020), "Video: Can the Army achieve 'transformational change'?", www.defensenews.com, Army Chief of Staff: "We need transformational change", rather than incremental change.
^ abcdeChief of Staff Paper #1 (16 Mar 2021) Army Multi-Domain Transformation: Ready to Win in Competition and Conflict army.mil
^ abcChief of Staff Paper #2 (1 March 2021) The Army in Military Competition
^ abU.S. Army Combined Arms Center/ U.S. Army Training and Doctrine (August 6, 2021). "Waypoint 2028-2029". Stand-To!. US Army. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
^Sgt. 1st Class Michael Sword (22 Sep 2023) Gen. Randy George sworn in as 41st Army Chief of Staff
^Michael Marrow and Ashley Rocque (21 Sep 2023) Senate confirms Army, Marine Corps chiefs, though Tuberville hold continues
^ abSgt. 1st Class Zach Sheely (21 Aug 2023) George lays out his vision for the future of the Army, and how the Guard fits in
^ abSean Kimmons, Army News Service (June 4, 2019) Pacific Pathways 2.0 to bolster presence in the theater
^White, John P.; Deutch, John (March 2003). "Security Transformation: Report of the Belfer Center Conference on Military Transformation" (citation). Strategic Studies Institute, United States Army War College. from the original on 2015-09-24.
^. Army.mil. 14 December 2006. Archived from the original on 21 December 2006. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
^TRADOC (21 Dec 2009) The Army Capstone Concept TRADOC Pam 525-3-0
^David Vergun, Army News Service (December 8, 2017) US Army Futures Command to reform modernization, says secretary of the Army
US Army Army Directive 2017–33: Enabling the Army Modernization Task Force
^ abcdAFC AFC announcement, Friday (13 July 2018) Army Officials Announce New Army Command video 34 minutes, 27 seconds
^ abcUS Army Modernization turnaround worth the effort, says acting SecArmy McCarthy
^ abArmy Times Army's modernization command taking shape under freshly picked leaders[permanent dead link]
^ abCol. Richard Hough (4 January 2018) Opinion: "Army's Basic Illusions Gone; Time For Futures Command" Breaking Defense.com
^Devon L. Suits, Army News Service (April 8, 2019) Acquisition reform requires culture shift, officials say
^Michael A. Grinston, James C. McConville, and Ryan McCarthy (October 2019) 2019 Army Modernization Strategy as cited by Sydney Freedberg, Jr. (October 16, 2019) Army Launches 16-Year Plan To Tackle Russia, China Summary
^ abcdefghiTheresa Hitchens (3 Sep 2020) ABMS Demo Proves AI Chops For C2 The ABMS demo had four phases, under computer control. The kill chains were formed in seconds rather than minutes.
Early detection, identification, and warning
Scanning —Humans no longer need to dedicate their attention to a single, boring task. Replace the problem of stovepiped sensors / functions with more salient events. Let sensors perform direct machine-to-machine data exchanges in an Internet of Military Things and detect events which are salient to the mission.
This allows concentration of effort by the Intelligence Community. Let machines follow the leads under Human direction
Red force tracking
Use AI feeds to form the kill chains (plan the series of steps needed to kill a Red threat)
Let machines follow Red trajectories to estimate the time needed to intercept a Red threat
Engaging red force threats
Select an appropriate Blue interceptor (fast enough to engage Red threat, close enough to get past standoff distance)
In two cases, hypervelocity (moving at Mach 5) munitions were launched from cannons (one Army, one Navy) to kill cruise missile surrogates.
Other 'sensor-to-shooter' kill chains included AIM-9 missiles launched from F-16s and MQ-9s, as well as a ground-launched AIM-9 missile (which was designed to be an air-to-air munition).
Blue force tracking
Develop dedicated Clouds- strategic cloud for the Commander, and tactical cloud for the individual Soldier
^ abcTheresa Hitchens (23 September 2020) Picking 1st ABMS Capabilities A Top Issue At Air Force Corona in Nov 2020 at Air Force Academy
^ abcSydney J. Freedberg Jr. (14 August 2020) Can Army Intel Data Feed The Kill Chain? Quickly pooling data will take AI and cloud—"Project Convergence"
^Gen Mike Murray (12 Oct 2021) AUSA 2021: CMF #3 – Project Convergence 2021: 7 capstone cases
^Patrick Tucker (10 Nov 2021) What Worked, What Didn't at Army’s Second Connect-Everything Experiment PC21
^Andrew Eversden (22 Nov 2021) Robotic vehicles, drones coordinate recon at Army’s Project Convergence 21 ISR relay
^ abSarantinos, Argie (17 September 2021) Project Convergence 2022 web portal links industry, academia to Army DEVCOM Public Affairs army.mil
^Andrew Eversden (11 Oct 2021) Army Kicks Off Analysis Effort To Inform Future Investments
^Andrew Eversden (11 Oct 2021) Murray: Army’s Modernization Push Requires Persistence To Be Successful
^ abcdeScott McKean (14 Jul 2021) AFC Pamphlet 71-20-9 Army Futures Command Concept for Command and Control – Pursuing decision dominance AFCC-C2 14 Jul 2021 see FUTURES AND CONCEPTS CENTER resources
^. 2010 Army Posture Statement. Office of the Director of the Army Staff Executive Strategy Group. Archived from the original on 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
^Henry S. Kenyon (June 2006) U.S. Army Reforges Training and Readiness.
^ abcdefSoldiers need to be ready 100 percent of time, says FORSCOM commander, Army.mil, accessdate=2016-06-05
^ abRobert M. Gates (5 Jan 2012) "Defense Strategic Guidance" 7 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine
^ abDepartment of the Army announces force structure decisions for fiscal year 2017 accessdate=2017-06-25
Global security.org: 2017 National Defense Authorization Act "Military Personnel" accessdate=2017-02-02
^US Army TRADOC Perkins discusses operationalizing the Army Operating Concept (AOC) AOC = "Win in a Complex World"
^ abHQDA McHugh & Odierno, A STATEMENT ON THE POSTURE OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY 2015 2016-06-10 at the Wayback Machine, Army.mil, accessdate=2016-06-05
^Mark Pomerleau (March 23, 2018) The Army's newest satellite antenna is remarkably simple
^Mr. Joe Welch, Lt. Col. Jack "Shane" Taylor and Mr. Michael Beery (July 12, 2016) Network Marketplace: Open for Business and Growing
^Knapp, Brandon (January 18, 2018). "The Army makes it easier for first responders to connect to tactical networks". C4ISRNET. Retrieved 2018-04-17.
^US Army Army prepares to test enhanced network operation tools at NIE 16.2 accessdate=2016-11-05
^US Army Future warfighting calls for semi-independent units, empowered leaders accessdate=2017-02-16
^"We are going to have to empower [and] decentralize leadership to make decisions and achieve battlefield effects in a widely dispersed environment where subordinate leaders, junior leaders ... may not be able to communicate to their higher headquarters, even if they wanted to", Milley said. C. Todd Lopez, Army News Service. (May 5, 2017) Future warfare requires 'disciplined disobedience,' Army chief says accessdate=2017-05-05
^US Army Army, Marine leaders bring multi-domain concept closer to reality accessdate=2017-02-16
US Army Air Force may join Army in refining multi-domain concept accessdate=2017-03-18
^ abcdefgSydney J. Freedberg Jr. (April 03, 2019) How Army's Multi-Domain Overhaul May Impact The National Guard
Col. Douglas M. McBride Jr. and Reginald L. Snell, Ph.D. (9 January 2017) Applying mission command to overcome challenges Creating trust is the foundation for accomplishing the mission.
US Army "ADP 6-0" (PDF). armypubs.us.army.mil. Army Publications.
^ abcdUS Army "Brigade combat teams cut at 10 posts will help other BCTs grow | Article | The United States Army". Army.mil. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
^Stripes.com "2nd ID unit in Korea to deactivate, be replaced by rotational force – News". Stripes. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
^ abcdeArpi Dilantsian and Matthew Howard (April 1, 2019) Plan, prepare, practice: An interview with Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson
^US Army "Future of deployments: surge-ready and rotationally-focused | Article | The United States Army". Army.mil. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
^Michelle Tan Big BCT changes mapped out for 2015 February 9, 2015, Army Times.
^ DoD News (July 9, 2015) Army Announces Force Structure, Stationing Decisions
^ abUS Army (23 April 2018) Army Secretary Esper, senior NCO Dailey discuss modernization, recruiting, retention
^Sydney J Freedberg Jr (May 20, 2019) Army Can Manage Both Mideast & Great Powers: Sec. Esper
^Sean Kimmons, Army News Service (May 28, 2019) South Korean exercises being revised amid peace talks Abrams USFK assessment
^Joseph Lacdan (22 January 2020) Army updates Law of Land Warfare doctrine to increase guidance, clarity
^US Army FM 6-27, C1 (20 September 2019) THE COMMANDER'S HANDBOOK ON THE LAW OF LAND WARFARE 208 page handbook. The Department of Defense Law of War Manual (June 2015, updated December 2016) remains the authoritative statement
^Devon L. Suits, Army News Service (March 28, 2018) CHIPS Articles: Army Secretary defines goals for coming decade — modernization, Futures Command
^Jeff Martin (15 October 2018) How did the Army find $25 billion for new equipment? video
^Daniel Goure (October 18, 2018) Can Trump Rebuild The Military As Deficits Balloon?
^Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (October 26, 2018) Joint Experiments Will Pick Budget Winners & Losers: Dunford Task is to cut $33 Billion from 2020 budget
^CovertCabal YouTube: What will $716 Billion Buy You? US Defense Budget 2019 Weapons
^Michael J. Meese, NDU Press (23 Dec 2016) Chapter 4 : The American Defense Budget 2017–2020 Note Fed chart 1970–2026
^Paul McLeary (October 26, 2018) Trump Orders DoD To Take Surprise $33B Budget Cut 2020 DoD budget cut from $733 billion to $700 billion
^Paul McLeary (November 14, 2018) The Pentagon's First-Ever Audit: A Big Disappointment?
^Wesley Morgan (09 December 2018) Trump reverses course, tells Pentagon to boost budget request to $750 billion
^Devon L. Suits, Army News Service Army (February 26, 2019) FY20 budget proposal realigns $30 billion
^Sydney J Freedberg Jr (May 24, 2019) Defense Spending Will Bust BCA Caps: Mark Cancian
^Sydney J Freedberg Jr (May 29, 2019) Army Big 6 Gets $10B More Over 2021–2025
^ abC. Todd Lopez, DOD News (8 Dec 2022) U.S. Military Readiness Goes Beyond Just China, Russia
^ abUnited States Army War College and Army Force Management School (2019-2020) How the Army Runs HTAR: A senior leader reference handbook which synthesizes "existing and developing National, Defense, Joint, and Army systems, processes, and procedures currently practiced"
^ abcHeadquarters, Department of the Army (29 Jun 2021) Army Regulation 71–9 Force Management. Warfighting Capabilities Determination °1-6c, p.1) tasks for CG,AFC; °2-24 p.13) CG,AFC is a principal member of AROC, with 43 duties a through qq; °3-1 ch.3 pp20-21) AROC is a forum for requirements decisions (RDF); °4-1 p.24) CG,AFC is responsible for force design; °6-4 p39) figure 6-1 Deliberate staffing and review process; figures for more staffing and review processes follow.
^ abcJames Kennedy (2019) Force Management Model - Complete
^Research, Development, and Acquisition AR 71–9 (2009) Warfighting Capabilities Determination Aug 15, 2019 update
^James Kennedy, CGSC (Jun 2022) AY22 Force Integration CGSC Weekly meetings on Change, Crisis, Competition, or Conflict. 50:31
^Caitlin Lee (23 Mar 2022) The US Military's Force Management Tug-of-War an allocation process
^Field Manual No. 3-96 (8 October 2015) Brigade Combat Team FM 3-96 updated 19 Jan 2021
^Headquarters, Department of the Army (1 October 2022) FM 3-0 Operations 280 pages
^The U.S. Army (2021) Army Assesses New UAS to Replace RQ-7B Shadow
^ ab. Fort Bliss Bugle. Archived from the original on 2015-03-30. Retrieved 2015-03-28.[dead link]
(May 3, 2015) Apache helicopter squadron is the first unit to incorporate Shadow drones
^"Cavalry Brigade Combat Team assumes new design, transition nearly complete". U.S. Army. 17 February 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
^ abcLt. Col. Mike Hammond (July 18, 2019) In Search of Synchronized Tactical Logistics The BSB Commander is responsible for "field trains command post (FTCP) and combat trains command post (CTCP) operations". —Army Field Manual 3-96
^"Ft Hood's 615th ASB trains at McGregor Range", Fort Bliss Monitor June 26, 2013
^3rd Squadron, 6th Cavalry, in Iraq Army.mil, accessdate=2016-03-18
^. Archived from the original on 3 August 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
^ abSpc. Matthew Marcellus, 1st Armored Division (May 15, 2019). ""Agile and lethal: 4-27 Field Artillery conducts Table XVIII gunnery training May 7"". Fort Bliss Bugle. US Army. Retrieved 2019-08-11.[dead link]
^Gary Sheftick, Army News Service (March 13, 2019). "FY20 budget to boost air & missile defense". US Army.
^Joe Lacdan (October 22, 2018) "Army to fuse laser technology onto air defense system"
^Michelle Tan. "5 BCTs set to inactivate this year; MEBs also going away". www.armytimes.com. Archived from the original on 2014-09-12.
^(PDF). Headquarters Department of the Army. August 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-14. Retrieved 2014-09-12.
^Lt. Col. Fenicia L. Jackson, Capt. Karina Cuenca, and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Daniel Austin (October 1, 2019) "Early results testing the new CASL at NTC improves readiness" US Army
^ abLt. Col. Charles L. Montgomery (April 1, 2019) Deploying an SSA's CASL for an armored brigade combat team
^ abUS Army (31 May 2018) Additional supply system focus boosts student knowledge of new technology
^ abcdeHeadquarters, Department of the Army PB 700–20–03 (July-September 2020) Army Sustainment Army Sustainment Professional Bulletin (ASPB) Vol. 52, Issue 3
^ abMaj. Gen. Rodney D. Fogg, Brig. Gen. Heidi J. Hoyle, and Percy Alexander (4 November 2019) Building the Army Readiness-Common Operating Picture US Army
^ ab"5 BCTs set to inactivate this year; MEBs also going away". Archive.militarytimes.com. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
^204th Military Intelligence Battalion to join Aerial Intelligence Brigade, Fortblissbugle.com, accessed 2015-05-21[dead link]
^ abcdePriorities for Our Nation's Army with General Mark A. Milley (23 Jun 2016)
^"CSA explains how skeletal advisory brigades could regenerate force". Retrieved 19 October 2016.
^(16 October 2017) First security force assistance brigade training for deployment
^Lolita C. Baldor (4 May 2017) Associated Press Uncle Sam: We want you... to train others! $5K bonus offered 5 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine accessdate=2017-05-05
^Security force assistance brigades to free Brigade combat teams from advise, assist mission
^. Archived from the original on 2017-05-23. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
^1st SFAB promotes first Soldiers to sergeant under new policy
^Jaffe and Ryan (21 January 2018), Washington Post Up to 1,000 more U.S. troops could be headed to Afghanistan this spring
^ abJared Keller Task & Purpose(22 Jan 2018) The 1st SFAB's Afghan Deployment Is A Moment Of Truth For The Global War On Terror 26 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine for 2018, with subsequent SFABs after the year
^US Army Security Force Assistance Brigade (2 May 2018) ATP 3-96.1 152 pages
^Capt. John May (November 27, 2017) Military Advisor Training Academy prepares 1st SFAB as combat advisors
^ abJared Serbu (August 24, 2018) Army experimenting with SOF-tested equipment while building long-term tactical network plan
^Sean Kimmons, Army News Service (July 18, 2019) Futures Command showcases efforts ahead of upcoming FOC ITN for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd SFABs
^Kimberly Underwood (20 August 2018) U.S. Army Fields Inflatable Satellite Antenna
^US Army (December 21, 2017) Equipping SFABs: A 'Rubik's Cube' of logistics over 5,000 pieces of equipment
U.S. Army PEO C3T (September 21, 2018) Army Awards 2-Channel Leader Radio Contract
^ abcMennes, AUSA (16 October 2017) AUSA Video clip, Warriors corner #9: All things Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB), part of the article, "First security force assistance brigade training for deployment"
^U.S. Army (6 December 2017) Eyes in the Sky with 1st SFAB
^U.S. Army (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-10-22. Retrieved 2017-10-22.
^U.S. Army Army creates Security Force Assistance Brigade and Military Advisor Training Academy at Fort Moore accessdate=2017-02-24
^U.S. Army (9 February 2018) 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade holds activation ceremony
^U.S. Army Public Affairs (January 11, 2018) Department of the Army announces upcoming deployment of the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade
^ abArmy announces activation of second Security Force Assistance Brigade at Fort Bragg
^Bridget Lynch & Greg Hall, PEO C3T Public Affairs (September 5, 2018) Network Support Continues for Army's SFABs
^U.S. Army Office of the Chief of Public Affairs (18 May 2018) Army announces the stationing of three Security Force Assistance Brigades
^ARNG Indiana National Guard to stand up new assistance brigade
^SOF News (January 30, 2019) 54th Security Force Assistance Brigade
^C. Todd Lopez (May 8, 2019) Success of first SFAB in Afghanistan proves 'Army got it right,' commander says
^ abcSecurity Force Assistance Command Public Affairs (December 3, 2018) Security Force Assistance Command, 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade activate at Fort Liberty
^Fort Bragg will be home to Security Force Assistance Command
Mark Landes to be Security Force Assistance Director, G3/5/7 at Fort Bragg
^Maj. Matthew Fontaine (August 18, 2018) 1st SFAB Commander earns 1st Star and Promotion to Brigadier General
^. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
^Todd South (8 May 2019) The next Army SFAB deployments might look a whole lot different from recent ones
^U.S. Army Public Affairs (18 October 2018) Department of the Army announces upcoming 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade unit rotation[permanent dead link] to Afghanistan Spring 2019
^Kyle Rempfer (16 July 2019) 3rd Security Force Assistance Brigade activates, preps for Mideast missions
^U.S. Army Public Affairs (August 16, 2019) Army announces upcoming 3rd Security Force Assistance Brigade unit rotation
^Kari Hawkins (AMCOM) (September 16, 2009) Security Assistance Command plants its flag
^ abMegan Cotton (June 6, 2019) Ensuring Readiness for Strategic Support: Strategic Power Projection
^ abCol. Rodney H. Honeycutt, Richard A. Bezold, and Robin T. Dothager (September 5, 2017) Establishing Europe's Army pre-positioned stocks
^ abHeadquarters, Dept of the Army (July 2019) ADP 6-0 Mission Command: Command and Control of Army Forces 4 chapters. See also ADP 3-0; ADP 6-22; FM 6-22; ADP 1-1; and ADP 5-0
^ abDavid B. Larter (9 Oct 2018) The US Army is preparing to fight in Europe, but can it even get there?
^Capt. Richard Foote, 593rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) (April 21, 2017) Putting the expeditionary in ESC
^Maj. Daniel J. N. Belzer (January 2, 2019) Command relationships between corps and ESCs ESC=(Expeditionary Support Command); TSC=(Theater Support Command)
^ abSee, for example Francis J.H. Park (November/December 2007) "The strategic plans and policy officer in the modular division"
^The 29th Division (National Guard) headquarters is deployed as Intermediate Command for ARCENT in Kuwait
^Two National Guard division headquarters are deployed simultaneously for the first time since the Korean war
^ ab"We need two command posts. We need to be able to shut one down and move it while the other is still in the fight." —MG Pat White, CG 1st Armored Division [http:[dead link]//fortblissbugle.com/army-senior-leaders-meet-at-bliss-for-command-post-huddle/ Army senior leaders meet at Bliss for command post huddle] accessdate=2017-01-26
Abigail Meyer, Fort Bliss Public Affairs Office (01.18.2017) Army senior leaders meet at Bliss for command post huddle
^Amy Walker, PEO C3T/PM Tactical Network Public Affairs (January 11, 2018) Army pushing to get Secure Wi-Fi on battlefield to gain strategic edge over enemies
Devon L. Suits (July 26, 2018) "CERDEC unveils more than a dozen new technologies for mission command"
Kathryn Bailey, Communication-Electronics PAO (June 28, 2018) Command post modernization vision – first, make it mobile
Justin Eimers (PEO C3T) (October 1, 2019) U.S. Army 'mission complete' on mission command software reduction CPCE upgrades for upwards compatibility with system future versions. Remove redundant servers.
^Staff Sgt. Samuel Northrup (April 1, 2019) New Army vehicles being developed to counter modern threats to Command Post Directed Requirement Pilot Program of prototypes
^Army improves mobility, readiness with new secure wireless systems accessdate=2017-06-09
^Maj. Jeremy Horton and Col. Ted Thomas, Mission Command Center of Excellence (27 May 2020) Adapt or Die: Command Posts – Surviving the Future Fight
^Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (17 Oct 2022) Army 2030: Disperse or die, network and live
^Todd South (June 4, 2019) How changes to mission command will mean soldiers taking risks and taking charge on complex battlefields
^Command Sgt. Maj. Vincent Simonetti and Sgt. Maj. Aaron Forry (18 June 2018) HQ on the Move: Battalion Develops a More Nimble Command Post
^John Cogbill and Eli Myers (5 August 2020) Decentralizing the Fight: Re-imagining the Brigade Combat Team's Headquarters Using 3rd BCT, 101st Airborne Division "Rakkasans" Headquarters March 2019 at JRTC, "maintained a dual-capable satellite/4G LTE GRRIP system at each location for redundancy, and a SMART-T at the rear and main command posts" for 99% uptime
^Stew Magnuson (22 Oct 2020) WEB EXCLUSIVE: Army Looks to Disperse Command Posts to Boost Survivability
^Immersive Ops (15 Nov 2021) Immersive Wisdom briefs Secretary of the Army at Project Convergence '21 on future of Army operations centers 3D Virtual Operations Center software platform
^Lauren C. Williams (8 Nov 2022) The Army’s Distributed Command Posts of the Future Will Need More than Videochats "Structuring data is key to the service’s visions of Pacific-spanning operations and AI-enabled decision tools".
^Amy Walker, PEO C3T Public Affairs (8 June 2017) Army improves mobility, readiness with new secure wireless systems instead of physical cables
^Colin Demarest (19 Oct 2022) Palantir wins contract to help Army quickly process battlefield data
^Jr, Sydney J. Freedberg (2018-09-13). "Futures Command Won't Hurt Oversight, Army Tells Congress". Breaking Defense. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
^AUSA (27 March 2018) Army not ready to announce Futures Command home
^"In first year, Futures Command grows from 12 to 24,000 personnel". www.army.mil. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
^US Army USArmy tweet: Futures Command will have the overarching objective to achieve clear overmatch in future conflicts, making Soldiers and units more lethal to win the nation's wars, then return home safely.
^"Long range, short term". www.army.mil. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
^Ms. Audra Calloway (Picatinny) (September 19, 2018) With new Army Futures Command, senior acquisition leader discusses role of Program Executive Offices
^David Vergun, Army News Service (October 10, 2018) Army Futures Command to become 'global command,' says its leader
^ abcArpi Dilanian and Matthew Howard (April 1, 2019) The number one priority: An interview with Gen. Mark Milley: Readiness (both current and future)
^ abcdGen. David G. Perkins, U.S. Army (November-December 2017) Military Review III "Multi-Domain Battle The Advent of Twenty-First Century War"
^David Vergun (05.31.2017) Multi-domain battle has immediate applications, says Gen. Perkins
^ abcConnie Lee (9 Sep 2020) Hyten: New Warfighting Concept to Erase Battlefield Lines
^HQDA Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3-5-7 (23 April 2021) Army Multi-Domain Transformation Summary of lines of effort (LOE) for MDO
Devon Suits (16 Mar 2021) Army continues greatest transformation in the past 40 years, CSA says
^TRADOC (Sep 16, 2015) Perkins discusses operationalizing the Army Operating Concept
^Maj. Richard W. Gibson (October 1, 2018) Applying Multi-Domain Concepts Against Counter-Space Threats April 20, 2019, at the Wayback Machine
^Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (24 Jan 2019) Hack, Jam, Sense & Shoot: Army Creates 1st Multi-Domain Unit an MDO Battalion for Targeting, I Corps.
^PACOM Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., U.S. Pacific Command (May 25, 2016) LANPAC Symposium 2016: “Role of Land Forces In Ensuring Access To Shared Domains”
^ abDVIDS DEFENDER-EUROPE 20 videos, images and stories
^Matthew Dalton (29 February 2020) Unmanning a Twenty-Second Century Navy "America's principal national defense strategy: deterrence in peacetime"
^Lt. Col. Travis Dettmer (9 February 2020) U.S. Army Futures and Concepts Center teaches Multi-Domain Operations to NATO Allied Land Command MDO
^Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (January 13, 2020) Infinite Games & War By Other Means: Ryan McCarthy: "We must be engaged in constant competition, versus an episodic engagement strategy" —Secretary Ryan McCarthy
^ abKyle Mizokami (8 Mar 2020) The Air Force's New Weapon Is...Shipping Containers? "Drone maker Kratos Defense is proposing inserting its new XQ-58A Valkyrie drone in a modified shipping container" into selected Indo-Pacific locations as pre-positioned stock for quick armed response to threats. Hundreds of containers could be deployed but not all need be occupied with Valkyries.
Garrett Reim (3 Mar 2020) Why the US Air Force might use ‘deception’ and UAVs hidden in shipping containers to fight China
^Joseph Lacdan, Army News Service (17 June 2021) AFC chief: ‘Preference is deterrence’ in regards to new capabilities for joint force
^Paul Poast thread (22 Mar 2022) This picture offers a key lesson on how wars end, as was laid out in the 1945 Potsdam conference
^ abUS Army AvMC (16 Jun 2021) Video: Autonomous missile launcher destroys enemy threats AvMCADO concept video —autonomous multi-domain launcher (AML): Jen Judson (16 Jun 2021) US Army fires autonomous launcher in Pacific-focused demo AML demo at Fort Sill utilized a HIMARS launcher and the AML, in a leader-follower configuration, to launch a PrSM and an extended- range PrSM from an island in the First island chain. One PrSM takes out a ship, while the extended-range PrSM takes out an air-defense system on an enemy occupied island. Fighter jets engage during the window of opportunity after the enemy standoff has been dis-integrated. In 1.25 hours, the HIMARS platoon, of the 18th Field Artillery Brigade, Fort Liberty, fired 7 rockets and engaged 3 islands, in concert with Air Force transports, and DEVCOM's AvMC soldier touchpoint.
^Andrew Smith (9 Apr 2020) Convergence within SOCOM – A Bottom-Up Approach to Multi Domain Operations
^ abcdPaul McCleary (4 September 2019) Major War Game To Jolt 4 Services, Force Decisions
^ abSydney Freedberg, Jr. (January 14, 2020) Army Chief Seeks ‘Minimally Manned’ Vehicles, Joint C2 LRPF, ITN, IBCS, FARA, FLRAA, and "We need a joint command and control system" —40th Army Chief of Staff James C. McConville
^Theresa Hitchens (10 Aug 2020) Spacepower Is ‘Catastrophically Decisive’ In War: New Space Force Doctrine —Gen. Jay Raymond,
"Orbital Warfare,
Space Electromagnetic Warfare,
Space Battle Management,
Space Access and Sustainment,
Military Intelligence,
Cyber Operations, and
Engineering/Acquisitions".
^ abMission command Battle Lab (2 August 2021) MCBL experiments with ARL's Cross Reality COP to support distributed collaboration in virtual reality Soldier touchpoint for Echelons above brigade (EABs): common operational picture
^ abAmy Walker and Justin Eimers, PEO C3T Public Affairs (April 8, 2019) Multinational exercises aim to improve coalition data sharing
^ abSpc. Miguel Ruiz, Joint Modernization Command [http:[dead link]//fortblissbugle.com/2019/05/08/back-to-the-future-us-partner-nations-assess-future-warfighting-capabilities-at-jmc-sponsored-jwa-19/ (MAY 8, 2019) Back to the future: US, partner nations assess future warfighting capabilities at JMC-sponsored JWA 19]
^Maj. Gen. Rodney D. Fogg, Brig. Gen. Douglas M. McBride Jr., and Maj. Graham Davidson (July 18, 2019) Focus:Sustaining the Future Fight LSCO compared to Patton's 3rd Army
^ abCapt. Matthew Miller (July 18, 2019) Multi-Domain Intelligence Support for Sustainment Risks of non delivery
^Lt. Gen. Michael Lundy, Col. Richard Creed, and Lt. Col. Scott Pence (July 18, 2019) Feeding the Forge: Sustaining Large-Scale Ground Combat Operations
^Kyle Rempfer (September 20, 2019) Army's new chief looks to prep the force for large-scale combat 40th CSA mulls deployments for Large-Scale Combat Operations — LSCO
^Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (17 September 2018) Trump Eases Cyber Ops, But Safeguards Remain: Joint Staff
^Mark Pomerleau (8 May 2019) New authorities mean lots of new missions at Cyber Command
reorganization, plan, united, states, army, reorganization, plan, united, states, army, modernization, 2015, 2028, reorganization, 2006, 2016, plan, united, states, army, implemented, 2006, 2016, under, direction, brigade, modernization, command, this, effort,. The reorganization plan of the United States Army is a modernization 2015 2028 and reorganization 2006 2016 plan of the United States Army implemented 2006 2016 under the direction of Brigade Modernization Command This effort formally began in 2006 when General Peter Schoomaker the 35th Army Chief of Staff was given the support to move the Army from its Cold War divisional orientation to a full spectrum capability with fully manned equipped and trained brigades this effort was completed by the end of 2016 1 It has been the most comprehensive reorganization since World War II and included modular combat brigades support brigades and command headquarters as well as rebalancing the active and reserve components The plan was first proposed by the Army s 34th Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki in 1999 but was bitterly opposed internally by the Army 2 Graphic legend of Army Transformation a By 2028 in Multi Domain Operations MDO b as part of the Joint force Army Strategy is to counter a near peer adversary which is capable of competition in all domains c 3 4 5 6 7 8 In 2019 the planning was for Large Scale ground Combat Operations LSCO at echelons above the brigade combat team meaning division sized units or larger 9 10 11 Multi Domain Task Forces MDTFs operate in a combatant commander s theater area of responsibility MDTFs are experimental brigade sized units which are tailored to the theater they are to operate subordinate to a Theater fires command or to a corps or division headquarters jointly or independently depending on the mission 12 4 These MDTFs increase the capability to connect with national assets in space and cyber with the capacity to penetrate with long range fires with the ability to integrate all domains 12 13 This is integrated deterrence 14 15 taking existing capabilities as well as building on new capabilities which have been deployed in new and networked ways c all tailored to the security landscape of the respective regions in order to deter the antagonists 16 17 In 2020 the Army s 40th Chief of Staff Gen James C McConville was calling for transformational change rather than incremental change by the Army 18 minute 4 55 In 2021 McConville laid out Aimpoint 2035 a direction for the Army to achieve Corps level Large scale combat operations LSCO by 2035 with Waypoints from 2021 to 2028 19 20 21 In the fall of 2018 Army Strategy for the next ten years was articulated listeding four Lines of Effort to be implemented 22 By August 2023 the Army s 41st 23 24 Chief of Staff Gen Randy A George could lay out his priorities 25 The priorities are Warfighting capability Ready combat formations Continuous transformation Strengthening the profession of arms 25 26 Contents 1 Origin and initial design 1 1 History of Army Force Generation ARFORGEN 2 Planning process evolution and transformation 2 1 Implementation and current status 3 Reorganization plans by unit type 3 1 Modular combat brigades 3 2 Modular support brigades 3 2 1 Combat support brigades 3 2 2 Security Force Assistance Brigades 3 2 3 Army Field Support Brigades 3 3 Command headquarters 3 4 Four Army commands 3 5 Multi domain operations MDO 3 5 1 Conflict 3 5 2 Deterrence 3 5 3 Competition 3 5 4 Crisis 3 5 5 Return to competition 3 6 Alliances and partnerships 4 Training and readiness 4 1 Soldier and Family Readiness Groups 4 2 USAR mobilization 4 3 National Guard training 4 4 Associated units training program 4 5 Rifleman training 4 6 Stryker training 4 7 Digital air ground integration ranges DAGIRs 4 8 Training against OPFORs 4 9 Training against cyber 4 10 Soldier integration facility 4 11 Applications for Synthetic Training Environment STE 5 Deployment scheme 5 1 Readiness model 5 2 Prepositioned stocks 5 3 Air Defense Artillery deployments 5 4 Forward deployed materiel 5 5 Dynamic force employment 6 Force size and unit organization 6 1 Army commands 6 2 Army service component commands 6 3 Army direct reporting units 6 4 Field armies 6 5 Army corps 6 6 Divisions and brigades 6 6 1 Brigade Combat Teams 6 6 2 Support brigades 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 External linksOrigin and initial design EditPrior to the appointment of General Schoomaker the Army was organized around large mostly mechanized divisions of around 15 000 soldiers each with the aim of being able to fight in two major theatres simultaneously Under the new plan the Army would be organized around modular brigades of 3 000 4 000 soldiers each with the aim of being able to deploy continuously in different parts of the world and effectively organizing the Army closer to the way it fights citation needed An additional 30 000 soldiers were recruited as a short term measure to assist in the structural changes although a permanent end strength change was not expected because of fears of future funding cuts forcing the Army to pay for the additional personnel from procurement and readiness accounts Up to 60 of the defense budget is spent on personnel and an extra 10 000 soldiers would cost US 1 4 billion annually citation needed Belfer Center Conference on Military Transformation was held by the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs co sponsored by the United States Army War College and the Dwight D Eisenhower National Security Series on November 22 and 23 2002 27 It brought together present and former defense officials and military commanders to assess the Department of Defense s progress in achieving a transformation of U S military capabilities In 2004 the United States Army Forces Command FORSCOM which commands most active and reserve forces based in the Continental United States was tasked with supervising the modular transformation of its subordinate structure In March 2004 a contract was awarded to Anteon Corporation later a part of General Dynamics to provide Modularity Coordination Cells MCCs to each transforming corps division and brigade within FORSCOM Each MCC contained a team of functional area specialists who provided direct ground level support to the unit The MCCs were coordinated by the Anteon office in Atlanta Georgia In 2007 a new deployment scheme known as Grow the Army was adopted that enabled the Army to carry out continuous operations 28 The plan was modified several times including an expansion of troop numbers in 2007 and changes to the number of modular brigades On 25 June 2013 plans were announced to disband 13 modular brigade combat teams BCTs and expand the remaining brigades with an extra maneuver battalion extra fires batteries and an engineer battalion In 2009 an ongoing campaign of learning was the capstone concept for force commanders meant to carry the Army from 2016 to 2028 29 21 New capabilitiesIn the summer of 2018 the U S Army Futures Command AFC 30 31 a new Army command for modernization was activated 32 33 The modernization effort coordinated with FORSCOM US Army Materiel Command AMC and US Army Training and Doctrine Command TRADOC addresses the long lead times 34 for introducing new materiel and capabilities into the brigades of the Army 32 35 36 d This planned Joint capability was demonstrated to the Combatant commanders who are the customers for the capability and the Joint Chiefs who advise the government on the importance of this effort at White Sands Missile Range in September 2020 37 38 in an ongoing campaign for achieving integrated deterrence By 2020 Project Convergence a campaign of learning was pressed into service at Yuma Proving Ground in the Army s campaign to modernize 39 by experimental prototype and demonstration of a networking concept 32 Project Convergence 2021 PC21 40 was then a vehicle for the entire DoD in its Joint Warfighting Concept JWC demonstration of Joint all domain command and control JADC2 41 42 Project Convergence 2022 PC22 now has a website for candidate entries 43 even as PC21 was underway in 2021 Analysis is underway in FY2022 to balance modernization and readiness going forward 44 45 46 History of Army Force Generation ARFORGEN Edit The Secretary of the Army approved implementing Army Force Generation ARFORGEN a transformational force generation model in 2006 ARFORGEN process diagram 2010 Army Posture Statement Addendum F Army Force Generation ARFORGEN 47 ARFORGEN model concept development began in the summer of 2004 and received its final approval from the Army s senior leadership in early 2006 48 FORSCOM Department of the Army AR 525 29 Military Operations Army Force Generation 14 Mar 2011 dead link In 2016 the Army force generation process ARFORGEN was sidelined because it relied mostly on the Active Army in favor of the total force policy which includes the Reserve and National Guard in the new model the total force could have fallen to 980 000 by 2018 49 subject to DoD s Defense Strategic Guidance to the Joint Staff 50 note especially pp 1 3 By 15 June 2017 the Department of the Army approved an increase in the Active Army s end strength from 475 000 to 476 000 The total Army end strength increases to 1 018 million 51 Planning process evolution and transformation EditThe commander in chief directs the planning process through guidance to the Army by the Secretary of Defense 50 Every year Army Posture Statements by the Secretary of the Army and the Chief of Staff of the Army summarize their assessment e of the Army s ability to respond to world events 53 54 and also to transform for the future 55 In support of transformation for the future TRADOC upon the advice of the Army s stakeholders has assembled 20 warfighting challenges 56 These challenges are under evaluation during annual Army warfighting assessments such as AWA 17 1 held in October 2016 AWA 17 1 was an assessment by 5 000 US Soldiers Special Operations Forces Airmen and Marines 57 as well as by British Australian Canadian Danish and Italian troops 58 59 60 61 For example reach back is among the capabilities being assessed when under attack in an unexpected location a Soldier on the move might use Warfighter Information Network Tactical WIN T At the halt a light Transportable Tactical Command Communications T2C2 Lite system 62 p 356 63 64 65 66 could reach back to a mobile command post to communicate the unexpected situation to higher echelons 67 68 a building block in multi domain operations 69 70 22 71 Implementation and current status Edit Grow the Army was a transformation and re stationing initiative of the United States Army which began in 2007 and was scheduled to be completed by fiscal year 2013 The initiative was designed to grow the army by almost 75 000 soldiers while realigning a large portion of the force in Europe to the continental United States in compliance with the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure suggestions This grew the force from 42 Brigade Combat Teams BCTs and 75 modular support brigades in 2007 to 45 Brigade Combat Teams and 83 modular support brigades by 2013 On 25 June 2013 38th Army Chief of Staff General Raymond T Odierno announced plans to disband 13 brigade combat teams and reduce troop strengths by 80 000 soldiers While the number of BCTs will be reduced the size of remaining BCTs will increase on average to about 4 500 soldiers That will be accomplished in many cases by moving existing battalions and other assets from existing BCTs into other brigades Two brigade combat teams in Germany had already been deactivated and a further 10 brigade combat teams slated for deactivation were announced by General Odierno on 25 June An additional brigade combat team was announced for deactivation 6 November 2014 At the same time the maneuver battalions from the disbanded brigades will be used to augment armored and infantry brigade combat teams with a third maneuver battalion and expanded brigades fires capabilities by adding a third battery to the existing fires battalions Furthermore all brigade combat teams armored infantry and Stryker will gain a Brigade Engineer Battalion with gap crossing and route clearance capability 72 On 6 November 2014 it was reported that the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team 2nd Infantry Division currently stationed in South Korea was to be deactivated in June 2015 and be replaced by a succession of U S based brigade combat teams which are to be rotated in and out at the same nine month tempo as practiced by the Army from 2001 to 2014 73 Eleven brigades were inactivated by 2015 The remaining brigades as of 2015 are listed below On 16 March 2016 the Deputy Commanding General DCG of FORSCOM announced that the brigades would now also train to move their equipment to their new surge location as well as to train for the requirements of their next deployment 74 75 76 77 By 2018 23rd Secretary of the Army Mark Esper noted that even though the large deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan had ceased at any given time three of the Armored Brigade Combat Teams are deployed to EUCOM CENTCOM and INDOPACOM respectively while two Infantry Brigade Combat Teams are deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan respectively 78 At any given time there are more than 100 000 Soldiers deployed around the world 23rd Secretary of the Army Mark Esper 78 In 2019 the 23rd Secretary of the Army asserted that the planning efforts including Futures Command the SFABs and the Decisive Action readiness training of the BCTs are preparing the Army for competition with both near peer and regional powers 79 80 The Army and Marine Corps have issued clear explanations and guidance for the 429 articles of the Geneva Conventions 81 82 The Budget Control Act could potentially restrict funds by 2020 94 By 2024 2025 the Fiscal Year Development Plan FYDP will have reallocated 10 billion more into development of the top 6 modernization priorities d taking those funds from legacy spending budgets 95 Reorganization plans by unit type EditThe Army has now been organized around modular brigades of 3 000 4 000 soldiers each with the aim of being able to deploy continuously in different parts of the world and effectively organizing the Army closer to the way it fights The fact that this modernization is now in place has been acknowledged by the renaming of the Brigade Modernization Command to the U S Army Joint Modernization Command on 16 February 2017 1 By 2021 the Army of 2030 was envisioned to consist of Brigades for the close fight Divisions for Large scale combat operations Corps for enduring sustained operations and Theater scale commands 19 20 a Modular combat brigades Edit Main article Brigade combat team Modular combat brigades are self contained combined arms formations 103 104 They are standardized formations across the active and reserve components meaning an Armored BCT at Fort Cavazos is the same as one at Fort Stewart f Reconnaissance plays a large role in the new organizational designs The Army felt the acquisition of the target was the weak link in the chain of finding fixing closing with and destroying the enemy The Army felt that it had already sufficient lethal platforms to take out the enemy and thus the number of reconnaissance units in each brigade was increased g The brigades sometimes depend on joint fires from the Air Force and Navy to accomplish their mission As a result the amount of field artillery has been reduced in the brigade design The three types of BCTs are Armored Brigade Combat Teams ABCTs Infantry Brigade Combat Teams IBCTs includes Light Air Assault and Airborne units and Stryker Brigade Combat Teams SBCTs nbsp Armored Brigade structureArmored Brigade Combat Teams or ABCTs consist of 4 743 troops This includes the third maneuver battalion as laid out in 2013 The changes announced by the U S army on 25 June 2013 72 include adding a third maneuver battalion to the brigade a second engineer company to a new Brigade Engineer Battalion a third battery to the FA battalion and reducing the size of each battery from 8 to 6 guns These changes will also increase the number of troops in the affected battalions and also increase the total troops in the brigade Since the brigade has more organic units the command structure includes a deputy commander in addition to the traditional executive officer and a larger staff capable of working with civil affairs special operations psychological operations air defense and aviation units An Armored BCT consists of the brigade headquarters and headquarters company HHC 43 officers 17 warrant officers 125 enlisted personnel total 185 soldiers the Brigade Engineer Battalion BEB formerly Brigade Special Troops Battalion BSTB consisted of a headquarters company signal company military intelligence company with a TUAV platoon and two combat engineer companies A and B company The former BSTB fielded 28 officers 6 warrant officers 470 enlisted personnel total 504 soldiers Each of the combat engineer company fields 13 M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle BFV Operation Desert Storm Engineer ODS E 1 M113A3 Armored Personnel Carrier APC 3 M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle ABV 1 M9 Armored Combat Earthmover ACE and 2 M104 Heavy Assault Bridge HAB a Cavalry formerly Armed Reconnaissance Squadron consisting of a headquarters troop HHT and three reconnaissance troops and one armored troop The HHT fields 2 M3A3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicles CFVs and 3 M7A3 Bradley Fire Support Vehicles while each reconnaissance troop fields 7 M3A3 CFVs The squadron fields 35 officers and 385 enlisted personnel total 424 soldiers three identical combined arms battalions flagged as a battalion of an infantry armored or cavalry regiment Each battalion consists of a headquarters and headquarters company two tank companies and two mechanized infantry companies The battalions field 48 officers and 580 enlisted personnel each total 628 soldiers The HHC fields 1 M1A2 main battle tank 1 M2A3 infantry fighting vehicle 3 M3A3 cavalry fighting vehicles 4 M7A3 fire support vehicles and 4 M1064 mortar carriers with M120 120 mm mortars Each of the two tank companies fields 14 M1A2 main battle tanks while each mechanized infantry company fields 14 M2A3 infantry fighting vehicles In 2016 the ABCT s combined arms battalions adopted a triangle structure of two armored battalions of two armored companies plus a single mechanized infantry company plus a mechanized infantry battalion of two mechanized companies and one armored company 107 This resulted in the reduction of two mechanized infantry companies the deleted armored company was reflagged as a troop to the Cavalry Squadron a Field Artillery battalion consisting of a headquarters battery two cannon batteries with 8 M109A6 self propelled 155 mm howitzers each the changes announced by the U S Army on 25 June 2013 72 include adding a third battery to the FA battalion and reducing the size of each battery from 8 to 6 guns these changes also increase the number of troops in the affected battalions and also increase the total troops in the Brigade and a target acquisition platoon 24 officers 2 warrant officers 296 enlisted personnel total 322 soldiers a brigade support battalion BSB 108 consisting of a headquarters medical distribution and maintenance company plus six forward support companies each of which support one of the three combined arms battalions the cavalry squadron the engineer battalion and the field artillery battalion 61 officers 14 warrant officers 1 019 enlisted personnel total 1 094 soldiers nbsp Infantry Brigade structureInfantry Brigade Combat Team or IBCTs comprised around 3 300 soldiers in the pre 2013 design which did not include the 3rd maneuver battalion The 2013 end strength is now 4 413 Soldiers Special Troops Battalion now Brigade Engineer Battalion Cavalry Squadron 2 later 3 Infantry Battalions Field Artillery Battalion Brigade Support Battalion 108 nbsp Stryker Brigade structureStryker Brigade Combat Team or SBCTs comprised about 3 900 soldiers making it the largest of the three combat brigade constructs in the 2006 design and over 4 500 Soldiers in the 2013 reform Its design includes Headquarters Company Cavalry Squadron with three 14 vehicle two 120 mm mortar reconnaissance troops plus a surveillance troop with UAVs and NBC detection capability 3 Stryker infantry battalions each with three rifle companies with 12 infantry carrying vehicles 3 mobile gun platforms 2 120 mm mortars and around 100 infantry dismounts each plus an HHC with scout mortar and medical platoons and a sniper section Engineer Company folded into the Brigade Engineer Battalion An additional engineer company was added to the battalion 72 in the 2013 reform Signal Company folded into the Brigade Engineer Battalion Military Intelligence Company with UAV platoon folded into the Brigade Engineer Battalion Anti tank company 9 TOW equipped Stryker vehicles folded into the Brigade Engineer Battalion Field Artillery Battalion three 6 gun 155 mm Howitzer batteries target acquisition platoon and a joint fires cell Brigade Support Battalion headquarters medical maintenance and distribution companies 108 Modular support brigades Edit Combat support brigades Edit nbsp Heavy Combat Aviation Brigade Structure nbsp Full Spectrum Combat Aviation Brigade StructureSimilar modularity will exist for support units which fall into five types Aviation Fires artillery Battlefield Surveillance intelligence Maneuver Enhancement engineers signal military police chemical and rear area support and Sustainment logistics medical transportation maintenance etc In the past artillery combat support and logistics support only resided at the division level and brigades were assigned those units only on a temporary basis when brigades transformed into brigade combat teams for particular deployments Combat Aviation Brigades are multi functional offering a combination of attack helicopters i e Boeing AH 64 Apache reconnaissance helicopters i e OH 58 Kiowa medium lift helicopters i e UH 60 Black Hawk heavy lift helicopters i e CH 47 Chinook and medical evacuation MEDEVAC capability Aviation will not be organic to combat brigades but will continue to reside at the division level due to resource constraints Heavy divisions of which there are six will have 48 Apaches 38 Blackhawks 12 Chinooks and 12 Medevac helicopters in their aviation brigade These are divided into two aviation attack battalions an assault lift battalion a general aviation support battalion An aviation support battalion will have headquarters refuelling resupply repair maintenance and communications companies 109 Light divisions will have aviation brigades with 60 armed reconnaissance helicopters and no Apaches with the remaining structure the same The remaining divisions will have aviation brigades with 30 armed reconnaissance helicopters and 24 Apaches with the remaining structure the same Ten Army Apache helicopter units will convert to heavy attack reconnaissance squadrons with 12 RQ 7B Shadow drones apiece 106 110 The helicopters to fill out these large combined arms division level aviation brigades comes from aviation units that used to reside at the corps level nbsp Fires Brigade StructureField Artillery Brigades known as Fires Brigades prior to 2014 provide traditional artillery fire M109 Paladin self propelled howitzer M270 MLRS and HIMARS rocket artillery as well as information operations and non lethal effects capabilities After the 2013 reform the expertise formerly embodied in the pre 2007 Division Artillery DIVARTY was formally re instituted in the Division Artillery DIVARTY of 2015 with a colonel as commander 111 The operational Fires battalions will now report to this new formulation of DIVARTY for training and operational Fires standards as well as to the BCT 112 113 Air Defense The Army was no longer to provide an organic air defense artillery ADA battalion to its divisions as of 2007 Nine of the ten active component AC divisional ADA battalions and two of the eight reserve ARNG divisional ADA battalions will deactivate The remaining AC divisional ADA battalion along with six ARNG divisional ADA battalions will be pooled at the Unit of Employment to provide on call air and missile defense AMD protection The pool of Army AMD resources will address operational requirements in a tailorable and timely manner without stripping assigned AMD capability from other missions Maneuver short range air defense MSHORAD 114 with laser cannon prototypes fielding by 2020 115 But by 2015 the Division Artillery was restored Maneuver Enhancement Brigades are designed to be self contained and will command units such as chemical military police civil affairs units and tactical units such as a maneuver infantry battalion These formations are designed so that they can operate with coalition or joint forces such as the Marine Corps or can span the gap between modular combat brigades and other modular support brigades h nbsp Combat Sustainment Brigade StructureSustainment Brigades provide echelon above brigade level logistics 117 On its rotation to South Korea 3rd ABCT 1st Armored Division deployed its supply support activity SSA common authorized stockage list CASL 118 as well 119 The CASL allows the ABCT to draw additional stocks beyond its pipeline of materiel from GCSS A 119 The DoD level Global Combat Support System includes an Army level tool GCSS A which runs on tablet computers with bar code readers which 92 A specialists use to enter and track materiel requests as the materiel makes its way through the supply chain to the brigades 120 This additional information can then be used by GCSS A to trigger resupply for Army pre positioned stocks typically by sea 120 121 p 12 The data in GCSS Army is displayed on the Commander s Dashboard Army Readiness Common Operating Picture AR COP this dashboard is also available to the commander at BCT division corps and Army levels 122 nbsp Battlefield Surveillance Brigade StructureThe former Battlefield Surveillance Brigades 123 now denoted Military Intelligence Brigades Expeditionary will offer additional UAVs and long term surveillance detachments 124 Each of the three active duty brigades is attached to an Army Corps 123 nbsp Maneuver Enhancement Brigade Structure Security Force Assistance Brigades Edit Security force assistance brigades SFABs are brigades whose mission is to train advise and assist TAA the armed forces of other states The SFAB are neither bound by conventional decisive operations nor counter insurgency operations Operationally a 500 soldier SFAB would free up a 4500 soldier BCT from a TAA mission On 23 June 2016 General Mark Milley revealed plans for train advise assist Brigades consisting of seasoned officers and NCOs with a full chain of command 125 Minute 18 40 1 00 45 but no junior Soldiers In the event of a national emergency the end strengths of the SFABs could be augmented with new soldiers from basic training and advanced individual training 125 An SFAB was projected to consist of 500 senior officers and NCOs which the Army says could act as a cadre to reform a full BCT in a matter of months 126 In May 2017 the initial SFAB staffing of 529 soldiers was underway including 360 officers The officers will have had previous command experience 125 21 20 Commanders and leaders will have previously led BCTs at the same echelon 127 The remaining personnel all senior NCOs are to be recruited from across the Army 128 129 130 Promotable E 4s who volunteer for the SFAB are automatically promoted to Sergeant upon completion of the Military Advisor Training Academy 131 A team of twelve soldiers would include a medic personnel for intelligence support and air support 132 as cited by Keller 133 134 These SFABs would be trained in languages how to work with interpreters 135 and equipped with the latest equipment 136 such as Integrated Tactical Network ITN 137 using T2C2 systems 138 139 including secure but unclassified communications 140 and weapons to support coalition partners 141 as well as unmanned aircraft systems UASs 142 The first five SFABs would align with the Combatant Commands SOUTHCOM AFRICOM CENTCOM EUCOM and USINDOPACOM respectively 19 an SFAB could provide up to 58 teams possibly with additional Soldiers for force protection 141 Funding for the first two SFABs was secured in June 2017 51 By October 2017 the first of six planned SFABs the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade 143 was established at Fort Moore 144 125 minute 50 00 On 16 October 2017 BG Brian Mennes of Force Management in the Army s G3 5 7 announced accelerated deployment of the first two SFABs possibly by Spring 2018 to Afghanistan and Iraq if required 141 This was approved in early July 2017 by the 27th Secretary of Defense and the 39th Chief of Staff of the Army On 8 February 2018 1st SFAB held an activation ceremony at Fort Moore revealing its colors and heraldry for the first time and then cased its colors for the deployment to Afghanistan 145 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade deployed to Afghanistan in spring 2018 146 On 8 December 2017 the Army announced the activation of the 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade 147 for January 2018 the second of six planned SFABs The SFAB are to consist of about 800 senior and noncommissioned officers who have served at the same echelon with proven expertise in advise and assist operations with foreign security forces Fort Liberty was chosen as the station for the second SFAB 148 in anticipation of the time projected to train a Security Force Assistance Brigade 147 On 17 January 2018 39th Chief of Staff Mark Milley announced the activation of the third SFAB 133 2nd SFAB undergoes three months of training beginning October 2018 to be followed by a Joint Readiness Training Center Rotation beginning January 2019 and deployment in spring 2019 149 The 3rd 4th and 5th SFABs are to be stationed at Fort Cavazos Fort Carson and Joint Base Lewis McChord respectively 150 the headquarters of the 54th Security Force Assistance Brigade made up from the Army National Guard will be in Indiana one of six states to contribute an element of 54th SFAB 151 It is likely that these brigades will be seeing service within United States Central Command 152 153 The Security Force Assistance Command SFAC a one star division level command 154 and all six SFABs will be activated by 2020 22 The Security Force Assistance Directorate a one star Directorate for the SFABs is part of FORSCOM in Fort Liberty SFAD will be responsible for the Military Advisor Training Academy as well 155 156 The 1st SFAB commander was promoted to Brigadier General in Gardez Afghanistan on 18 August 2018 157 The 2nd SFAB commander was promoted to Brigadier General 7 September 2018 158 SFAC and 2nd SFAB were activated in a joint ceremony at Fort Liberty on 3 December 2018 154 2nd SFAB deployed to Afghanistan in February 2019 159 160 3rd SFAB activated at Fort Hood on 16 July 2019 161 3rd SFAB will relieve 2nd SFAB in Afghanistan for the Winter 2019 rotation 162 Security Assistance is part of The Army Strategy 2018 s Line of Effort 4 Strengthen Alliances and Partnerships 22 The Security Assistance Command is based at Redstone Arsenal 163 but the SFAC is based at Fort Liberty 154 Army Field Support Brigades Edit Army Field Support Brigades AFSBs have been utilized to field materiel in multiple Combatant Command s Areas of Responsibility AORs 164 121 p22 27 and p 77 78 Initially 405th AFSB prepositioned stocks for a partial brigade eventually the 405th was to field materiel for an ABCT a Division headquarters a Fires Brigade and a Sustainment Brigade in their AOR which required multinational agreements 165 Similarly 401st AFSB configured materiel for an ABCT in their AOR as well The objective has been combat configuration maintain their vehicles to support a 96 hour readiness window for a deployed ABCT on demand 166 In addition 403rd Army Field Support Brigade maintains prepositioned stocks for their AOR Command headquarters Edit Below the Combatant Commands echelon Division commands will command and control their combat and support brigades 167 Divisions will operate as plug and play headquarters commands similar to corps instead of fixed formations with permanently assigned units Any combination of brigades may be allocated to a division command for a particular mission up to a maximum of four combat brigades For instance the 3rd Infantry Division headquarters could be assigned two armor brigades and two infantry brigades based on the expected requirements of a given mission On its next deployment the same division may have one Stryker brigade and two armor brigades assigned to it The same modus operandi holds true for support units The goal of reorganization with regard to logistics is to streamline the logistics command structure 168 so that combat service support can fulfill its support mission more efficiently 169 170 The division headquarters itself has also been redesigned as a modular unit that can be assigned an array of units and serve in many different operational environments 171 The new term for this headquarters is the UEx or Unit of Employment X The headquarters is designed to be able to operate as part of a joint force command joint forces with augmentation and command at the operational level of warfare not just the tactical level It will include organic security personnel and signal capability plus liaison elements As of March 2015 nine of the ten regular Army division headquarters and two national guard division headquarters are committed in support of Combatant Commands 53 Executive Summary 172 173 When not deployed the division will have responsibility for the training and readiness of a certain number of modular brigades units For instance the 3rd Infantry Division headquarters module based at Fort Stewart GA is responsible for the readiness of its combat brigades and other units of the division that is 3rd ID is responsible for administrative control ADCON of its downtrace units assuming they have not been deployed separately under a different division The re designed headquarters module comprises around 1 000 soldiers including over 200 officers It includes A Main Command Post where mission planning and analysis are conducted A mobile command group for commanding while on the move 2 Tactical Command Posts to exercise control of brigades 174 Liaison elements A special troops battalion with a security company and signal companyDivisions will continue to be commanded by major generals unless coalition requirements require otherwise Regional army commands e g 3rd Army 7th Army 8th Army will remain in use in the future but with changes to the organization of their headquarters designed to make the commands more integrated and relevant in the structure of the reorganized Army as the chain of command for a deployed division headquarters now runs directly to an Army service component command ASCC or to FORSCOM 171 In January 2017 examples of pared down tactical operations centers suitable for brigades and divisions were demonstrated at a command post huddle at Fort Bliss The huddle of the commanders of FORSCOM United States Army Reserve Command First Army I and III Corps 9 of the Active Army divisions and other formations discussed standardized solutions for streamlining command posts 174 The Army is paring down the tactical operations centers and making them more agile 167 175 176 177 to increase their survivability 113 178 179 By July 2019 battalion command posts have demonstrated jump times of just over 3 hours at the combat training centers repeated 90 to 120 times in a rotation 180 181 182 The C5ISR center of CCDC ran a series of experiments Network Modernization Experiment 2020 NetModX 20 whether using LTE for connecting nodes in a distributed Command post environment was feasible from July to October 2020 183 184 185 186 187 Four Army commands Edit Main article United States Army Futures Command AFC grew from 12 people at headquarters in 2018 188 189 to 24 000 in 25 states and 15 countries in 2019 190 Although the Army has enjoyed overmatch for the past seventy years 34 more rapid modernization for conflict with near peers is the reason for AFC which will be focused on achieving clear overmatch 191 in six areas long range precision fires 192 193 next generation combat vehicle future vertical lift platforms a mobile amp expeditionary Army network 194 195 air amp missile defense capabilities 196 and soldier lethality 197 i e artillery armor aviation signal air defense artillery and infantry d In a break with Army custom AFC headquarters was placed in a downtown property of the University of Texas System and project driven soldiers and Army civilians with entrepreneurs innovators in tech hubs 198 199 31 AFC was activated on 24 August 2018 in Austin Texas 200 AFC soldiers were to blend into Austin by not wearing their uniforms to work side by side with civilians in the tech hubs 201 minute 6 20 The organizational design of AFC was informed by the cancellation of the Army s Future Combat Systems project McCarthy said 31 Minute 19 40 Thus unity of command and purpose 31 Minutes 12 22 23 01 The Program Executive Offices PEOs of ASA ALT will have a dotted line relationship with Futures Command 202 d Eight cross functional teams CFTs d 33 203 196 were transferred from the other three major commands to Futures Command 202 United States Army Research Development and Engineering Command and the United States Army Capabilities Integration Center 204 will report to the new command 205 ATEC retains its direct reporting relationship to the Chief of Staff of the Army The first tranche of transfers into AFC included Capabilities Integration Center ARCIC Capability Development and Integration Directorates CDIDs and TRADOC Analysis Center TRAC from TRADOC and RDECOM including the six research development and engineering centers RDECs and the U S Army Research Laboratory ARL 206 and Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity AMSAA from AMC as announced by Secretary Esper on 4 June 2018 207 TRADOC s new role is amended accordingly 207 The Principal Military Deputy to the ASA ALT was also to become deputy commanding general for Combat Systems Army Futures Command while leading the PEOs he has directed each PEO who does not have a CFT to coordinate with to immediately form one at least informally 208 General Murray has announced that AFC intends to be a global command in its search for disruptive technologies 209 39th Army Chief of Staff Milley was looking for AFC to attain full operational capability FOC by August 2019 201 a goal since met As this modernized materiel is fielded to the brigades the scheme is to equip the units with the highest levels of readiness for deployment with upgraded equipment earliest while continuing to train the remaining units to attain their full mission capability 210 Multi domain operations MDO Edit See also CJADC2 Artillery Precision guidance and United States Army Futures Command IBCS nbsp Conflict continuum competition short of conflict conflict itself and the return to competition 211 p 10 possibly via deterrence Gen David G PerkinsIn 2017 the concept of multi domain battle MDB 211 had emerged from TRADOC 212 for which the Army sought joint approval from the other services instead the Air Force recommended multi domain operations MDO b as the operating concept 213 3 214 Multi domain operations cover integrated operation of cyberspace space meaning satellite operations from the Army s perspective land maritime and air 215 A multi domain task force was stood up in 2018 in I Corps for the Pacific 211 built around 17th Field Artillery Brigade MDO in the Pacific has to involve maritime operations MDO is planned for EUCOM in 2020 3 216 Multi domain battalions first stood up in 2019 comprise a single unit for air land space and cyber domains 217 to ensure integration of cyber EW space and information operations in more levels of command To me ARCIC s MDO analysis means the Army s got to be able to sink ships neutralize satellites shoot down missiles and deny the enemy the ability to command and control its forces Adm Harry B Harris Jr 218 By 2020 the Army s programs for modernization were now framed as a decades long process of cooperation with allies and partners 219 220 221 for competition with potential adversaries who historically have blurred the distinction between peace and war 222 223 and who have been operating within the continuum the gray zone between peace cooperation competition crisis and conflict instead When meeting a crisis the Army s preference is deterrence 224 i The need for deterrence against ballistic missiles is shifting to the need to deter or defend against attack by hypersonic weapons Conflict Edit nbsp In a conflict friendly forces denoted in black 4 work as an integrated force against adversaries denoted in red The force operates in Multi domains gray yellow light gray dark gray and dark blue Space Cyber Air Land and Maritime respectively severally and simultaneously cooperating across domains 226 j These operations will disrupt the adversaries and present them multiple simultaneous dilemmas The operations are designed to encourage adversaries to learn the advantages of a return to competition rather than continuing a conflict 227 If you want to rapidly integrate all domains in order to take advantage of opportunities on a very lethal battlefield you need a different type of C2 command and control structure Lt Gen Eric J Wesley 228 3 229 230 Deterrence Edit In the decade from 2009 to 2019 the Army was transitioning its brigade based counterinsurgency effort to modernization of the echelons above brigade by 2021 integrated deterrence a campaign operating across domains by a single commander to meet the objective of the Joint and Allied Force the concept is scalable assigning one objective per task force commander against possible adversaries was underway as part of the Joint force s campaign of learning 231 nbsp JWA 19 Yakima Training Center Wash May 6 2019 Soldiers of 1st Battalion 17th Infantry Regiment 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team 2nd Infantry Division heading toward their mission objective TRADOC designed exercises for Joint warfighter assessments JWA 19 232 233 234 at Fort Lewis to clarify the jumps for Command Posts to ensure their survivability during future operations In 2019 there was a new focus on planning for large scale ground combat operations LSCO 235 236 237 238 239 that will require echelons above brigade all of which will solve unique and distinct problems that a given BCT can t solve by itself LTG Eric Wesley 6 71 Computer simulations DOTMLPF of the survivability rates for the units were then compared with the interaction strategies tactics and operations of JWA 19 a highly contested environment 232 JWA 19 occurred at multiple operational speeds in multiple domains served by multiple services cyber operating in milliseconds air operations at 500 miles per hour maritime 30 knots and ground 2 miles per hour JWA 19 involved the militaries of the US the United Kingdom New Zealand Canada France Australia and Singapore 234 c k l Mesh networking is in play for the Mobile Expeditionary Network In Fiscal Year 2019 the network CFT PEO 3CT and PEO Soldier used Network Integration Evaluation 18 2 242 for experiments with brigade level scalability 243 244 245 246 247 Among the takeaways was to avoid overspecifying the requirements in ITN 136 248 Information Systems Initial Capabilities Document to meet operational needs 243 such as interoperability with other networks 249 250 minute 26 40 251 ITN Integrated Tactical Network is being fielded to four brigades in 2021 252 Up through 2028 every two years the Army will insert new capability sets for ITN Capability sets 21 23 25 etc 253 254 246 On 25 September 2020 Army Chief of Staff Gen James C McConville discussed the combination of Multi domain operations MDO and Joint All Domain Command and Control JADC2 with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen Charles Q Brown 255 On 2 October 2020 the 40th Chief of Staff of the Army and the 22nd Chief of Staff of the Air Force signed a Memorandum of understanding MOU on Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control CJADC2 of the two services a two year agreement Their staffs met again after 60 days to show their progress on connecting the Army s Project Convergence and the Air Force s ABMS into a data fabric in 2021 256 257 258 259 46 231 260 Competition Edit In September and November 2019 the Department of Defense DoD scheduled a series of globally integrated exercises with participation from across the US government interagency to refine our plans 19th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford 228 This exercise was designed to help 27th Secretary of Defense Mark Esper develop new plans in the face of a change in chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 228 Specifically what was missing in 2019 was a joint concept 229 shared at the appropriate operational speed between the several domains among the respective services when fighting a peer adversary LTG Eric Wesley c 261 262 263 Note the referenced LRHW graphic depicting a 2019 scenario 264 265 266 This is a return to the use of echelons above brigade Divisions Corps and Field Armies m with specific tasks to force current adversaries to return to competition rather than continue conflict 268 228 269 kill chains were formed within seconds by live fire demonstration as of September 2020 37 c In the Army of 2030 a division would be the Unit of Action rather than a brigade 270 271 272 Artillery engineer and intelligence units would mass at the division echelon 270 brigades would become smaller to become more maneuverable 271 A corps would sustain the brigades endurance for the longer fight 270 271 the higher echelons field army corps and division would gain the resources they would need for the duration of an operation 273 By 2021 the Department of Defense could train for crises using capabilities it had developed jointly among its military departments using concepts it had settled upon experimentally beginning in 2019 nbsp Multi domain operations MDO b span multiple domains cislunar space land air maritime cyber and populations 274 minute 17 45 275 Echelons above brigade division corps and theater army engage in a continuum of conflict n This illustration is from The MDO Concept TRADOC pamphlet 525 3 1 Note the following training scenario to gain relative advantage is only one of the possible paths suggested by following the 5 red numbered bullet points in the illustration Competition No overt hostilities are yet detected Blue bar force projection is in standoff against red bar threat Strategic Support area National assets blue detect breaching of standoff by adversary in red Close area support blue assets hand off to the combatant commands who are to create effects visible to the adversary in red Deep maneuver blue combatant actions dis integrate adversary efforts per TRADOC pamphlet 525 3 1 militarily compete penetrate dis integrate and exploit the adversary Operational and Strategic deep fires create effects on the adversary Adversary is further subject to defeat in detail until adversaries perceive they are overmatched no more red assets to expend Adversary retreats to standoff The populations perceive that the adversary is defeated for now Compare to Perkins cycle return to competition in which deterrence has succeeded in avoiding a total war in favor of pushing an adversary back to standoff the red threat bar Blue force projection still has overmatched red threat In 2019 the 27th Secretary of Defense ordered the four services and the Joint staff to create a new joint warfighting concept for All domain operations ADO operating simultaneously in the air land sea space cyber and the electromagnetic spectrum EMS n In 2021 the 28th Secretary of Defense approved the Joint warfighting concept JWC which remains classified 276 b The 20th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has allocated roles to each of the services in concept development for Joint All Domain Operations JADO 278 the Air Force takes the lead for command and control C2 The Joint services each have a C2 concept to be scaled for the Army C2 requires thousands of connections with the sensors and shooters o as compared with hundreds of connections with the sensors and shooters for the Air Force Advanced Battle Management System ABMS 279 280 c 281 the Navy will lead concept development in Joint fires 278 its newest equipment the newer Littoral Combat Ships the MQ 8C and the Naval Strike Missile provides standoff for the Navy against its near peers 282 283 In February 2020 voices at the tactical level were supporting cross domain cross role cross service interoperation Any sensor should be able to link to any shooter and any command and control node 284 The combination of F 35 based targeting coordinates Long range precision fires and Low earth orbit satellite capability overmatches the competition according to Lt Gen Eric Wesley 285 A Space sensor layer of satellites at 1200 miles above earth 286 would position hundreds of Low earth orbit sensors for tracking hypersonic vehicles This tracking layer would provide guidance information to the interceptors in the missile defense system 286 287 274 288 the Army will lead concept development for contested logistics 289 290 291 nbsp Gen Van Ovost commander of United States Transportation Command briefs Kathleen Hicks 35th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense about the mission of her combatant command p the service to lead concept development in Information advantage is not yet determined by the Joint Staff J 7 as of 16 September 2020 278 Build a kill chain faster than the adversary s OODA loop 39 307 308 309 See Fog of war 310 AI is one such initiative 319 By 11 August 2021 the Joint requirements oversight council JROC identified a 5th functional capability Integrated air and missile defense IAMD 320 JROC will now issue a directive to evaluate the capability gaps in the Missile defense review 321 of C2BMC as well as the Nuclear Posture Review 322 In late December 2019 the Air Force Army and Navy ran a Joint all domain command and control JADC2 323 244 connection exercise of Advanced Battle Management System ABMS 324 for the first time This exercise is denoted ABMS Onramp and will occur at four month intervals 324 JADC2 is a joint multi domain operation MDO 297 the exercise will involve the Army s Long range fires ground based troops and Sentinel radar The Air Force contributes F 22s and F 35s while the Navy is bringing F 35Cs and a destroyer to ABMS Onramp 325 326 The December 2019 exercise used a NORTHCOM scenario 327 nbsp An M109A7 self propelled howitzer at Yuma Proving GroundThe April 2020 test of ABMS was delayed by the COVID 19 pandemic 328 The test was to have spanned bases from Eglin AFB to Nellis AFB from Yuma Proving Ground to White Sands Missile Range in this test a simulated attack was to take place on 3 geographic commands on Space Command on Northern Command and on Strategic Command s nuclear command control and communications JADC2 is to ensure continuity of commander s intent 329 JADC2 was to be exercised in late August or early September 2020 328 330 331 Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System IBCS is undergoing a Limited user test in August September 2020 in preparation for a Milestone C acquisition decision 332 IBCS is a critical building block for JADC2 332 the ABMS test is a separate project 333 Thirty three different hardware platforms some using 5G 70 industry teams and 65 government teams q minute 9 30 participated in this ABMS Onramp the first week in September 2020 q 334 279 By 13 May 2021 the 28th Secretary of Defense had approved the JADC2 strategy 335 336 On 11 August 2021 JROC had identified a 5th functional capability IAMD in addition to the 4 functional battles or competitive advantages already identified 320 337 In August 2020 a Large force test event LFTE was completed at Nellis AFB the test event demonstrated the ability of F 35s to orchestrate SEAD Suppression of Enemy Air Defense using F 22s F 15Es E A 18Gs B 2s and RQ 170s 338 In addition the ability of F 35s to direct Multi Domain Operations MDO was demonstrated during the 2020 Orange Flag event at Edwards AFB Orange Flag showed the ability of an F 35A to collect targeting data relay that data to an airborne communications node as well as to a simulated IBCS station 338 Project Convergence PC20 In fall 2020 Futures Command is testing the data links between the Army s AI task force and its helicopters Future Vertical Lift FVL its long range missile launchers Long range precision fires LRPF and its combat vehicles NGCV 333 39 339 in fall 2021 and going forward the links between ABMS and Multi domain operations are invited when the Army s Air and Missile Defense capabilities AMD s IBCS and MSHORAD Maneuver short range air defense have undergone further testing 333 340 In September 2020 an ABMS Demonstration at WSMR White Sands Missile Range shot down cruise missile surrogates with hypervelocity speeds of Mach 5 projectiles jointly developed by the Army and Navy The Army interceptor stems from an XM109 Paladin howitzer 341 the Navy interceptor stems from a deck gun 37 342 343 The data feeds used both 4G and 5G as well as cloud based AI feeds to form the kill chains 37 The kill chains directing the intercepts were developed from 60 data feeds and took seconds to develop as opposed to the minutes which previous processes took Other sensor to shooter kill chains included AIM 9 missiles launched from F 16s and MQ 9s as well as a ground launched AIM 9 missile which was designed to be an air to air munition Four National Test Ranges were involved in the demonstration 37 as well as five combatant commands 341 342 344 In October 2020 the DoD Acquisition chief completed an extensive redesign of the Adaptive acquisition framework AAF including software acquisition middle tier acquisition defense business systems acquisition of services urgent capability acquisition and major capability acquisition AAF now adheres to the updated DoD 5000 01 policy approved in September 2020 by her lead the Deputy Defense Secretary 315 PC21 See PC22In March 2021 XVIII Airborne Corps hosted a Project Maven DoD AI based live fire experiment which shares targeting data among F 35s A 10s HIMARS and satellites 345 346 347 In June 2021 the 28th secretary of defense issued a classified memorandum directing the Services to engage in more joint experimentation and prototyping in support of the All domain operations JADO concept the Joint warfighting concept 348 276 In fall 2021 349 350 a Joint Force Army Navy Air Force Marine Corps and Special Operations used Project Convergence 2021 PC21 to simulate the distances in the First island chain of the Pacific Ocean 351 j which Army Long Range Precision Fires LRPF are to cover 353 354 A Multi domain task force MDTF and Special Forces took the lead during the Competition phase of the exercise r In June 2021 the 35th Deputy secretary of defense announced the RDER Rapid defense experimentation reserve Raider to fund those defense organizations which successfully institutionalize experiments to exercise joint warfighting capability 358 s One example might be say an end to end flow of data say in a kill chain from an intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance detection of an enemy hypersonic weapons launch to interdiction of the threat to battle damage assessment Note that exercises to deepen a service silo have a disadvantage in a competition for RDER funding 358 an AI and data acceleration initiative t to help the 11 combatant commands apply their new capabilities teams of specialists are to assist the combatant commanders to automate the data flows 360 of what are currently manual exercises in the respective command posts 362 363 311 The most effective processes are to be left in place after the exercises u The DoD is seeking AI technology to gain a relative advantage in competition 367 368 DoD is attempting to fund 8 CHIPS hubs 369 Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System IBCS an IAMD Battle Command System is an Army project to unify its disparate anti missile systems such as the THAAD and MIM 104 Patriot missiles and their radars sensors such as THAAD s AN TPY 2 radar AN MPQ 64 Sentinel and Patriot AN MPQ 65 radars IBCS is being exercised in Fall 2021 Project Convergence 2021 to experiment with its connection to JADC2 and ABMS 370 JROC is appending IAMD capability IAMD interoperability to the JWC Joint warfighting concept 320 Monte Carlo simulations of hundreds of thousands of IBCS missile data tracks were generated by an Army Air Defense Artillery battalion exercising IBCS in 2020 371 The test created terabytes of data to be queried 372 373 i e connect any sensor to any shooter and any command and control node Eric Wesley c In a review of Project Convergence 2021 PC2021 the director of the Network Cross functional team CFT was able to state 5 takeaways for the Integrated Tactical Network 374 the importance of a data fabric 374 a significant improvement in coverage from resilient wide band satellite communications 374 the importance of an aerial tier to the network to improve the resiliency and range 374 extending edge mesh networking 374 375 the need for a joint operational common picture 374 provide commanders with a single pane of glass on a computer screen 376 In August 2023 the Navy s Live Virtual and Constructive environment simulated joint operation across multiple domains This involved 22 global time zones and simulated Joint Staff civilian leaders and non navy personnel 377 Crisis Edit By September 2020 the joint modernization efforts to retain overmatch in a crisis were visible in the press reports covering the joint level DoD and the military departments 37 In the view of John Hyten 11th Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs in a crisis each force is to have both a self defense capability and a deep strike capability 213 378 operating under a unified command and control structure 379 380 simultaneously across the domains against the enemy 37 4 n 13 The potential capability exposed by the use of AI in September 2020 posed a choice for the combatant commanders who needed to select their top priority by answering What do you want and how do we do it in November 2020 38 Hyten then had an opportunity to shape the operation of the Joint requirements oversight council by providing a common operational picture to the combatant commanders and their forces in the respective domains 38 to get to a position of relative advantage very quickly faster than the enemy s OODA loop 297 381 In FY2021 TITAN Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node v was to undergo an Analysis of Alternatives AOA a w TITAN is part of the network to integrate sensors and shooters in Multi domain operations MDO in seconds By FY2022 TITAN was meant to be a Program of Record for CJADC2 387 additional Soldier touchpoints will assess capabilities of two prototype satellite ground stations for downselect in 14 months by FY2023 and follow on phases III and IV x Return to competition Edit By 2020 the Joint all domain concept n was converging on the need for the allies and partners to convince the adversary that it is in everyone s interest to return to competition 211 268 329 396 397 well short of conflict between near peer adversaries 37 380 In 2021 the 40th Chief of Staff of the Army described the Army s role in the Continuum of military competition a Joint concept 20 Great power competition does not mean great power conflict 40th Army Chief of Staff James C McConville 398 399 Alliances and partnerships Edit nbsp A 2K12 Kub surface to air missile system fired during the multinational live fire training exercise which included 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command U S Army Europe in Bulgaria June 2019An ongoing series of programs to strengthen relationships between the Army and its allies and partners is being implemented 400 401 402 403 404 These programs include demonstrations of cooperation interoperability and preparedness of its partners 405 266 406 407 408 409 19 For example in 2019 the Army uses DoD s State Partnership Program to link 22 National Guard Bilateral Affairs Officers BAOs with 22 allies or partners in the 54 countries in European Command s area to facilitate common defense interests with the US 410 411 In all 89 partnerships now exist 412 413 414 See Foreign Area Officer FAO DoD s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center JAIC has convened 100 online participants from 13 countries to discuss how to use AI in a way that is consonant with their national ethical principles termed the AI Partnership for Defense in 2020 400 415 416 417 300 For example the US has a policy of human permission needed in order to trigger the automatic kill chains 418 In 2021 the 28th Secretary of defense committed to the department s ethical use of AI capabilities in a responsible equitable traceable reliable and governable way y In 2019 the 27th Secretary of Defense Mark Esper identified the Indo Pacific Theater as the priority theater for the United States 421 A multi domain task force for the Indo Pacific Theater is planned for a Defender exercise 422 423 424 223 However in light of the DoD 60 day travel ban due to the COVID 19 pandemic the number of CONUS based troops participating in Defender Europe 2020 was reduced to those troops already in Europe z COVID 19 has been a wake up call to DoD Matthew Donovan 429 In 2020 the Army lost 3 NTC training rotations to COVID 19 430 431 JWA 20 was intended to exercise Multi domain operations and multinational forces in EUCOM for 2020 c aa See Vostok 2018 EUCOM s Multi domain task force is to be smaller than the Pacific s task force 434 435 ab It is expected that the task forces are to be employed in the Defender exercises in both EUCOM 436 and the Pacific 434 266 Defender Europe 2020 was to test the ability to deploy 20 000 Soldiers across Europe for a 37 000 member exercise ac nbsp Defender Europe 2020 a division sized exercise was cancelled during the COVID 19 pandemic Elements of the 1st Cavalry 82nd Airborne 1st Armored 1st Infantry and 3rd Infantry Divisions 11 National Guard states and seven Army Reserve units were to rapidly deploy 71 444 445 446 447 Reception staging onward movement and integration RSOI of a division sized formation in EUCOM A National Guard Brigade was to draw from pre positioned stocks in EUCOM ad An immediate response force from 82nd Airborne Division was to conduct joint forcible entries ae A division command post spread across Europe was to conduct JWA 20 to test multi domain operations MDO and other Futures Command capabilities such as an initial prototype of Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node TITAN 382 a ground station for integrating the data feed between sensors and shooters 383 While in Europe the units were to spread out across the region for separate exercises with allies and partners to participate in their annual exercises 219 A river crossing see M1074 Joint Assault Bridge af forward passages of lines one unit passes through a position held by another unit 453 and a maritime off load mission was to have been conducted Army forces were to clear the training areas return pre positioned stocks 454 consolidate and redeploy in this case to home station 425 Returning troops were ordered to quarantine for two weeks without experiencing any flu like symptoms Social distancing masks and other protective measures were employed in response to the COVID 19 pandemic Defender Europe 2021 ran from March til June 2021 involving dozens of operations using 28 000 troops from 26 countries from the Baltic nations to Morocco 455 456 457 Defender Europe 2021 integrated a V Corps command post exercise in preparation for operations with a multi national division Allies and partners were to participate in the chain of command as well 458 ag See Defender Europe 2022In April 2019 Germany s 1st Panzer Division took the role of exercise High Command HICON at Hohenfels Training Area primarily for German 21st Armored Brigade the Lithuanian Iron Wolf Brigade and their subordinate units 5 630 participants from 15 nations took part in this Joint multinational exercise which rotates the lead among the coalition partners The German division already had Dutch British and Polish officers within its ranks 462 The Army s 2nd Battalion 34th Armored Regiment took part in the exercise 463 464 Six engineering advisor teams from 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade provided hands on experience and testing of secure communications between NATO allies and partners 465 61 466 467 A reciprocal exchange of general officers between France and the US is taking place in 2019 under the U S Army Military Personnel Exchange Program MPEP 468 469 Such programs with the UK Australia and Canada have already existed with the US 468 A reciprocal pact for US and UK capabilities in Future Vertical Lift aircraft and Long Range Precision Fires artillery was signed in July 2020 470 The UK and Australia are planning to participate in the US Army s Project Convergence 2022 471 Multi domain task forces MDTFs nbsp Multi domain task force MDTF a brigade sized formation 4 12 472 473 Five MDTFs are planned 19 ab 3 for INDOPACOM 474 1 for EUCOM 1 formerly for the Arctic but now the 3rd MDTF in INDOPACOM 475 and 1 for global response each tailored for the needs of the Joint force commander ah An MDTF can simultaneously operate across multiple stages of the conflict continuum 477 minute 32 45 and engage antagonists at thousands of miles 478 for sustained periods ab 479 In April 2021 the Army announced that EUCOM s Multi domain task force MDTF 480 ab and a Theater Fires Command 481 482 to control it are to deploy to the European Theater and are based in Wiesbaden Germany The Fires command is a headquarters to coordinate Long range fires for ranges from 300 miles to thousands of miles for the European theater 483 In April 2021 3000 headquarters level troops including UK 3rd Division and French 3rd Division came to Fort Cavazos to exercise Corps level and Division level staffs on Large scale combat operations LSCO 484 485 The Mission Command Center of Excellence MCCoE provided Opposing forces OPFOR and multiple dilemmas for the Warfighters to train on III Armored Corps commander Pat White stated the key goal of the exercise to build international partnerships and increase interoperability was realized 484 British and French commanders noted the need to further develop electronic warfare and signals intelligence capabilities 486 In May 2021 7th Army Training Command led Dynamic Front 21 DF21 a USAEUR AF exercise in integrating joint fires for artillery units from 15 nations The exercise was meant to increase the readiness lethality and interoperability for nearly 1800 artillery troops from the 15 nations at Camp Aachen Germany Later locations for DF21 included Vilseck Army Air Field Germany Grafenwoehr Training Area Germany and Torun Poland 487 V Corps FOCIn October 2021 V Corps attained Full operational capability FOC by completing Warfighter exercise 22 1 WFX 22 1 488 in a series of command post exercises in Large scale combat operations LSCO 489 The operations involved a combatant command Active Army Reserve and National Guard components a Theater training command and a sustainment command 488 as well as multi national partners 487 458 V Corps was slated to lead the Defender Europe 22 as of October 2021 490 In 2020 the Secretary of the Army announced 5 month extended rotations to United States Indo Pacific Command countries such as Thailand the Philippines and Papua New Guinea 491 Multi Domain Operations MDO task forces in the region have already been engaging in MDO like exercises in concert with the armed forces of Japan Thailand and Singapore 491 Two Multi domain task forces are being requested for Indo Pacom for 2021 492 493 383 382 ab 472 494 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade is regionally aligned with USINDOPACOM 495 and plans to keep one third of the brigade s advisor teams there at all times while the other teams train at home station JBLM for their assignments in the region 496 The third 497 498 and fourth 499 ABMS Onramp exercises of Joint all domain command and control JADC2 are being planned in 2020 and 2021 for INDOPACOM and EUCOM respectively ai This is meant to bring key US allies into the planning for the Joint All Domain Operations Concept 213 37 497 thereby enabling their participation in planning execution and then debrief after a coalition exercise 499 in overmatching the adversary 380 and maintaining a Common operational picture COP 288 300 to review measured responses both kinetic and nonkinetic 397 314 The COVID 19 pandemic actually provided the impetus for rapid fielding of a DoD technology for separating Top secret Secret and Unclassified messaging a necessary function for the Intelligence community aj The JSIL connection of experimental networks with Army battle labs is a way to determine the bandwidth needed for these vignettes to prepare Project Convergence 2021 for Joint All Domain Command and Control JADC2 471 503 Defender Pacific 2021 focuses on the southwest Pacific region 504 The Army was to draw from a pre positioned stock for its units exercise its watercraft and an MDTF s long range precision fires 504 In 2021 the 28th Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated he expected to review our posture in the Pacific from all aspects including presence capabilities logistics exercises infrastructure and capacity building and cooperation with allies and partners during his questioning by the Senate Armed Services Committee ak Integrated deterrence is the objective of the 28th Secretary of defense in joint exercises in Australian waters 508 with HMS Queen Elizabeth R08 in the South China Sea 509 and by US Special Forces soldiers Green Berets with Japan s Self defense force JGSDF parachuting onto Guam 510 320 On 15 September 2021 the ministers of defense and foreign affairs and the secretaries of defense and state for Australia and the US respectively namely Peter Dutton Marise Payne Lloyd Austin and Antony Blinken signed statements of intent to jointly build nuclear submarines and share National Reconnaissance Office NRO data as well as a space framework 511 See AUKUS On 24 September 2021 the heads of state of Australia India Japan and the US the Quadrilateral Security Dialog met face to face to discuss cybersecurity and fix supply chain vulnerabilities such as electronic chip and 5G technology 512 FY2021 marks the end of the Army s manpower expansion in its effort to modernize 513 514 Arctic strategyIn January 2021 the Army announced its arctic strategy for arctic extreme cold and mountainous environments which affect the NORTHCOM EUCOM and INDOPACOM combatant commands 515 516 A two star multi domain enabled operational headquarters will be established for the Arctic 517 Soldiers will be receiving extra support for adapting to the Alaskan Arctic 518 519 beginning in 2022 and going forward 520 521 The BCTs of US Army Alaska are reflagging as of 6 June 2022 from 1st SBCT 25th ID and 4th IBCT 25th ID to 1st IBCT 11th ID Airborne and 2nd IBCT 11th ID Airborne respectively US Army Alaska is now 11th Infantry Division Airborne as of 6 June 2022 522 The Bundeswehr is thinking of training in Alaska 523 An Arctic Multi domain task force MDTF was planned 475 ah to balance the interests of the 8 partners of the Arctic Council which include Russia and China as an observer nation al See Cold Response Defender Europe 2022Defender Europe 2022 started 3 May 2022 under the command and control of V Corps which has had a forward deployed Headquarters in Europe since 2021 The exercises will involve 11 allied and partner nations including Denmark Estonia Germany France Latvia Lithuania Netherlands Poland Slovakia Sweden and Great Britain Defender Europe 2022 had been previously planned on a longer timescale than the wartime events of 2022 such as the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine am For example a float ribbon bridge was erected by troops from Fort Hood Texas who are deploying to Europe 531 The bridge came from pre positioned stocks drawn from APS 2 located in Europe 532 533 PC22Australia New Zealand the UK Canada and other allies and partners such as universities 43 534 535 expect they will bring experiments or prototype capabilities to Project Convergence 2022 346 PC22 will require connection of the allies and partners the connections were exercised during COMMEX 1B in June 536 Global defender 2022 GD22 will culminate with Project Convergence 2022 PC22 537 538 In the week of 6 Jun 2022 planning for PC22 at Fort Bliss was finalized The UK and Australian planners were added to the PC22 experiment their concepts join the 100 technologies incorporated by USAF Navy Marines and Space Force planners The commander of AFC s Futures and Concepts Lieutenant Gen Scott McKean and peers for the services and allies took this opportunity to mutually review their plans for the FY2022 event 539 540 541 542 543 544 545 The Synthetic Training Environment s One World Terrain OWT data sets are beginning to be used as operational planning tools for example by V corps and at PC20 and at PC21 As virtual maps rather than paper maps they can project scenarios which will also be used at PC22 in October and November 2022 546 In October 2022 the experiments from the previous Project Convergence were scaled up from just Army in PC21 to joint and international exercises in PC22 547 AI was utilized not just for autonomous flight but also for predicting where logistics would be needed in contested environments 547 PC22 experimented with some 300 technologies 548 549 Scenarios during PC22 included Tomahawk SM 6 and LRHW missiles 547 a 304 82nd Airborne participated in the PC22 experiments using newly developed equipment 550 551 552 553 554 In November 2022 at PC22 the use of an uncrewed Black Hawk helicopter under autonomous control was demonstrated in a contested logistics exercise 555 Defender 2023In April 2023 Defender 2023 a logistics exercise of US Army Europe and Africa 556 was transported to Naval Station Rota Spain Spain was the host nation for 5 159th GSAB 5th Battalion a general support aviation battalion of the 159th Aviation Regiment 5th Battalion is an Army Reserve unit out of Fort Eustis Virginia The aviation materiel included CH 47s Sikorsky UH 60 Black Hawks and supporting equipment 556 PC24Project Convergence co locates from WSMR and YPG the hub to allies and partners 557 558 559 PC24 could occur by spring 2024 560 561 46 Training and readiness EditUnder Schoomaker combat training centers CTCs emphasized the contemporary operating environment such as an urban ethnically sensitive city in Iraq and stress units according to the unit mission and the commanders assessments collaborating often to support holistic collective training programs rather than by exception as was formerly the case Schoomaker s plan was to resource units based on the mission they are expected to accomplish major combat versus SASO or stability and support operations regardless of component active or reserve Instead of using snapshot readiness reports the Army now rates units based on the mission they are expected to perform given their position across the three force pools reset train ready and available 562 The Army now deploys units upon each commanders signature on the certificate of their unit s assessment viz Ready As of June 2016 only one third of the Army s brigades were ready to deploy 563 564 5 55 By 2019 two thirds of the Active Army s brigades 210 and half of the BCTs of the Total Army both Active and Reserve components are now at the highest level of readiness 565 The FY2021 budget request allows two thirds of the Total Army 1 012 200 Soldiers by 2022 to reach the highest level of readiness by FY2022 Maj Gen Paul Chamberlain 513 566 Soldiers need to be ready an 100 percent of the time Robert B Abrams FORSCOM commander June 2 2016 49 39th Chief of Staff Mark Milley s readiness objective is that all operational units be at 90 percent of the authorized strength in 2018 at 100 percent by 2021 and at 105 percent by 2023 567 568 The observer coach trainers 569 at the combat training centers recruiters 570 571 and drill sergeants are to be filled to 100 percent strength by the end of 2018 567 572 In November 2018 written deployability standards Army Directive 2018 22 were set by the Secretary and the Chief of Staff of the Army failure to meet the standard means a soldier has six months to remedy this or face separation from the Army 573 The directive does not apply to about 60 000 of the 1 016 000 Soldiers of the Army 70 80 percent of the 60 000 are non deployable for medical reasons Non deployables have declined from 121 000 in 2017 573 The Army combat fitness test ACFT will test all soldiers 574 at the minimum the 3 Repetition Maximum Deadlift the Sprint Drag Carry and an aerobic event will be required of all soldiers including those with profiles meaning there is an annotation in their record See PULHES Factor the assessment of the alternative aerobic test will be completed by 19 October 2019 575 Soldier and Family Readiness Groups Edit By 2022 surveys of military servicemen veterans and spouses and family were indicating that financial and other difficulties were raising questions about the viability of an all volunteer force 576 577 Soldiers and Army spouses belong to Soldier and Family Readiness Groups SFRGs 578 579 an renamed from FRGs 582 which mirror the command structure of an Army unit the spouse of the 40th Chief of Staff of the United States Army has served on the FRG at every echelon of the Army 583 Ryan McCarthy minute 39 33 The name change to SFRG is to be more inclusive of single soldiers single parents and also those with nontraditional families 579 An S FRG seeks to meet the needs of soldiers and their families for example during a deployment 584 or to address privatized housing deficiencies 585 or to aid spouses find jobs 586 As a soldier transfers in and out of an installation the soldier s entire family will typically undergo a permanent change of station PCS to the next post PCS to Europe and Japan is now uniformly for 36 months regardless of family status 587 588 formerly 36 months for families Transfers typically follow the cycle of the school year to minimize disruption in an Army family 589 By policy DoD families stationed in Europe and Japan who have school aged children are served by American school systems the Department of Defense Dependents Schools 590 Noncombatant evacuation operations are a contingency which an FRG could publicize and plan for should the need arise 121 p 11 In 2021 a new Exceptional Family Member Program EFMP is being tested by 300 families who are undergoing a permanent change of station PCS 591 When a family emergency occurs the informal support of that unit s S FRG is available to the soldier 584 592 But the Army Emergency Relief fund is available to any soldier with a phone call to their local garrison 593 594 595 Seventy five Fisher Houses maintain home away from home suites for families undergoing medical treatment of a loved one The Army Navy and Air Force Medical Treatment Facilities MTFs are scheduled to complete their transfer to the Defense Health Agency DHA no later than 21 October 2021 This has been a ten year process The directors of each home installation s Medical treatment facility MTF continue to report to the commanders of their respective installations This change transfers all civilian employees of each Medical treatment facility MTF to the Defense Health Agency DHA 596 597 The name change links Soldier Readiness with Family Readiness 582 Commanders will retain full responsibility for Soldier sponsorship after a move especially for first term Soldiers in that move 598 599 In response to Army tenant problems with privatized base housing IMCOM was subordinated to Army Materiel Command AMC on 8 March 2019 600 601 602 By 2020 AMC s commander and the Residential community initiative RCI groups had formulated a 50 year plan The Army s RCI groups seven private housing companies which have 50 year lease agreements on 98 of Army housing at 44 installations will work with the Army for long term housing improvements 603 604 605 and remediation 602 606 607 In 2020 Secretary McCarthy determined that the Sexual Harassment Assault Response amp Prevention SHARP program has failed to meet its mandate 608 particularly for young unmarried Soldiers at Fort Hood and Camp Casey South Korea 609 Missing soldiers were previously classified as Absent without leave until enough time has elapsed to be denoted deserters rather than victims of a crime the Army has established a new classification for missing Soldiers to merit police investigation 610 611 612 In response to the report of the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee the Army has established the People first task force PFTF an Army wide task force that is headed by 3 chairs 1 Lt Gen Gary M Brito 2 Diane M Randon and 3 Sgt Maj Julie A M Guerra who are 1 the deputy chief of staff G 1 2 the assistant deputy chief of staff G 2 and 3 the assistant deputy chief of staff G 2 Sgt Maj respectively 613 Cohesion assessment teams CATs part of the People first task force work with brigade commanders on their brigade s command climate The Cohesion assessment team interviews members of that brigade or battalion to identify any problems The CAT then works with the unit commanders to address the root causes of those problems 614 On 13 May 2022 Fort Hood s People First Center opened its doors the center is to offer immersive experiences for participants over several days centered on family advocacy sexual harassment and assault prevention equal opportunity resiliency substance abuse suicide prevention 615 The Senate Armed Services Committee is requesting that the military track suicides by MOS 616 and spiritual readiness all housed at the center with training focused on immersion collocated with subject matter experts 617 599 USAR mobilization Edit See Soldier Readiness ProcessingPlans are being formulated for mobilization of the Army Reserve 42 000 to 45 000 soldiers very quickly 618 For example Ready Force X RFX teams have fielded Deployment Assistance Team Command and Control Cells to expedite the associated equipment to the various ports and vessels which is required for the specific Reserve personnel who have been notified that they are deploying 619 FORSCOM s mobilization and force generation installations MFGIs have fluctuated from two primary 620 621 installations 2018 to an envisioned eleven primary and fourteen contingency MFGIs in preparation for future actions against near peers 622 623 624 71 National Guard training Edit The 29th chief of the National Guard Bureau as director of the Army National Guard plans to align existing ARNG divisions with subordinate training formations 625 This plan increases the number of divisions in the Total Army from 10 to 18 and increases the readiness of the National Guard divisions by aligning their training plans with large scale combat operations 625 Additional advantages of the August 2020 plan are increased opportunity for talent management from the Company to the Division level and opportunity for leader development unfettered by geographical restriction 71 444 Associated units training program Edit The Army announced a pilot program associated units in which a National Guard or Reserve unit would now train with a specific active Army formation These units would wear the patch of the specific Army division before their deployment to a theater 626 36th Infantry Division headquarters deployed to Afghanistan in May 2016 for a train advise assist mission 627 The Army Reserve whose headquarters are co located with FORSCOM and the National Guard are testing the associated units program in a three year pilot program with the active Army The program will use the First Army training roles at the Army Combat Training Centers at Fort Irwin Fort Polk and regional and overseas training facilities 628 The pilot program complements FORSCOM s total force partnerships with the National Guard begun in 2014 629 Summer 2016 will see the first of these units Associated units 630 631 3rd Infantry BCT 10th Mountain Division stationed at Fort Polk Louisiana associated with the 36th Infantry Division Texas Army National Guard 48th Infantry BCT Georgia ARNG associated with the 3rd Infantry Division Stationed at Fort Stewart Georgia 86th Infantry BCT Vermont ARNG associated with the 10th Mountain Division stationed at Fort Drum New York 81st Armored BCT Washington ARNG associated with the 7th Infantry Division stationed at Joint Base Lewis McChord Washington Task Force 1 28th Infantry Battalion 3rd Infantry Division stationed at Fort Moore Georgia associated with the 48th Infantry BCT Georgia Army National Guard 100th Battalion 442nd Infantry Regiment USAR associated with the 3rd Infantry BCT 25th Infantry Division stationed at Schofield Barracks Hawaii 1st Battalion Airborne 143rd Infantry Regiment Texas ARNG associated with the 173rd Airborne BCT stationed in Vicenza Italy 1st Battalion 151st Infantry Regiment Indiana ARNG associated with the 2nd Infantry BCT 25th Infantry Division stationed at Schofield Barracks 5th Engineer Battalion stationed at Fort Leonard Wood Missouri associated with the 35th Engineer Brigade Missouri ARNG 840th Engineer Company Texas ARNG associated with the 36th Engineer Brigade stationed at Fort Cavazos Texas 824th Quartermaster Company USAR associated with the 82nd Airborne Division s Sustainment Brigade stationed at Fort Liberty North Carolina 249th Transportation Company Texas ARNG associated with the 1st Cavalry Division s Sustainment Brigade stationed in Fort Cavazos 1245th Transportation Company Oklahoma ARNG associated with the 1st Cavalry Division s Sustainment Brigade stationed in Fort Cavazos 1176th Transportation Company Tennessee ARNG associated with the 101st Airborne Division s Sustainment Brigade stationed at Fort Campbell Kentucky 2123rd Transportation Company Kentucky ARNG associated with the 101st Airborne Division s Sustainment Brigade stationed at Fort CampbellRifleman training Edit Soldiers train for weapons handling and marksmanship first individually on static firing ranges and then on simulators such as an Engagement Skills Trainer EST More advanced training on squad level simulators Squad Advanced Marksmanship Trainer SAMT place a squad in virtual engagements against avatars of various types 632 using M4 carbine M249 light machine gun and M9 Beretta pistol simulated weapon systems 632 Home stations are to receive Synthetic training environments STEs for mission training as an alternative to rotations to the National Combat Training Centers which operate Brigade level training against an Opposing force OPFOR with near peer equipment Some installations have urban training facilities for infantrymen in preparation for brigade level training 633 A 2019 marksmanship manual TC 3 20 40 Training and Qualification Individual Weapons the Dot 40 now mandates the use of the simulators as if the soldier were in combat 634 The Dot 40 is to be used by the entire Army from the Cadets at West Point to the Active Army the Army Reserve and Army National Guard 634 the Dot 40 tests how rapidly soldiers can load and reload while standing kneeling lying prone and firing from behind a barrier 634 The marksmanship tests of a soldier s critical thinking selecting targets to shoot at in which order and the accuracy of each shot are recorded by the simulators 634 Stryker training Edit Up to a platoon sized unit of a Stryker brigade combat team and dismounted infantry can train on Stryker simulators Stryker Virtual Collective Trainer SVCT which are in the process of being installed at eight home stations The fourth was being completed as of 2019 635 Forty five infantrymen four Stryker shells or thirty six scouts six Stryker shells can rehearse their battle rhythm on a virtual battlefield record their lessons learned give their after action reports and repeat as a team The Stryker gunner s seat comes directly from a Stryker vehicle and has a Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station CROWS and joystick to control a virtual 50 caliber 12 7 mm heavy machine gun or a virtual 30 mm autocannon and other CROWS configurations are possible 635 636 Digital air ground integration ranges DAGIRs Edit Live fire digital air ground integration ranges DAGIRs were first conceptualized in the 1990s and established in 2012 637 with follow on in 2019 638 The ranges initially included 23 miles of tank trails 639 targets battlefield effects simulators and digital wiring for aerial scorekeeping 638 These ranges are designed for coordinating air and ground exercises before full on sessions at the National Training Centers 638 Training against OPFORs Edit nbsp Opposing Forces Surrogate Vehicles OSVs undergoing maintenance at Anniston Army DepotTo serve a role as an Opposing force OPFOR could be a mission for an Army unit as temporary duty TDY during which they might wear old battle dress uniforms perhaps inside out 640 TRADOC s Mission Command Training Program as well as Cyber Command designs tactics for these OPFORs When a brigade trains at Fort Irwin Fort Polk Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 641 or Joint Multinational Training Center in Hohenfels Germany the Army tasks 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment 1st Battalion 509th Infantry Regiment Abn 196th Infantry Brigade and 1st Battalion 4th Infantry Regiment respectively with the OPFOR role 642 and provides the OPFOR with modern equipment such as the FGM 148 Javelin anti tank missile to test that brigade s readiness for deployment Multiple integrated laser engagement systems serve as proxies for actual fired weapons and soldiers are lost to the commander from kills by laser hits 643 Training against cyber Edit Deceptive data intended to divide deployed forces are making their way into the news feeds and are falsely implicating actual soldiers who are deployed at the time of the false social media reports which are mixing fact and fiction 644 13 The Army now has its tenth direct commissioned cyber officer a Sergeant First Class with a computer engineering degree and a masters in system engineering was commissioned a major in the National Guard 91st Cyber Brigade on 30 July 2020 645 Soldier integration facility Edit PEO Soldier has established a Soldier integration facility SIF at Fort Belvoir which allows prototyping and evaluation of combat capabilities for the Army Soldier 646 CCDC Soldier center in Natick Massachusetts Night Vision Lab at Fort Belvoir Virginia and Maneuver Battle Lab at Fort Moore Georgia have prototyped ideas at the SIF 646 Applications for Synthetic Training Environment STE Edit The Squad Advanced Marksmanship Training SAMT system developed by the STE Cross functional team from Futures Command has an application for 1st SFAB 647 Bluetooth enabled replicas of M4 rifles and M9 and Glock 19 pistols with compressed air recoil approximate the form fit and function of the weapons that the Soldiers are using in close combat For 1st SFAB scenarios included virtual reality attacks which felt like engagements in a room The scenarios can involve the entire SFAB Advisor team and engagements can be repeated over and over again Advanced marksmanship skills such as firing with the non dominant hand and firing on the move can be practiced 647 Nine Army sites are now equipped with the SAMT Over twenty systems are planned for locations in the United States 647 The Close combat tactical trainers are in use for example to train 3rd Infantry Division headquarters for a gunnery training event convoy protection role 648 and 2nd BCT 82nd Airborne close combat training 649 The concept has been extended to the Live Virtual Constructive Integrating Architecture LVC IA to integrate the National Guard and the Reserves with Active Army 650 A simulation places leadership teams in a situation akin to a Combat Training Center rotation an intellectually and emotionally challenging environment that forgives the mistakes of the participants Dr Charles K Pickar 651 652 It is important for Soldiers to have an open and clear mind during the simulation so that they learn something from the experience Tim Glaspie 648 Repetition increases a team s situational understanding of the tactics they ll use Maj Anthony Clas 653 Other training environments include MANPADS for SHORAD in the 14P MOS at Fort Sill 654 655 I believe that a training environment should be a maneuver trainer and it should be a gunnery trainer Retired Gen Peter W Chiarelli 32nd vice chief of staff of the Army 656 Deployment scheme EditFurther information Reorganization plan of United States Army Readiness model The force generation system posited in 2006 by General Schoomaker projected that the U S Army would be deployed continuously The Army would serve as an expeditionary force to fight a protracted campaign against terrorism and stand ready for other potential contingencies across the full spectrum of operations from humanitarian and stability operations to major combat operations against a conventional foe Under ideal circumstances Army units would have a minimum dwell time a minimum duration of which it would remain at home station before deployment Active duty units would be prepared to deploy once every three years Army Reserve units would be prepared to deploy once every five years National Guard units would be prepared to deploy once every six years A total of 71 combat brigades would form the Army s rotation basis 42 from the active component with the balance from the reserves Thus around 15 active duty combat brigades would be available for deployment each year under the 2006 force generation plan An additional 4 or 5 brigades would be available for deployment from the reserve component The plan was designed to provide more stability to soldiers and their families Within the system a surge capability would exist so that about an additional 18 brigades could be deployed in addition to the 19 or 20 scheduled brigades From General Dan McNeil former Army Forces Command FORSCOM Commander Within the Army Forces Generation ARFORGEN model brigade combat teams BCTs would move through a series of three force pools 562 they would enter the model at its inception the reset force pool upon completion of a deployment cycle There they would re equip and reman while executing all individual predeployment training requirements attaining readiness as quickly as possible Reset or R day recommended by FORSCOM and approved by Headquarters Department of the Army would be marked by BCT changes of command preceded or followed closely by other key leadership transitions While in the reset pool formations would be remanned reaching 100 of mission required strength by the end of the phase while also reorganizing and fielding new equipment if appropriate In addition it is there that units would be confirmed against future missions either as deployment expeditionary forces DEFs BCTs trained for known operational requirements ready expeditionary forces REFs BCTs that form the pool of available forces for short notice missions or contingency expeditionary forces CEFs BCTs earmarked for contingency operations Based on their commanders assessments units would move to the ready force pool from which they could deploy should they be needed and in which the unit training focus would be at the higher collective levels Units would enter the available force pool when there is approximately one year left in the cycle after validating their collective mission essential task list proficiency either core or theater specific tasks via battle staff and dirt mission rehearsal exercises The available phase would be the only phase with a specified time limit one year Not unlike the division ready brigades of past decades these formations would deploy to fulfill specific requirements or stand ready to fulfill short notice deployments within 30 days The goal was to generate forces 12 18 months in advance of combatant commanders requirements and to begin preparing every unit for its future mission as early as possible in order to increase its overall proficiency Personnel management would also be reorganized as part of the Army transformation Previously personnel was managed on an individual basis in which soldiers were rotated without regard for the effect on unit cohesion This system required unpopular measures such as stop loss and stop move in order to maintain force levels In contrast the new personnel system would operate on a unit basis to the maximum extent possible with the goal of allowing teams to remain together longer and enabling families to establish ties within their communities Abrams 2016 noted that mid level Army soldiers found they faced an unexpected uptempo in their requirements 49 while entry level soldiers in fact welcomed the increased challenge 49 Readiness model Edit ARFORGEN a structured progression of increased unit readiness over time resulting in recurring periods of availability of trained ready and cohesive units prepared for operational deployment in support of geographic Combatant Commander requirements was utilized in the 2010s 657 168 237 658 ARFORGEN was replaced by the Sustainable Readiness Model SRM in 2017 659 660 49 74 In 2016 the 39th Chief of Staff of the Army identified the objective of a sustainable readiness process as over 66 percent of the Active Army in combat ready state at any time 661 in 2019 the readiness objective of the National Guard and Army Reserve units was set to be 33 percent Total Army readiness for deployment was 40 percent in 2019 210 an Regionally Aligned Readiness and Modernization Model ReARMM is a unit lifecycle model which goes into effect in October 2021 662 663 ReARMM was introduced in October 2020 It is a force generation model which uses the total Army the Reserve components as well as Active component when planning 664 Dynamic force employment DFE will be used more often 664 The Operational tempo will decrease which gives Commanders will more times training windows during which their units can train first at the small unit level and then at larger step modernization of their formations 662 The units can then train at echelon for Large scale combat operations LSCO at a more measured pace 662 In 2018 39th Chief of Staff Mark Milley s readiness objective is that all operational units be at 90 percent of the authorized strength in 2018 at 100 percent by 2021 and at 105 percent by 2023 567 The observer coach trainers at the combat training centers recruiters and drill sergeants are to be filled to 100 percent strength by the end of 2018 567 The requested strength of the Active Army in FY2020 is increasing by 4 000 additional troops from the current 476 000 soldiers 11 this request covers the near term needs for cyber air amp missile defense and fires Army modernization 11 665 Organic industrial base OIB The Army s Organic industrial base OIB Modernization Implementation Plan got a refresh in 2022 with a review of the 23 depots arsenals and ammunition plants that manufacture reset and maintain Army equipment in light of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine 666 667 668 The Acting CG of FORSCOM Lt Gen Laura Richardson has noted that the Sustainable Readiness Model uses the Army standard for maintenance readiness denoted TM 10 20 74 which makes commanders responsible for maintaining their equipment to the TM 10 20 standard meaning that all routine maintenance is executed and all deficiencies are repaired 669 p 79 But Richardson has also spoken out about aviation related supplier deficiencies hurting readiness both at the combatant commands and at the home stations 670 671 Prepositioned stocks Edit nbsp Materiel for 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team 1st Infantry Division 672 arriving in Gdansk PolandUnited States Army Materiel Command AMC which uses Army Field Support Brigades AFSB to provision the Combatant Commands has established Army prepositioned stocks APS for supplying entire Brigade Combat Teams BCTs 673 at several areas of responsibility AORs 164 121 p 28 Defender Europe 2020 397 APS 1 is Continental US CONUS 673 674 APS 2 in EUCOM using several sites 405 448 165 will accelerate the flow of up to date materiel there to forward operating sites 675 405 676 677 678 APS 3 in Pacific Ocean uses ocean going vessels 679 424 The materiel positioning is allocated under the Calibrated force posture 680 Some materiel will be drawn by units under the Dynamic force employment DFE initiative Some troop units will be forward deployed Some troop units will rotate in Some prepositioned stock is under discussion with specific nations with agreements to be announced currently classified as of October 2020 An SFAB is allocated to the Pacific AoR APS 4 in NE Asia 673 681 APS 5 in CENTCOM s Camp Arifjan Kuwait 166 and SW Asia 673 By 2020 AMC had seven Army prepositioned stocks 682 Medical readiness is being tested by the U S Army Medical Materiel Agency a Life Cycle Management Command LCMC The LCMCs are stocking three additional locations in the US APS 1 as well as APS 2 EUCOM and Korea as of 12 February 2019 683 For example during Operation Spartan Shield the LCMC s relevant AFSB effected the hand off of prepositioned stocks to 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team ABCT within 96 hours 684 In the same Operation 155th ABCT was issued an entire equipment set for an ABCT drawn from APS 5 stocks over 13 000 pieces 685 Air Defense Artillery deployments Edit On 27 March 2018 the 678th Air Defense Artillery Brigade South Carolina National Guard deployed to EUCOM Ansbach Germany for a nine month rotation for the first time since the Cold War 686 10th AAMDC is the executive agent for EUCOM In September 2018 the Wall Street Journal reported that four Patriot systems Two from Kuwait and one apiece from Jordan and Bahrain are redeploying back to the U S for refurbishment and upgrades and will not be replaced 687 688 In June 2021 8 Patriot batteries and a THAAD battery are being withdrawn from the CENTCOM area to focus on Russia and China 689 By March 2022 NATO Patriot batteries had begun repositioning to Slovakia and Poland from the Netherlands and Germany respectively 690 691 Forward deployed materiel Edit As the U S Army s only forward deployed Airborne brigade 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team stationed in EUCOM was supplied with new communications materiel Integrated Tactical Networks ITN in 2018 692 New ground combat vehicles the Infantry Carrier Vehicle Dragoon M1126 Infantry Carrier Vehicle are being supplied to 2nd Cavalry Regiment ICVDs are Strykers with an unmanned turret and 30 mm autocannon CROWS and an integrated commander s station upgraded suspension and larger tires 692 693 694 The Army brigades of EUCOM have been in position for testing materiel as its elements engaged in a 2018 road march through Europe training with 19 ally and partner nations in Poland in 2018 692 Bulgaria has expressed interest in Strykers 695 696 697 Dynamic force employment Edit nbsp 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team ABCT 1st Armored Division 2 1AD element in a snap deployment from Fort Bliss to Drawsko Pomorskie training area Poland 29 March 2019This initiative designed by then DoD Secretary James Mattis exercises the ability of selected BCTs to rapidly surge combat ready forces into a theater 71 such as EUCOM on short notice 698 699 In several such cases at the direction of the Secretary of Defense in March 2019 troops were rapidly alerted recalled and deployed to a forward position under simulated emergency conditions to prove a capability such as an ABCT and a THAAD battery 700 701 702 against near peers 703 The ABCT element next participated in a joint live fire exercise with Polish troops of the 12th Mechanized Brigade 12th Mechanised Division Poland in Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area Poland 704 A Mission Command element of TRADOC served in the role of echelon above brigade for the maneuver and interoperability of the joint multi national armored brigades 704 In September 2018 the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment had already assumed a forward deployment in Poland 705 706 Poland and the US are planning for regular rotations going forward 707 708 709 710 711 A Combat Aviation Brigade element an Armored Combat Brigade element and a Division Headquarters element will rotate in 712 Similar initiatives are planned for other alliances 26 713 In August 2020 Poland agreed to pay almost all costs associated with US presence in the country 714 408 a forward command post for V Corps in Poland has been codified in an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the US and Poland 715 712 716 717 718 719 Poland is buying 250 M1A2 Abrams tanks as of 14 July 2021 720 721 722 Poland ordered an additional 116 used M1A1 Abrams tanks with faster delivery dates on 15 July 2022 723 The first 14 of an expected 42 M1A1 Abrams tanks arrived in Poland on 28 June 2023 the 42 will comprise one tank battalion the 42 tanks are to be the 2023 tranche of 116 M1A1 tanks for Poland 724 723 725 In addition to tanks Poland is buying attack helicopters 726 Patriot missiles 727 HIMARS and F 35s 725 Poland is buying 96 AH 64E Apaches to equip six squadrons 728 Naval Strike Missiles 729 and LTAMDS missile defense radars 730 Poland is seeking more HIMARS rockets and launchers with an eye toward local rocket production in the future 731 In July 2022 six IBCS Engagement Operations Centers attained basic operational capability in Poland 732 and are a component for JADC2 FORSCOM exercised its Emergency deployment readiness exercises EDREs in 2019 by sending 2nd Brigade Combat Team 10th Mountain Division to the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk Louisiana by sealift simultaneously exercising the logistics planners at Fort Drum the seaports in Philadelphia Pennsylvania and Port Arthur Texas as well as 2nd BCT 74 Through the EDRE program 20 of the ports have been exercised to ready them for sealift deployments 74 A division sized move of 20 000 pieces of equipment from the US to Europe began a month long process in January 2020 440 445 408 In 2020 the pre COVID 19 plan was wide spanning maneuvers will focus on the Baltic States Poland and Georgia at the time which would have involved 36 000 troops from 11 countries ranging from the Baltic to the Black Seas 443 a number still in flux 425 A number of the Defender 2020 objectives were met in 2020 despite a 60 day travel ban by DoD By 2020 the 27th Secretary of Defense signaled that ABMS its Internet of Military Things and JADC2 were important parts for Dynamic force employment DFE in the Joint All domain Operations Concept 733 The Combatant commanders at Eucom and at IndoPacom sought the AGM 183A ARRW hypersonic weapon on the bomber fleet for Dynamic force employment 734 In light of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine thousands more troops have posted or rotated to Europe 735 As of February 2023 the US is planning a HIMARS training center in Poland 736 737 738 In order to get 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine the Army is weighing options with the fastest delivery times none of which are sooner than year end 2023 739 ao 740 Force size and unit organization EditOverall the Army would end up with 71 brigade combat teams and 212 support brigades in the pre 2013 design The Regular Army would move from 33 brigade combat teams in 2003 to 43 brigade combat teams together with 75 modular support brigades for a total of 118 Regular Army modular brigades In addition the previously un designated training brigades such as the Infantry Training Brigade at Fort Moore assumed the lineage amp honors of formerly active Regular Army combat brigades In 2017 there were 31 brigade combat teams in the Active Army Within the Army National Guard there were to be 28 brigade combat teams and 78 support brigades Within the Army Reserve the objective was 59 support brigades Chief of Staff Mark Milley credits Creighton Abrams Chief of Staff 1972 1974 for placing most of the support brigades in the Reserve and National Guard in order to ensure that the nation would use the total army rather than only the active army in an extended war involving the entire nation 125 minute 42 30 741 The Reserve component will be playing an increased role 71 In the Total Army eight Army National Guard divisions are to be trained to increase their readiness for large scale combat operations 625 444 making 58 BCTs in the Total Army in 2018 742 and six SFABs in 2020 Army commands Edit United States Army Forces Command headquartered at Fort Liberty North Carolina United States Army Futures Command headquarters in Austin Texas United States Army Materiel Command headquartered at Redstone Arsenal Alabama United States Army Training and Doctrine Command headquartered at Joint Base Langley Eustis VirginiaArmy service component commands Edit Geographic commands United States Army Central Third Army headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base South Carolina United States Army North Fifth Army headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio Texas United States Army South Sixth Army headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio Texas United States Army Europe Africa Seventh Army headquartered at Wiesbaden Germany United States Army Pacific headquartered at Fort Shafter Hawaii Functional commands United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command headquartered at Redstone Arsenal Alabama United States Army Special Operations Command headquartered at Fort Liberty North Carolina Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command headquartered at Scott Air Force Base Illinois United States Army Cyber Command headquartered at Fort Gordon GeorgiaArmy direct reporting units Edit United States Army Medical Command MEDCOM United States Army Intelligence and Security Command INSCOM headquartered at Fort Belvoir Virginia United States Army Corps of Engineers United States Military Academy United States Army Military District of Washington MDW headquartered at Fort McNair District of Columbia United States Army Criminal Investigation Division USACID headquartered at Marine Corps Base Quantico Virginia United States Army Test and Evaluation Command ATEC Field armies Edit First US Army headquartered at Rock Island Arsenal Illinois A component of FORSCOM responsible for training the reserve components when mobilized for overseas deployment Eighth US Army headquartered at Camp Humphreys South Korea component of United States Forces Korea Army corps Edit I Corps headquartered at Joint Base Lewis McChord Washington III Armored Corps headquartered at Fort Cavazos Texas V Corps headquartered at Fort Knox Kentucky 10 XVIII Airborne Corps headquartered at Fort Liberty North CarolinaDivisions and brigades Edit Note these formations were subject to change announced in 2013 reform 743 In the post 2013 design the Regular Army was planned to reduce to 32 BCTs after all the BCTs had been announced for inactivation 744 The 2018 budget was to further reduce 40 000 active duty soldiers from 490 000 in 2015 to 450 000 by 2018 fiscal year end Thirty installations would have been affected six of these installations would have accounted for over 12 000 of those to be let go In early 2015 the plan was to cut entire BCTs by July 2015 a new plan to downsize a BCT 4 500 soldiers to a maneuver battalion task force 1 032 soldiers with the possibility of upsizing if need be was formulated In 2015 a plan was instituted to allow further shrinking of the Army by converting selected brigades to maneuver battalion task forces 745 A maneuver battalion task force includes about 1 050 Soldiers rather than the 4 000 in a full BCT 746 This 9 July 2015 plan however would preclude rapid deployment of such a unit until it has been reconstituted back to full re deployable strength This is being addressed with the Associated units training program from the Reserve and Guard In 2017 the National Defense Strategy and National Security Strategy 564 4 30 and a Sustainable Readiness Model SRM managed to halt the cuts 660 49 Funding was allocated for two out of six planned Security Force Assistance Brigades SFABs in 2016 747 composed of 529 senior officers and senior NCOs a full chain of command for a BCT 748 By 2020 all 6 SFABs were activated The changes announced so far affect 749 The number of generals and SES s will decrease 25 by 2023 DoD wide 564 11 10 FORSCOM Every HHBN 2 star and higher headquarters battalion reduces by 10 745 3rd ABCT 3rd Infantry Division Fort Moore 749 2nd SBCT 25th Infantry Division Schofield Barracks 745 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command relocates from Fort Knox to Fort Liberty 745 1st Theater Sustainment Command relocates from Fort Liberty to Fort Knox 745 236 ARNG 81st Armored Brigade Combat Team 40th Infantry Division to become an associated unit SBCT of 7th Infantry Division 81st s armor assets to be pre positioned in Europe Brigade Combat Teams Edit nbsp 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss Texas regionally aligned with Central Command CENTCOM 750 Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion 751 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team converted from Stryker BCT on 20 June 2019 752 753 754 755 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team 1st Armored Division Artillery Combat Aviation Brigade deploys to Afghanistan early 2019 756 757 1st Armored Division Sustainment Brigade 758 nbsp 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Cavazos Texas regionally aligned with European Command EUCOM 759 Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team 760 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team 1st Cavalry Division Artillery Combat Aviation Brigade 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade nbsp 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley Kansas Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team regionally aligned with African Command AFRICOM 761 1st Infantry Division Artillery Combat Aviation Brigade 1st Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade nbsp 2nd Infantry Division at Camp Humphreys South Korea Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion 1x Rotation Armored Brigade Combat Team at Camp Casey Camp Hovey and Camp Humphreys South Korea 2nd Infantry Division Artillery 762 at Camp Humphreys South Korea Combat Aviation Brigade at Camp Humphreys and K 16 Airfield South Korea 2nd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade at Camp Carroll Camp Stanley and Camp Humphreys South Korea nbsp 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart Georgia Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Georgia Army National Guard 763 Task Force 1 28 1st Battalion 28th Infantry Regiment at Fort Moore Georgia 746 764 3rd Infantry Division Artillery Combat Aviation Brigade at Hunter Army Airfield Georgia 3rd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade nbsp 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson Colorado regionally aligned with European Command EUCOM 765 nbsp 2nd SBCT 4th ID Stryker fires FGM 148 Javelin 28 April 2022 at Fort Carson Colo Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team 754 766 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team 767 4th Infantry Division Artillery Combat Aviation Brigade 4th Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade nbsp 7th Infantry Division Headquarters only at Joint Base Lewis McChord Washington 768 Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team 2nd Infantry Division 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team 2nd Infantry Division 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team Washington Army National Guard 769 770 nbsp 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum New York Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team 771 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team at Fort Polk 10th Mountain Division Artillery Combat Aviation Brigade 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade nbsp 11th Airborne Division at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson Alaska Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team at Fort Wainwright Alaska 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Airborne at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson Alaska 11th Airborne Division Artillery Aviation Task Force Sustainment Brigade nbsp 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks Hawaii Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team 25th Infantry Division Artillery Combat Aviation Brigade 25th Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade nbsp 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Liberty North Carolina Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team Airborne 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Airborne 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Airborne 82nd Airborne Division Artillery Combat Aviation Brigade 82nd Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade nbsp 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell Kentucky Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team Air Assault 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Air Assault 772 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Air Assault 101st Airborne Division Artillery Combat Aviation Brigade 756 rotates stateside early 2019 101st Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade nbsp 2nd Cavalry Regiment Stryker BCT in Vilseck Germany 717 nbsp 3rd Cavalry Regiment Stryker BCT at Fort Cavazos Texas nbsp 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Vicenza Italy Active duty divisions11 division headquarters one division HQ in South Korea Active duty combat brigades 31 at the end of 2017 11 Armored Brigade Combat Teams 1st 2nd and 3rd ABCT at Fort Bliss Texas part of 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss Texas 1st 2nd and 3rd ABCT at Fort Cavazos Texas part of 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Cavazos Texas 1st and 2nd ABCT at Fort Riley Kansas part of 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley Kansas 1st and 2nd ABCT at Fort Stewart Georgia part of 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart Georgia 3rd ABCT at Fort Carson Colorado part of 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson Colorado 6 Stryker Brigade Combat Teams 1st and 2nd SBCTs at Fort Carson Colorado part of 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson Colorado 1st and 2nd SBCT at Fort Lewis Joint Base Lewis McChord Washington administratively under the 2nd Infantry Division at Camp Humphreys South Korea operationally under the 7th Infantry Division HQ at Joint Base Lewis McChord Washington 2nd Cavalry Regiment SBCT at Rose Barracks in Vilseck Germany independent SBCT under US Army Europe at Lucius D Clay Kaserne Barracks Germany 3rd Cavalry Regiment SBCT at Fort Cavazos Texas independent SBCT under III Corps at Fort Cavazos Texas 6 Infantry Brigade Combat Teams Light 773 1st and 2nd IBCT at Fort Drum New York part of 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum New York 3rd IBCT at Fort Polk Louisiana also part of 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum New York 1st IBCT at Fort Wainwright Alaska part of 11th Airborne Division at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson Alaska 2nd and 3rd IBCT at Schofield Barracks Hawaii part of 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks Hawaii 5 Infantry Brigade Combat Teams Airborne 1st 2nd and 3rd IBCT Airborne at Fort Liberty North Carolina part of 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Liberty North Carolina 2nd IBCT Airborne at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson Alaska part of 11th Airborne Division Alaska 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team at Caserma Ederle Barracks in Vicenza Italy independent brigade under US Army Europe at Lucius D Clay Kaserne Barracks Germany 3 Infantry Brigade Combat Teams Air Assault 1st 2nd and 3rd IBCT Air Assault at Fort Campbell Kentucky part of 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell Kentucky See National Guard divisions for the 27 ARNG BCTsSupport brigades Edit Active duty Support Brigades with reserve component numbers in parentheses ARNG USAR 12 Combat Aviation Brigades 12 2 12th Combat Aviation Brigade in Katterbach Germany 16th Combat Aviation Brigade at Joint Base Lewis McChord Washington 10 Combat Aviation Brigades as part of active army divisions 3 Military Intelligence Brigades Expeditionary 2 3 201st Military Intelligence Brigade at Joint Base Lewis McChord Washington 504th Military Intelligence Brigade at Fort Cavazos Texas 525th Military Intelligence Brigade at Fort Liberty North Carolina 5 Field Artillery Brigades 8 0 17th Field Artillery Brigade at Joint Base Lewis McChord Washington 18th Field Artillery Brigade at Fort Liberty North Carolina 41st Field Artillety Brigade at Grafenwoehr Germany 75th Field Artillery Brigade at Fort Sill Oklahoma 210th Field Artillery Brigade at Camp Casey South Korea 6 Air Defense Artillery Brigades 3 0 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Fort Bliss Texas 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Fort Sill Oklahoma 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Osan Air Base South Korea 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Sagami Depot Japan 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Sembach Germany 774 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Fort Cavazos Texas 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Fort Liberty North Carolina 5 Engineer Brigades 7 4 7th Engineer Brigade Ansbach Germany 775 20th Engineer Brigade at Fort Liberty North Carolina 36th Engineer Brigade at Fort Cavazos Texas 130th Engineer Brigade at Schofield Barracks Hawaii 555th Engineer Brigade at Joint Base Lewis McChord Washington 12 Sustainment Brigades 10 9 16th Sustainment Brigade in Bamberg Germany 528th Sustainment Brigade Special Operations Airborne at Fort Liberty North Carolina Ten Sustainment Brigades as part of active army divisions 5 Military Police Brigades 4 4 8th Military Police Brigade at Schofield Barracks Hawaii 16th Military Police Brigade at Fort Liberty North Carolina 18th Military Police Brigade in Grafenwohr Germany 42nd Military Police Brigade at Joint Base Lewis McChord Washington 89th Military Police Brigade at Fort Cavazos Texas 1 Transportation Brigade 0 5 7th Transportation Brigade at Fort Eustis Virginia 5 Security Force Assistance Brigades 1 0 planned 1st in 2017 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade at Fort Moore Georgia 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade at Fort Liberty North Carolina 3rd Security Force Assistance Brigade at Fort Cavazos Texas 4th Security Force Assistance Brigade at Fort Carson Colorado 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade at Joint Base Lewis McChord Washington 5 Medical Brigades 0 10 1st Medical Brigade at Fort Cavazos Texas 30th Medical Brigade in Sembach Germany 44th Medical Brigade at Fort Liberty North Carolina 62nd Medical Brigade at Joint Base Lewis McChord Washington 65th Medical Brigade at Camp Humphreys South Korea 9 Signal Brigades 2 2 1st Signal Brigade at Camp Humphreys South Korea 2nd Signal Brigade in Wiesbaden Germany 11th Signal Brigade at Fort Cavazos Texas 22nd Signal Brigade at Joint Base Lewis McChord Washington 35th Signal Brigade at Fort Gordon Georgia 93rd Signal Brigade at Fort Eustis Virginia 106th Signal Brigade at Fort Sam Houston Texas 160th Signal Brigade at Camp Arifjan Kuwait 516th Signal Brigade at Fort Shafter Hawaii 1 Chemical Brigade 1 1 48th Chemical Brigade at Fort Cavazos Texas See also EditTransformation of the Army National Guard Revolution in Military Affairs Network centric warfareNotes Edit a b c d In Force modernization 96 Deputy Chiefs of Staff G 8 and G 3 5 7 sit on the Army Requirements Oversight Council AROC to advise the Chief of Staff of the Army CSA 97 diagram on p 559 98 99 The commander AFC is responsible for Force design 98 The Army s Force management model begins with a projection of the Future operating environment in terms of resources political military economic social information infrastructure physical environment and the time available to bring the Current army to bear on the situation 99 The AROC serves as a discussion forum of these factors 98 100 The relevant strategy is provided by the Army s leadership A DOTMLPF analysis models the factors necessary to change the Current force into a relevant Future force A JCIDS process identifies the gaps in capability between Current and Future force A Force design to meet the materiel gaps is underway An organization with the desired capabilities manpower materiel training is brought to bear on each gap 96 AR 5 22 pdf lists the Force modernization proponent for each Army branch which can be a CoE or Branch proponent leader Staff uses a Synchronization meeting 101 minute 8 29 before seeking approval HTAR Force Management 3 2b Managing change in any large complex organization requires the synchronization of many interrelated processes 97 p2 27 A budget request is submitted to Congress The resources are dictated by Congress 99 Approved requests then await resource deliveries which then become available to the combatant commanders 102 a b c d e The Army s unclassified Multi Domain Operations MDO concept is the combined arms employment of capabilities from all domains that create and exploit relative advantages to defeat enemy forces achieve objectives and consolidate gains during competition crisis and armed conflict 277 a b c d e f g h See Sydney J Freedberg Jr November 22 2019 SecArmy s Multi Domain Kill Chain Space Cloud AI Army Multi Domain Operations Concept December 2018 slide from TRADOC pamphlet 525 3 1 Dec 2018 nbsp Multi domain operations MDO b span multiple domains cislunar space land air maritime cyber and populations In September 2020 an ABMS Onramp demonstrated a specific scenario which can be illustrated by the 5 red numbered bullet points from the slide in TRADOC pamphlet 525 3 1 Competition No overt hostilities are yet detected Blue bar force projection is in standoff against red bar threat Strategic Support area National assets blue detect breaching of standoff by adversary in red Close area support blue assets hand off to the combatant commands who are to create effects visible to the adversary in red Deep maneuver blue combatant actions dis integrate adversary efforts per TRADOC pamphlet 525 3 1 militarily compete penetrate dis integrate and exploit the adversary Operational and Strategic deep fires create effects on the adversary Adversary is further subject to defeat in detail until adversaries perceive they are overmatched no more red assets to expend Adversary retreats to standoff The populations perceive that the adversary is defeated for now Compare to Perkins cycle return to competition in which deterrence has succeeded in avoiding a total war in favor of pushing an adversary back to standoff the red threat bar Blue force projection still has overmatched red threat a b c d e The capabilities as prioritized by the 39th Chief of Staff will use subject matter experts in the realms of requirements acquisition science and technology test resourcing costing and sustainment using Cross Functional Teams CFTs for Improved long range precision fires artillery Fort Sill Oklahoma Lead BG John Rafferty PEO Ammunition AMMO Next generation combat vehicle Detroit Arsenal Warren Michigan Lead BG Ross Coffman PEO Ground Combat Systems GCS Vertical lift platforms Redstone Arsenal Huntsville Alabama Lead BG Wally Rugen PEO Aviation AVN Mobile and expeditionary usable in ground combat communications network Aberdeen Proving Ground Maryland Network Command Control Communications and Intelligence Lead MG Pete Gallagher PEO Command Control Communications Tactical C3T Assured Position Navigation and Timing Redstone Arsenal Huntsville Alabama Lead William B Nelson SES Air and missile defense Fort Sill Oklahoma Lead BG Brian Gibson PEO Missiles and Space M amp S Soldier lethality Soldier Lethality Fort Moore Georgia Lead BG David M Hodne PEO Soldier Synthetic Training Environment Orlando Florida Lead MG Maria Gervais PEO Simulation Training amp Instrumentation STRI Above dotted line relationship i e coordination is denoted by a 2015 Army Operating Concept AOC Win in a Complex World 52 minute 1 15 00 1 22 58 One consequence of a standardized BCT is that actions performed by one BCT can be made in behalf of a successor BCT Thus pre positioned stocks can aid in the rapidity of deployment Army Prepositioned Stocks site in the Netherlands was established 15 Dec 2016 which will store and service about 1 600 U S Army vehicles U S military equipment to arrive in Germany 6 9 Jan 2017 Tank Brigade 3ABCT 4th ID sets quick pace moving to Europe Soldiers Journal Rolling Into Europe 3ABCT 4th ID The Army is introducing drones in its combat aviation brigades in order to increase its reconnaissance capability 105 106 In the 2013 reform the active duty brigades are deactivating by 2015 leaving only the National Guard s and the Reserve s maneuver enhancement brigades 116 22 Mar 2022 See for example the ongoing thread of Prof Paul Poast 225 a b On 5 June 2023 Army Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center awarded contracts to close down the autonomous vehicle leader follower program 226 in favor of a competitive commercial autonomy package 352 Michael Lundy Sep 2018 The U S Army Concept for Multi Domain Combined Arms Operations at Echelons Above Brigade 2025 2040 Echelons Above Brigade EAB as cited by Scott McKean 46 In 2018 new cyber authorities were granted under National Security Presidential Memorandum NSPM 13 240 persistent cyber engagements at Cyber command are the new norm for cyber operations 241 The Maneuver Captains Career Course MCCC at Fort Moore Georgia is preparing exercises in which the division is the Unit of Action rather than the brigade 267 a b c d Colin Clark 18 Feb 2020 Gen Hyten On The New American Way of War All Domain Operations ADO A computer coordinated fight in the air land sea space cyber and the electromagnetic spectrum EMS forces from satellites to foot soldiers to submarines sharing battle data at machine to machine speed it s the ability to integrate and effectively command and control all domains in a conflict or in a crisis seamlessly Gen Hyten Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs All Domain Operations ADO use global capabilities space cyber deterrent the nuclear triad for mutually assured destruction in the Cold War an evolving concept in itself transportation electromagnetic spectrum operations missile defense Blue force tracking The Army now has technology to keep track of its warfighters down to the squad level position or even individual soldier position In 2023 a new cross functional team CFT was stood up for Contested Logistics 290 292 293 294 278 295 296 121 297 122 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 a b Theresa Hitchens 25 August 2020 More Ambitious ABMS Demo Uses 5G Roper AFWERX 25 August 2020 Dr Will Roper ABMS Ask Me Anything 1 30 33 ABMS Advanced battle management system requires Internet of Military Things 5 00 Foundational IoT Containerized software systems forming the connective tissue between domains devices platforms populations 16 15 There is not going to be one machine to machine system in the future force but rather a set of machine to machine data exchanges in publishable understandable communicable discoverable formats 22 50 A new kind of requirements process horizontal modernize seamlessly over time rather than vertical top down processes for hardware If a standard exists such as 5G or APIs use it 27 50 A culture change elevating data in importance over bullets will be required to win wars Simplification of the ABMS user interface will be necessary in order to present the relevant mission dependent data to the Soldier or Combatant commander 31 30 There will be so much happening that phone calls will be seen as the obstacle they are during ABMS Onramp just like the COVID 19 data needs 35 00 deviceONE operates on SIPRNET tablets today Portions of ABMS are operational today 25 August 2020 39 50 a devOps mentality will be required X as a Service XaaS is needed for Developer s adaptability and agility in the face of uncertain threats an OODA loop with 4 month cycles Agility and adaptability are needed for the Onramps A set of Use cases are the targets to be sought during the development process 49 20 70 industry team offerings are welcome include 50 solutions as well 52 00 There is no way the Acquisition process can have a lead Systems Integrator to serve as Prime Contractor for a program Replace this with a tool a common infrastructure tech stack with full authorities IRAD Design Reviews DoD has to be good at IT 56 10 for the Army ABMS means National level situation awareness that is tuned relevant to the mission from the Soldier on the ground or to the Combatant Commander 1 00 00 Use robotic agents drones as wingmen or battle buddies to absorb threats at the tip of the spear 1 06 00 pull people back from the tip of the spear in favor of robots Have people make the calls commands to direct the strikes this will not replace the warfighter 1 14 00 ABMS scale up If we fail this won t be tried again for years 351 355 356 357 RDER will fund the Combatant Commander s experiments in Joint Warfighting Concepts advanced fires command and control information advantage and contested logistics the Concepts exercise coordination and execution cell will be funded from RDER 359 360 361 76 79 million is requested for FY23 359 Global Information Dominance Experiments are the vehicle for this effort 362 364 365 46 301 366 Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node TITAN 382 is a ground station for integrating the data feed between sensors and shooters 383 382 384 385 386 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 419 420 425 426 427 428 432 7 433 a b c d e When used in multi domain operations I2CEWS denotes Intelligence Information Cyber Electronic Warfare and Space See ISR or Intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance and National Geospatial Intelligence Agency 433 408 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 436 448 246 82nd Airborne with 18 000 troops has an 18 hour readiness status after the first phone call 449 446 450 451 452 DEFENDER Europe 21 was a large scale U S Army led multinational joint exercise designed to build readiness and interoperability between U S NATO and partner militaries DEFENDER Europe 21 included a greater number of NATO ally and partner nations conducting activities over a wider area than what was planned for in 2020 which was severely restricted due to the COVID 19 pandemic More than 28 000 multinational forces from 26 nations conducted near simultaneous operations across more than 30 training areas in a dozen countries DEFENDER Europe 21 also included significant involvement of the U S Air Force and U S Navy The exercise utilized key ground and maritime routes bridging Europe Asia and Africa The exercise incorporated new or high end capabilities including air and missile defense assets as well as assets from the U S Army Security Force Assistance Brigades and the recently reactivated V Corps Defender Europe 21 was one of the largest U S Army NATO led military exercises in Europe in decades The exercise began in mid March and lasted until June 2021 It included nearly simultaneous operations across more than 30 training areas in Estonia Bulgaria Romania Kosovo and other countries 459 460 Gen Christopher G Cavoli commanding general of the United States Army Europe and Africa said that While we are closely monitoring the COVID situation we ve proven we have the capability to train safely despite the pandemic 459 Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said that Russia has deployed troops to its western borders for combat training exercises in response to NATO military activities that threaten Russia 461 See Defender Europe 2022 a b The Army 21 Jun 2022 has released a programmatic environmental assessment PEA and draft finding of no significant impact FONSI regarding the stationing of a multi domain task force MDTF 476 Two configurations were considered 1 a full MDTF of 3 000 troops and 2 a base MDTF of 400 with headquarters 497 259 500 499 501 497 342 502 In 2021 an MDTF exercised its sensor to shooter capabilities in operational vignettes at Joint Systems Integration Lab JSIL Aberdeen MD 471 505 506 507 524 525 526 527 528 529 530 As part of the Warfighter exercises 22 1 which completed in October 2021 V Corps attained Full operational capability The Army alternates its annual Defender exercises between the Pacific and Europe Thus V Corps was preparing for the Eucom exercises of 2022 in 2021 The COVID pandemic disrupted the 2020 European exercises however 490 a b c Readiness means Be informed Make A Plan Build a Kit and Get Involved 580 581 Poland Australia Egypt Iraq Kuwait Saudi Arabia Morocco and Taiwan are M1 Abrams customers References EditThis article may contain an excessive number of citations Please consider removing references to unnecessary or disreputable sources merging citations where possible or if necessary flagging the content for deletion April 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message a b http dead link fortblissbugle com bmc redesignated jmc new name better reflects evolving organizational mission BMC redesignated JMC New Name Better Reflects Evolving Organizational Mission accessdate 2017 02 16 Eric Shinseki 10 June 2003 End of Tour Memorandum a b c d TRADOC TRADOC Pamphlet 525 3 1 6 December 2018 The U S Army in Multi Domain Operations 2028 describes how US Army forces as part of the Joint Force will militarily compete penetrate dis integrate and exploit our adversaries in the future Link moved here a b c d e US Army 2020 AMERICA S ARMY READY NOW INVESTING IN THE FUTURE FY19 21 accomplishments and investment plan Todd South Military Times 8 May 2019 4 things the general in charge of the Army s newest command says are needed to win the wars of the future a b Anthony Small U S Army Futures Command March 13 2019 Futures Command highlights changes new structure at SXSW Synchronizing or creating convergence allows the joint force to create overmatch Eric Wesley a b Sydney J Freedberg Jr 28 May 2019 Beyond INF An Affordable Arsenal Of Long Range Missiles INF Treaty likely to expire in August 2019 William B King AMC 18 February 2020 Conference focuses on Army modernization equipping Soldiers Equipping Enterprise AMC Modernization Enterprise AFC Jim Garamone Defense gov August 9 2019 Milley discusses Army changes as he passes authority a b Army announces activation of additional corps headquarters US Army Washington DC 11 February 2020 Retrieved 12 February 2020 a b c 23rd Secretary Mark Esper and 39th Chief of Staff Mark Milley MARCH 26 2019 ON THE POSTURE OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY a b c Sydney Freedberg Jr 27 April 2020 Army Rebuilds Artillery Arm For Large Scale War a b c Theresa Hitchens 19 Aug 2020 Air amp Space Forces Add Cyber To All Domain Ops Data Library C Todd Lopez 21 Apr 2022 Austin to Host Meeting in Germany to Discuss Ukraine s Long Term Defense Needs integrate with allies and partners Jim Garamone 5 Aug 2022 Austin Launches New Round of Discussions With Hemispheric Partners Sec Def Lloyd Austin Gen Charles Flynn 12 Oct 2021 AUSA 2021 Warriors Corner New Approaches New Dilemmas and New Opportunities U S Army Multi Domain Land Power in the Indo Pacific video clip minute 3 06 See sense understand Indo Pacom Davis Winkie 28 Jun 2023 Exclusive Army secretary talks force structure cuts SOF reform in favor of MDTFs IFPC indirect fires protection capability DE MSHORAD directed energy mobile short range air defense using high energy lasers and maintaining the Immediate response force Martin Jeff 24 January 2020 Video Can the Army achieve transformational change www defensenews com Army Chief of Staff We need transformational change rather than incremental change a b c d e Chief of Staff Paper 1 16 Mar 2021 Army Multi Domain Transformation Ready to Win in Competition and Conflict army mil a b c Chief of Staff Paper 2 1 March 2021 The Army in Military Competition a b U S Army Combined Arms Center U S Army Training and Doctrine August 6 2021 Waypoint 2028 2029 Stand To US Army Retrieved 2023 04 16 a b c d The Army Strategy 2018 army mil Sgt 1st Class Michael Sword 22 Sep 2023 Gen Randy George sworn in as 41st Army Chief of Staff Michael Marrow and Ashley Rocque 21 Sep 2023 Senate confirms Army Marine Corps chiefs though Tuberville hold continues a b Sgt 1st Class Zach Sheely 21 Aug 2023 George lays out his vision for the future of the Army and how the Guard fits in a b Sean Kimmons Army News Service June 4 2019 Pacific Pathways 2 0 to bolster presence in the theater White John P Deutch John March 2003 Security Transformation Report of the Belfer Center Conference on Military Transformation citation Strategic Studies Institute United States Army War College Archived from the original on 2015 09 24 Statement by General Peter Schoomaker Chief of Staff United States Army before the Commission on National Guard and Reserves Army mil 14 December 2006 Archived from the original on 21 December 2006 Retrieved 14 November 2013 TRADOC 21 Dec 2009 The Army Capstone Concept TRADOC Pam 525 3 0 David Vergun Army News Service December 8 2017 US Army Futures Command to reform modernization says secretary of the Army US Army Army Directive 2017 33 Enabling the Army Modernization Task Force a b c d AFC AFC announcement Friday 13 July 2018 Army Officials Announce New Army Command video 34 minutes 27 seconds a b c US Army Modernization turnaround worth the effort says acting SecArmy McCarthy a b Army Times Army s modernization command taking shape under freshly picked leaders permanent dead link a b Col Richard Hough 4 January 2018 Opinion Army s Basic Illusions Gone Time For Futures Command Breaking Defense com Devon L Suits Army News Service April 8 2019 Acquisition reform requires culture shift officials say Michael A Grinston James C McConville and Ryan McCarthy October 2019 2019 Army Modernization Strategy as cited by Sydney Freedberg Jr October 16 2019 Army Launches 16 Year Plan To Tackle Russia China Summary a b c d e f g h i Theresa Hitchens 3 Sep 2020 ABMS Demo Proves AI Chops For C2 The ABMS demo had four phases under computer control The kill chains were formed in seconds rather than minutes Early detection identification and warning Scanning Humans no longer need to dedicate their attention to a single boring task Replace the problem of stovepiped sensors functions with more salient events Let sensors perform direct machine to machine data exchanges in an Internet of Military Things and detect events which are salient to the mission This allows concentration of effort by the Intelligence Community Let machines follow the leads under Human direction Red force tracking Use AI feeds to form the kill chains plan the series of steps needed to kill a Red threat Let machines follow Red trajectories to estimate the time needed to intercept a Red threat Engaging red force threats Select an appropriate Blue interceptor fast enough to engage Red threat close enough to get past standoff distance In two cases hypervelocity moving at Mach 5 munitions were launched from cannons one Army one Navy to kill cruise missile surrogates Other sensor to shooter kill chains included AIM 9 missiles launched from F 16s and MQ 9s as well as a ground launched AIM 9 missile which was designed to be an air to air munition Blue force tracking Develop dedicated Clouds strategic cloud for the Commander and tactical cloud for the individual Soldier a b c Theresa Hitchens 23 September 2020 Picking 1st ABMS Capabilities A Top Issue At Air Force Corona in Nov 2020 at Air Force Academy a b c Sydney J Freedberg Jr 14 August 2020 Can Army Intel Data Feed The Kill Chain Quickly pooling data will take AI and cloud Project Convergence Gen Mike Murray 12 Oct 2021 AUSA 2021 CMF 3 Project Convergence 2021 7 capstone cases Patrick Tucker 10 Nov 2021 What Worked What Didn t at Army s Second Connect Everything Experiment PC21 Andrew Eversden 22 Nov 2021 Robotic vehicles drones coordinate recon at Army s Project Convergence 21 ISR relay a b Sarantinos Argie 17 September 2021 Project Convergence 2022 web portal links industry academia to Army DEVCOM Public Affairs army mil Andrew Eversden 11 Oct 2021 Army Kicks Off Analysis Effort To Inform Future Investments Andrew Eversden 11 Oct 2021 Murray Army s Modernization Push Requires Persistence To Be Successful a b c d e Scott McKean 14 Jul 2021 AFC Pamphlet 71 20 9 Army Futures Command Concept for Command and Control Pursuing decision dominance AFCC C2 14 Jul 2021 see FUTURES AND CONCEPTS CENTER resources Addendum F Army Force Generation ARFORGEN The Army s Core Process 2010 Army Posture Statement Office of the Director of the Army Staff Executive Strategy Group Archived from the original on 2012 03 06 Retrieved 2010 06 23 Henry S Kenyon June 2006 U S Army Reforges Training and Readiness a b c d e f Soldiers need to be ready 100 percent of time says FORSCOM commander Army mil accessdate 2016 06 05 a b Robert M Gates 5 Jan 2012 Defense Strategic Guidance Archived 7 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine a b Department of the Army announces force structure decisions for fiscal year 2017 accessdate 2017 06 25 Global security org 2017 National Defense Authorization Act Military Personnel accessdate 2017 02 02 US Army TRADOC Perkins discusses operationalizing the Army Operating Concept AOC AOC Win in a Complex World a b HQDA McHugh amp Odierno A STATEMENT ON THE POSTURE OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY 2015 Archived 2016 06 10 at the Wayback Machine Army mil accessdate 2016 06 05 DoD 2017 DoD Posture Defense Statement Army mil Mission of the U S Army accessdate 2016 09 11 ARCIC Army Warfighting Challenges AWFCs Archived 2016 10 25 at the Wayback Machine accessdate 2016 10 25 TRADOC News THE EVOLUTION OF THE ARMY WARFIGHTING ASSESSMENT Archived 2016 11 06 at the Wayback Machine US Army Army tests new warfighting tech at Army Warfighting Assessment accessdate 2016 10 23 US Army Special Operations Forces integrate into AWA 17 1 accessdate 2016 10 28 US Army AWA 17 1 Increasing the pace of battle in a coalition environment accessdate 2016 10 29 a b A RIC U might be used by a coalition partner to encrypt their individual networks when interoperating with a US Army voice network ASA ALT Weapon System Handbook 2018 Transportable Tactical Command Communications T2C2 Spc Matthew Marcellus 1st Armored Division Communications in Motion 15 May 2019 Iron Soldiers train on inflatable satellite communications system T2C2 http fortblissbugle com 2019 05 15 communications in motion iron soldiers train on inflatable satellite communications system t2c2 dead link Archived 2019 08 12 at the Wayback Machine dead link Mark Pomerleau March 23 2018 The Army s newest satellite antenna is remarkably simple Mr Joe Welch Lt Col Jack Shane Taylor and Mr Michael Beery July 12 2016 Network Marketplace Open for Business and Growing Knapp Brandon January 18 2018 The Army makes it easier for first responders to connect to tactical networks C4ISRNET Retrieved 2018 04 17 US Army Army prepares to test enhanced network operation tools at NIE 16 2 accessdate 2016 11 05 US Army Future warfighting calls for semi independent units empowered leaders accessdate 2017 02 16 We are going to have to empower and decentralize leadership to make decisions and achieve battlefield effects in a widely dispersed environment where subordinate leaders junior leaders may not be able to communicate to their higher headquarters even if they wanted to Milley said C Todd Lopez Army News Service May 5 2017 Future warfare requires disciplined disobedience Army chief says accessdate 2017 05 05 US Army Army Marine leaders bring multi domain concept closer to reality accessdate 2017 02 16 US Army Air Force may join Army in refining multi domain concept accessdate 2017 03 18 a b c d e f g Sydney J Freedberg Jr April 03 2019 How Army s Multi Domain Overhaul May Impact The National Guard In 2009 the Army officially replaced command and control with mission command Austin Carne 7 Jul 2020 Mission Command The Army s Powerful Leadership Tool Col Douglas M McBride Jr and Reginald L Snell Ph D 9 January 2017 Applying mission command to overcome challenges Creating trust is the foundation for accomplishing the mission US Army ADP 6 0 PDF armypubs us army mil Army Publications a b c d US Army Brigade combat teams cut at 10 posts will help other BCTs grow Article The United States Army Army mil Retrieved 2015 11 11 Stripes com 2nd ID unit in Korea to deactivate be replaced by rotational force News Stripes Retrieved 2015 11 11 a b c d e Arpi Dilantsian and Matthew Howard April 1 2019 Plan prepare practice An interview with Lt Gen Laura Richardson US Army Future of deployments surge ready and rotationally focused Article The United States Army Army mil Retrieved 2016 10 21 Michelle Tan Big BCT changes mapped out for 2015 February 9 2015 Army Times DoD News July 9 2015 Army Announces Force Structure Stationing Decisions a b US Army 23 April 2018 Army Secretary Esper senior NCO Dailey discuss modernization recruiting retention Sydney J Freedberg Jr May 20 2019 Army Can Manage Both Mideast amp Great Powers Sec Esper Sean Kimmons Army News Service May 28 2019 South Korean exercises being revised amid peace talks Abrams USFK assessment Joseph Lacdan 22 January 2020 Army updates Law of Land Warfare doctrine to increase guidance clarity US Army FM 6 27 C1 20 September 2019 THE COMMANDER S HANDBOOK ON THE LAW OF LAND WARFARE 208 page handbook The Department of Defense Law of War Manual June 2015 updated December 2016 remains the authoritative statement Devon L Suits Army News Service March 28 2018 CHIPS Articles Army Secretary defines goals for coming decade modernization Futures Command Jeff Martin 15 October 2018 How did the Army find 25 billion for new equipment video Daniel Goure October 18 2018 Can Trump Rebuild The Military As Deficits Balloon Sydney J Freedberg Jr October 26 2018 Joint Experiments Will Pick Budget Winners amp Losers Dunford Task is to cut 33 Billion from 2020 budget CovertCabal YouTube What will 716 Billion Buy You US Defense Budget 2019 Weapons Michael J Meese NDU Press 23 Dec 2016 Chapter 4 The American Defense Budget 2017 2020 Note Fed chart 1970 2026 Paul McLeary October 26 2018 Trump Orders DoD To Take Surprise 33B Budget Cut 2020 DoD budget cut from 733 billion to 700 billion Paul McLeary November 14 2018 The Pentagon s First Ever Audit A Big Disappointment Wesley Morgan 09 December 2018 Trump reverses course tells Pentagon to boost budget request to 750 billion Devon L Suits Army News Service Army February 26 2019 FY20 budget proposal realigns 30 billion Sydney J Freedberg Jr May 24 2019 Defense Spending Will Bust BCA Caps Mark Cancian 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 Sydney J Freedberg Jr May 29 2019 Army Big 6 Gets 10B More Over 2021 2025 a b C Todd Lopez DOD News 8 Dec 2022 U S Military Readiness Goes Beyond Just China Russia a b United States Army War College and Army Force Management School 2019 2020 How the Army Runs HTAR A senior leader reference handbook which synthesizes existing and developing National Defense Joint and Army systems processes and procedures currently practiced a b c Headquarters Department of the Army 29 Jun 2021 Army Regulation 71 9 Force Management Warfighting Capabilities Determination 1 6c p 1 tasks for CG AFC 2 24 p 13 CG AFC is a principal member of AROC with 43 duties a through qq 3 1 ch 3 pp20 21 AROC is a forum for requirements decisions RDF 4 1 p 24 CG AFC is responsible for force design 6 4 p39 figure 6 1 Deliberate staffing and review process figures for more staffing and review processes follow a b c James Kennedy 2019 Force Management Model Complete Research Development and Acquisition AR 71 9 2009 Warfighting Capabilities Determination Aug 15 2019 update James Kennedy CGSC Jun 2022 AY22 Force Integration CGSC Weekly meetings on Change Crisis Competition or Conflict 50 31 Caitlin Lee 23 Mar 2022 The US Military s Force Management Tug of War an allocation process Field Manual No 3 96 8 October 2015 Brigade Combat Team FM 3 96 updated 19 Jan 2021 Headquarters Department of the Army 1 October 2022 FM 3 0 Operations 280 pages The U S Army 2021 Army Assesses New UAS to Replace RQ 7B Shadow a b First Apache battalion to carry drones reflags as Heavy Cav Fort Bliss Bugle Archived from the original on 2015 03 30 Retrieved 2015 03 28 dead link May 3 2015 Apache helicopter squadron is the first unit to incorporate Shadow drones Cavalry Brigade Combat Team assumes new design transition nearly complete U S Army 17 February 2016 Retrieved 8 January 2017 a b c Lt Col Mike Hammond July 18 2019 In Search of Synchronized Tactical Logistics The BSB Commander is responsible for field trains command post FTCP and combat trains command post CTCP operations Army Field Manual 3 96 Ft Hood s 615th ASB trains at McGregor Range Fort Bliss Monitor June 26 2013 3rd Squadron 6th Cavalry in Iraq Army mil accessdate 2016 03 18 2008 White Paper requesting DIVARTY DIVARTY Division Artillery Archived from the original on 3 August 2016 Retrieved 19 October 2016 a b Spc Matthew Marcellus 1st Armored Division May 15 2019 Agile and lethal 4 27 Field Artillery conducts Table XVIII gunnery training May 7 Fort Bliss Bugle US Army Retrieved 2019 08 11 dead link Gary Sheftick Army News Service March 13 2019 FY20 budget to boost air amp missile defense US Army Joe Lacdan October 22 2018 Army to fuse laser technology onto air defense system Michelle Tan 5 BCTs set to inactivate this year MEBs also going away www armytimes com Archived from the original on 2014 09 12 Sustainment Brigade PDF Headquarters Department of the Army August 2013 Archived from the original PDF on 2014 08 14 Retrieved 2014 09 12 Lt Col Fenicia L Jackson Capt Karina Cuenca and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Daniel Austin October 1 2019 Early results testing the new CASL at NTC improves readiness US Army a b Lt Col Charles L Montgomery April 1 2019 Deploying an SSA s CASL for an armored brigade combat team a b US Army 31 May 2018 Additional supply system focus boosts student knowledge of new technology a b c d e Headquarters Department of the Army PB 700 20 03 July September 2020 Army Sustainment Army Sustainment Professional Bulletin ASPB Vol 52 Issue 3 a b Maj Gen Rodney D Fogg Brig Gen Heidi J Hoyle and Percy Alexander 4 November 2019 Building the Army Readiness Common Operating Picture US Army a b 5 BCTs set to inactivate this year MEBs also going away Archive militarytimes com Retrieved 2016 10 21 204th Military Intelligence Battalion to join Aerial Intelligence Brigade Fortblissbugle com accessed 2015 05 21 dead link a b c d e Priorities for Our Nation s Army with General Mark A Milley 23 Jun 2016 CSA explains how skeletal advisory brigades could regenerate force Retrieved 19 October 2016 16 October 2017 First security force assistance brigade training for deployment Lolita C Baldor 4 May 2017 Associated Press Uncle Sam We want you to train others 5K bonus offered Archived 5 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine accessdate 2017 05 05 Security force assistance brigades to free Brigade combat teams from advise assist mission Army Moves Closer to Establishing First Security Force Assistance Brigade Archived from the original on 2017 05 23 Retrieved 2017 05 23 1st SFAB promotes first Soldiers to sergeant under new policy Jaffe and Ryan 21 January 2018 Washington Post Up to 1 000 more U S troops could be headed to Afghanistan this spring a b Jared Keller Task amp Purpose 22 Jan 2018 The 1st SFAB s Afghan Deployment Is A Moment Of Truth For The Global War On Terror Archived 26 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine for 2018 with subsequent SFABs after the year US Army Security Force Assistance Brigade 2 May 2018 ATP 3 96 1 152 pages Capt John May November 27 2017 Military Advisor Training Academy prepares 1st SFAB as combat advisors a b Jared Serbu August 24 2018 Army experimenting with SOF tested equipment while building long term tactical network plan Sean Kimmons Army News Service July 18 2019 Futures Command showcases efforts ahead of upcoming FOC ITN for 1st 2nd and 3rd SFABs Kimberly Underwood 20 August 2018 U S Army Fields Inflatable Satellite Antenna US Army December 21 2017 Equipping SFABs A Rubik s Cube of logistics over 5 000 pieces of equipment Bridget Lynch amp Greg Hall PEO C3T Public Affairs September 5 2018 U S Army PEO C3T September 21 2018 Army Awards 2 Channel Leader Radio Contract a b c Mennes AUSA 16 October 2017 AUSA Video clip Warriors corner 9 All things Security Force Assistance Brigade SFAB part of the article First security force assistance brigade training for deployment U S Army 6 December 2017 Eyes in the Sky with 1st SFAB U S Army 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade Who we are and why You should volunteer PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2017 10 22 Retrieved 2017 10 22 U S Army Army creates Security Force Assistance Brigade and Military Advisor Training Academy at Fort Moore accessdate 2017 02 24 U S Army 9 February 2018 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade holds activation ceremony U S Army Public Affairs January 11 2018 Department of the Army announces upcoming deployment of the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade a b Army announces activation of second Security Force Assistance Brigade at Fort Bragg CSM 1st Battalion 2nd SFAB identified Bridget Lynch amp Greg Hall PEO C3T Public Affairs September 5 2018 Network Support Continues for Army s SFABs U S Army Office of the Chief of Public Affairs 18 May 2018 Army announces the stationing of three Security Force Assistance Brigades ARNG Indiana National Guard to stand up new assistance brigade SOF News January 30 2019 54th Security Force Assistance Brigade C Todd Lopez May 8 2019 Success of first SFAB in Afghanistan proves Army got it right commander says a b c Security Force Assistance Command Public Affairs December 3 2018 Security Force Assistance Command 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade activate at Fort Liberty Fort Bragg will be home to Security Force Assistance Command GOMO 4 April 2018 General Officer Assignments Mark Landes to be Security Force Assistance Director G3 5 7 at Fort Bragg Maj Matthew Fontaine August 18 2018 1st SFAB Commander earns 1st Star and Promotion to Brigadier General 7 September 2018 2nd SFAB commander earns first star Archived from the original on 21 October 2018 Retrieved 21 October 2018 Todd South 8 May 2019 The next Army SFAB deployments might look a whole lot different from recent ones U S Army Public Affairs 18 October 2018 Department of the Army announces upcoming 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade unit rotation permanent dead link to Afghanistan Spring 2019 Kyle Rempfer 16 July 2019 3rd Security Force Assistance Brigade activates preps for Mideast missions U S Army Public Affairs August 16 2019 Army announces upcoming 3rd Security Force Assistance Brigade unit rotation Kari Hawkins AMCOM September 16 2009 Security Assistance Command plants its flag a b Megan Cotton June 6 2019 Ensuring Readiness for Strategic Support Strategic Power Projection a b Col Rodney H Honeycutt Richard A Bezold and Robin T Dothager September 5 2017 Establishing Europe s Army pre positioned stocks a b Justin Graff 401st AFSB Public Affairs December 16 2017 AMC deputy commander assesses APS 5 readiness combat configuration a b Headquarters Dept of the Army July 2019 ADP 6 0 Mission Command Command and Control of Army Forces 4 chapters See also ADP 3 0 ADP 6 22 FM 6 22 ADP 1 1 and ADP 5 0 a b David B Larter 9 Oct 2018 The US Army is preparing to fight in Europe but can it even get there Capt Richard Foote 593rd Sustainment Command Expeditionary April 21 2017 Putting the expeditionary in ESC Maj Daniel J N Belzer January 2 2019 Command relationships between corps and ESCs ESC Expeditionary Support Command TSC Theater Support Command a b See for example Francis J H Park November December 2007 The strategic plans and policy officer in the modular division The 29th Division National Guard headquarters is deployed as Intermediate Command for ARCENT in Kuwait Two National Guard division headquarters are deployed simultaneously for the first time since the Korean war a b We need two command posts We need to be able to shut one down and move it while the other is still in the fight MG Pat White CG 1st Armored Division http dead link fortblissbugle com army senior leaders meet at bliss for command post huddle Army senior leaders meet at Bliss for command post huddle accessdate 2017 01 26 Abigail Meyer Fort Bliss Public Affairs Office 01 18 2017 Army senior leaders meet at Bliss for command post huddle Amy Walker PEO C3T PM Tactical Network Public Affairs January 11 2018 Army pushing to get Secure Wi Fi on battlefield to gain strategic edge over enemies Devon L Suits July 26 2018 CERDEC unveils more than a dozen new technologies for mission command Kathryn Bailey Communication Electronics PAO June 28 2018 Command post modernization vision first make it mobile Justin Eimers PEO C3T October 1 2019 U S Army mission complete on mission command software reduction CPCE upgrades for upwards compatibility with system future versions Remove redundant servers Staff Sgt Samuel Northrup April 1 2019 New Army vehicles being developed to counter modern threats to Command Post Directed Requirement Pilot Program of prototypes Army improves mobility readiness with new secure wireless systems accessdate 2017 06 09 Maj Jeremy Horton and Col Ted Thomas Mission Command Center of Excellence 27 May 2020 Adapt or Die Command Posts Surviving the Future Fight Sydney J Freedberg Jr 17 Oct 2022 Army 2030 Disperse or die network and live Todd South June 4 2019 How changes to mission command will mean soldiers taking risks and taking charge on complex battlefields Command Sgt Maj Vincent Simonetti and Sgt Maj Aaron Forry 18 June 2018 HQ on the Move Battalion Develops a More Nimble Command Post John Cogbill and Eli Myers 5 August 2020 Decentralizing the Fight Re imagining the Brigade Combat Team s Headquarters Using 3rd BCT 101st Airborne Division Rakkasans Headquarters March 2019 at JRTC maintained a dual capable satellite 4G LTE GRRIP system at each location for redundancy and a SMART T at the rear and main command posts for 99 uptime Stew Magnuson 22 Oct 2020 WEB EXCLUSIVE Army Looks to Disperse Command Posts to Boost Survivability Immersive Ops 15 Nov 2021 Immersive Wisdom briefs Secretary of the Army at Project Convergence 21 on future of Army operations centers 3D Virtual Operations Center software platform Lauren C Williams 8 Nov 2022 The Army s Distributed Command Posts of the Future Will Need More than Videochats Structuring data is key to the service s visions of Pacific spanning operations and AI enabled decision tools Amy Walker PEO C3T Public Affairs 8 June 2017 Army improves mobility readiness with new secure wireless systems instead of physical cables Colin Demarest 19 Oct 2022 Palantir wins contract to help Army quickly process battlefield data Jr Sydney J Freedberg 2018 09 13 Futures Command Won t Hurt Oversight Army Tells Congress Breaking Defense Retrieved 2023 04 15 AUSA 27 March 2018 Army not ready to announce Futures Command home In first year Futures Command grows from 12 to 24 000 personnel www army mil Retrieved 2023 04 15 US Army USArmy tweet Futures Command will have the overarching objective to achieve clear overmatch in future conflicts making Soldiers and units more lethal to win the nation s wars then return home safely Long range short term www army mil Retrieved 2023 04 15 PEO AMMO Picatinny Arsenal Archived 2018 07 17 at the Wayback Machine US Army First unit with TRILOS Rapid Capabilities Office RCO Rapid Capabilities Office RCO announcemdent note PNT capability a b Army Will Field 100 Km Cannon 500 Km Missiles LRPF CFT Vergun David US Army Futures Command to reform modernization says secretary of the Army www army mil Retrieved 5 June 2018 AFC announcement 13 July 2018 University of Texas System to serve as home base for U S Army Futures Command Stripes com Army s new Futures Command to set up headquarters at University of Texas Sean Kimmons Army News Service August 15 2018 Army Futures Command aims to tap into innovative culture in Austin and beyond a b DVIDS DVIDs video 24 August 2018 press conference a b Breaking Defense 26 March 2018 Army Outlines Futures Command Org Chart In Flux US Army Ryan McCarthy 06 October 2017 Army Directive 2017 24 Cross Functional Team Pilot In Support of Materiel Development AUSA 14 June 2018 Authority Transfers Begin to Army Futures Command US Army Reference for Department of the Army General Order No 2018 10 4 June 2018 ARL Public Affairs October 5 2018 Officials announce new senior executive at Army Research Laboratory ARL Public Affairs September 14 2018 Army taps researcher for senior science position a b US Army Army General order G O 2018 10 Ms Audra Calloway Picatinny September 19 2018 With new Army Futures Command senior acquisition leader discusses role of Program Executive Offices David Vergun Army News Service October 10 2018 Army Futures Command to become global command says its leader a b c Arpi Dilanian and Matthew Howard April 1 2019 The number one priority An interview with Gen Mark Milley Readiness both current and future a b c d Gen David G Perkins U S Army November December 2017 Military Review III Multi Domain Battle The Advent of Twenty First Century War David Vergun 05 31 2017 Multi domain battle has immediate applications says Gen Perkins a b c Connie Lee 9 Sep 2020 Hyten New Warfighting Concept to Erase Battlefield Lines HQDA Deputy Chief of Staff G 3 5 7 23 April 2021 Army Multi Domain Transformation Summary of lines of effort LOE for MDO Devon Suits 16 Mar 2021 Army continues greatest transformation in the past 40 years CSA says TRADOC Sep 16 2015 Perkins discusses operationalizing the Army Operating Concept Maj Richard W Gibson October 1 2018 Applying Multi Domain Concepts Against Counter Space Threats Archived April 20 2019 at the Wayback Machine Sydney J Freedberg Jr 24 Jan 2019 Hack Jam Sense amp Shoot Army Creates 1st Multi Domain Unit an MDO Battalion for Targeting I Corps PACOM Adm Harry B Harris Jr U S Pacific Command May 25 2016 LANPAC Symposium 2016 Role of Land Forces In Ensuring Access To Shared Domains a b DVIDS DEFENDER EUROPE 20 videos images and stories Matthew Dalton 29 February 2020 Unmanning a Twenty Second Century Navy America s principal national defense strategy deterrence in peacetime Lt Col Travis Dettmer 9 February 2020 U S Army Futures and Concepts Center teaches Multi Domain Operations to NATO Allied Land Command MDO Sydney J Freedberg Jr January 13 2020 Infinite Games amp War By Other Means Ryan McCarthy We must be engaged in constant competition versus an episodic engagement strategy Secretary Ryan McCarthy a b Kyle Mizokami 8 Mar 2020 The Air Force s New Weapon Is Shipping Containers Drone maker Kratos Defense is proposing inserting its new XQ 58A Valkyrie drone in a modified shipping container into selected Indo Pacific locations as pre positioned stock for quick armed response to threats Hundreds of containers could be deployed but not all need be occupied with Valkyries Garrett Reim 3 Mar 2020 Why the US Air Force might use deception and UAVs hidden in shipping containers to fight China Joseph Lacdan Army News Service 17 June 2021 AFC chief Preference is deterrence in regards to new capabilities for joint force Paul Poast thread 22 Mar 2022 This picture offers a key lesson on how wars end as was laid out in the 1945 Potsdam conference a b US Army AvMC 16 Jun 2021 Video Autonomous missile launcher destroys enemy threats AvMC ADO concept video autonomous multi domain launcher AML Jen Judson 16 Jun 2021 US Army fires autonomous launcher in Pacific focused demo AML demo at Fort Sill utilized a HIMARS launcher and the AML in a leader follower configuration to launch a PrSM and an extended range PrSM from an island in the First island chain One PrSM takes out a ship while the extended range PrSM takes out an air defense system on an enemy occupied island Fighter jets engage during the window of opportunity after the enemy standoff has been dis integrated In 1 25 hours the HIMARS platoon of the 18th Field Artillery Brigade Fort Liberty fired 7 rockets and engaged 3 islands in concert with Air Force transports and DEVCOM s AvMC soldier touchpoint Andrew Smith 9 Apr 2020 Convergence within SOCOM A Bottom Up Approach to Multi Domain Operations a b c d Paul McCleary 4 September 2019 Major War Game To Jolt 4 Services Force Decisions a b Sydney Freedberg Jr January 14 2020 Army Chief Seeks Minimally Manned Vehicles Joint C2 LRPF ITN IBCS FARA FLRAA and We need a joint command and control system 40th Army Chief of Staff James C McConville Theresa Hitchens 10 Aug 2020 Spacepower Is Catastrophically Decisive In War New Space Force Doctrine Gen Jay Raymond Orbital Warfare Space Electromagnetic Warfare Space Battle Management Space Access and Sustainment Military Intelligence Cyber Operations and Engineering Acquisitions a b Mission command Battle Lab 2 August 2021 MCBL experiments with ARL s Cross Reality COP to support distributed collaboration in virtual reality Soldier touchpoint for Echelons above brigade EABs common operational picture a b Amy Walker and Justin Eimers PEO C3T Public Affairs April 8 2019 Multinational exercises aim to improve coalition data sharing Shawn Nesaw March 20 2019 Latest sensor upgrades boost recon vehicle capabilities NBCRV a b Spc Miguel Ruiz Joint Modernization Command http dead link fortblissbugle com 2019 05 08 back to the future us partner nations assess future warfighting capabilities at jmc sponsored jwa 19 MAY 8 2019 Back to the future US partner nations assess future warfighting capabilities at JMC sponsored JWA 19 Maj Gen Rodney D Fogg Brig Gen Douglas M McBride Jr and Maj Graham Davidson July 18 2019 Focus Sustaining the Future Fight LSCO compared to Patton s 3rd Army a b Capt Matthew Miller July 18 2019 Multi Domain Intelligence Support for Sustainment Risks of non delivery a b Gen Gustave Gus Perna July 18 2019 AMC Commander Battlefield Sustainment Requires Intuition Lt Gen Michael Lundy Col Richard Creed and Lt Col Scott Pence July 18 2019 Feeding the Forge Sustaining Large Scale Ground Combat Operations Kyle Rempfer September 20 2019 Army s new chief looks to prep the force for large scale combat 40th CSA mulls deployments for Large Scale Combat Operations LSCO Sydney J Freedberg Jr 17 September 2018 Trump Eases Cyber Ops But Safeguards Remain Joint Staff Mark Pomerleau 8 May 2019 New authorities mean lots of new missions at Cyber Command PEO C3T May 30 2018 a b Justin Eimers PEO C3T October 3 2018 Network Cross Functional Team acquisition partners experimenting to modernize tactical network a, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
