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Wikipedia

United States Army Futures Command

May 30, 2023

The United States Army Futures Command (AFC) is a United States Army command, designed as a public-private initiative, that runs modernization projects for the Army. It is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and was first commanded by General John Murray,[6] formerly the Army's G-8; the second and current commander was formerly the Army's G-3/5/7.[a]

United States Army Futures Command
Founded24 August 2018[2]
Country United States
Branch United States Army
TypeArmy command
Garrison/HQAustin, Texas
Motto(s)"Forge the future"[1]
Websitewww.army.mil/futures
Commanders
Commanding general[5]GEN James E. Rainey[3]
Deputy Commanding Generals[5]LTG Richard R. Coffman
LTG Thomas H. Todd III
LTG D. Scott McKean[4]
Command Sergeant Major[5]CSM Brian A. Hester
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia[1]
Beret flash

As of 2018 Futures Command was focused on six priorities:[Note 1] 1) Long-range precision fires, 2) Next Generation Combat Vehicle, 3) Future Vertical Lift platforms, 4) a mobile & expeditionary Army network, 5) air and missile defense capabilities,[7] and 6) soldier lethality. AFC's cross-functional teams (CFTs) are Futures Command's vehicle for sustainable reform of the acquisition process for the future.[8][9] By October 2021, the 40th Chief of Staff of the Army was able to project that 24 of the top 35 priority programs for modernization would be fielded in fiscal year 2023 (FY2023).[b][c]

Overmatch of the capability of a competitor or adversary is one of the goals of AFC. More specifically, the imposition of multiple simultaneous dilemmas upon a competitor or adversary is a goal of the US Army: to get into a position of relative advantage.[10] By 2021, Army leadership recognized that new Army formations (the multi-domain operations task force —MDTF)[11] had the ability to simultaneously compete with, and also threaten an adversary, with its new capability, across domains (space, cyber, disinformation) of the conflict continuum.[12]: min 30:45 [d] By 2022 or 2023, a new concept for command and control (JADC2) will have been largely prototyped.[13] In 2023 a new CFT was stood up for Contested Logistics.[14]

History

See also: Reorganization plan of United States Army § Four Army commands

U.S. Army Futures Command was activated in the summer of 2018. The Decker-Wagner report on the 2010 Army Acquisition Review (Jan 2011) listed numerous changes to the acquisition process;[15] the recommendation to disestablish RDECOM was not followed.[16] Instead a unitary Futures Command, to unify development over the life cycle was moved forward by an Acting Secretary of the Army (Ryan McCarthy), and the 36th Vice Chief of Staff of the Army (James McConville), who established a task force for modernization in 2016-2017 using cross-functional teams of subject matter experts to drive initial actions.See § Need for modernization reform

AFC declared its full operational capability in July 2019,[17][18] after an initial one-year period.[19] The FY2020 military budget allocated $30 billion for the top six modernization priorities over the next five years.[20] The $30 billion came from $8 billion in cost avoidance and $22 billion in terminations.[20][21] Over 30 projects[22][23] are envisioned to become the materiel basis needed for overmatching any potential competitors in the 'continuum of conflict' over the next ten years,[24][25] in multi-domain operations (MDO).[26] By 2018 a fundamental strategy was formulated, involving simultaneous integrated operations across domains.[27][28] This strategy involves pushing adversaries to standoff,[e] [31][30] by presenting them with multiple simultaneous dilemmas.[32][33][d] By 2028, the ability to project rapid, responsive power across domains will have become apparent to potential adversaries.[34][35][f] See Power projection

From an initial 12 people at its headquarters in 2018, AFC grew to 24,000 across 25 states and 15 countries in 2019.[36] The apparent rapid expansion came by research facilities and personnel (including ARCIC and RDECOM) migrated from other commands and parts of the Army such as the United States Army Research Laboratory.[37] The AFC was created in 2018 as a peer of Forces Command (FORSCOM), Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), and Army Materiel Command (AMC), the Army commands that provide forces, training and doctrine, and materiel respectively.[38][39] The other Army commands focus on their readiness to "fight tonight" when called upon. In contrast, AFC is focused on future readiness[40] for competition with near-peers, who have updated their capabilities.[10][41] The command is supported by United States Army Reserve Innovation Command (aka. 75th Innovation Command).[42]See §Army of 2040

Transition to multi-domain operations (MDO)

 
Multi-domain operations (MDO): Friendly forces (denoted in black)[43] operating in multi-domains (gray, yellow, light blue, dark gray, and dark blue)—Space, Cyber, Air, Land, and Maritime respectively—cooperate across domains,[g] working as an integrated force against adversaries (denoted in red). These operations will disrupt these adversaries, and present them multiple simultaneous dilemmas,[d] to encourage adversaries to return to competition rather than continue a conflict.[26][44][45]

According to the 24th Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy, the three elements in Futures Command are to be:[46]

  1. Futures and Concepts: assess gaps (needs versus opportunities,[47] given a threat).[46] Concepts for realizable future systems (with readily harvestable content)[48][49]: for definitions of terms, such as '6.3'  will flow into TRADOC doctrine, manuals, and training programs.[a]
  2. Combat Development: stabilized concepts.[48][49] Balance the current state of technology and the cash-flow requirements of the defense contractors providing the technology, that they become deliverable experiments, demonstrations, and prototypes, in an iterative process of acquisition.[50][b][c] (See Value stream)
  3. Combat Systems: experiments, demonstrations, and prototypes.[51] Transition to the acquisition, production, and sustainment programs of AMC.[52][h][g]

23rd Secretary of the Army, Mark Esper emphasized that the 2018 administrative infrastructure for the Futures and Concepts Center (formerly ARCIC) and United States Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC, now called DEVCOM, (formerly RDECOM)) remains in place at their existing locations.[56] What has changed or will change is the layers of command (operational control, or OPCON)[57] needed to make a decision.[56] He said, "You've got to remain open to change, you've got to remain flexible, you've [got] to remain accessible. That is the purpose of this command."[56][58] See § Army of 2040

Cross-Functional Teams (CFTs)

When he was 33rd Under Secretary of the Army, Ryan McCarthy characterized a Cross-Functional Team (CFT) as a team of teams, led by a requirements leader, program manager, sustainer and tester.[59] Each CFT must strike a balance for itself amid constraints: the realms of requirements, acquisition, science and technology, test, resourcing, costing, and sustainment. A balance is needed in order for a CFT in order to produce a realizable concept before a competitor achieves it.[60] The Army Requirements Oversight Council (AROC) itself serves as a kind of CFT,[a] operating at a higher level[61][62][63][64][65][66] as response to Congressional oversight, budgeting, funding, policy, and authorization for action.[48][49][67][68][69][70][71] CFTs for materiel and capabilities were first structured in a task force, in order to de-layer the Army Commands.[60][72] Each CFT addresses a capability gap, which the Army must now match for its future: there can be a Capability Development Integration Directorate (CDID), for each CFT.[Note 1] Initially, the CFTs were placed as needed; eventually they might each co-locate at a Center of Excellence (CoE) listed below. For example, the Aviation CoE at Fort Rucker, in coordination with the Aviation Program Executive Officer (PEO), also contains the Vertical Lift CFT and the Aviation CDID. Modernization reform is the priority for AFC, in order to achieve readiness for the future.

The CFTs will be involved in all three of AFC's elements: Futures and concepts, Combat development, and Combat systems.[73] "We were never above probably a total of eight people" —BG Wally Rugen, Aviation CFT.[74] Four of the eight CFT leads have now shifted from dual-hat jobs to full-time status. Each CFT lead is mentored by a 4-star general.[74]

Although AFC and the CFTs are a top priority of the Department of the Army, as AFC and the CFTs are expected to unify control of the $30 billion-dollar modernization budget,[75][18] "The new command will not tolerate a zero-defects mentality. 'But if you fail, we'd like you to fail early and fail cheap,' because progress and success often builds on failure." —Ryan McCarthy[76] Holland notes that prototyping applies to the conceptual realm ('harvestable content') as much as prototyping applies to the hardware realm.[48][49]

A 2019 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report[77] cautions that lessons learned from the CFT pilot[60] are yet to be applied; Holland notes that this organizational critique applies to prototyping hardware, a different realm than concept refinement ("scientific research is a fundamentally different activity than technology development").[48][49] Also in 2019 the GAO recommended that the government establish a process to ensure that CFTs implement their intended business reforms; however by 2021 the office of the Chief Management officer (CMO) had been disestablished.[78][79]

Joint collaboration on modernization

 
Multi-domain operations (MDO)[g] span multiple domains: cislunar space, land, air, maritime, cyber, and populations.[80]: minute 17:45 [81][82][83] Echelons above brigade (division, corps, and theater army) engage in a continuum of conflict. —This illustration is from The MDO Concept, TRADOC pamphlet 525-3-1.[j]

The Secretaries of the Army, Air Force, and Navy meet regularly to take advantage of overlap in their programs:[86][87]

Hypersonic
  • Hypersonic: The US Army (August 2018) has no tested countermeasure for intercepting maneuverable hypersonic weapons platforms,[88][89][41] and in this case the problem is being addressed in a joint program of the entire Department of Defense.[90] The Army is participating in a joint program with the Navy and Air Force, to develop a hypersonic glide body,[91] by mutual agreement between the respective secretaries[91][92] In order to rapidly develop this capability, a dedicated program office was established,[93][94][95][96] in behalf of the joint services.[97] A division of responsibility was agreed upon, with researchers who demonstrated hypersonic capability in 2011, teaching industrial vendors, to transfer the technology.[98] Joint programs in hypersonic are informed by Army work;[99][100] however, at the strategic level, the bulk of the hypersonic work remains at the Joint level.[101][102][92][103][98] Long Range Precision Fires (LRPF) is an Army priority, and also a DoD joint effort.[100] The Army and Navy's Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB) had a successful test of a prototype in March 2020.[104] After the US realized that a catch-up effort was needed, billions of dollars were expended by 2020.[103] A wind tunnel for testing hypersonic vehicles is being built at the Texas A&M University System' RELLIS Campus in Bryan, Texas (2019).[105] The Army's Land-based Hypersonic Missile "is intended to have a range of 1,400 miles".[97]: p.6 [98] By adding rocket propulsion to a shell or glide body, the joint effort shaved five years off the likely fielding time for hypersonic weapon systems.[86][106]
    • Countermeasures against hypersonic[107][108][109] will require sensor data fusion: both radar and infrared sensor tracking data will be required to capture the signature of a hypersonic vehicle in the atmosphere.[110][111][112][113] In 2021 the GAO counted 70 separate hypersonic projects, in both offense and defensive categories overseen by DoD's Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, which oversees only research and development, and not DoD's Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment —DoD's acquisition and sustainment office, which do not need oversight until the hypersonic projects are ready for the acquisition phase.[114][115]
    • By 2021, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) realized that it almost had a countermeasure to hypersonic boost-glide weapons, by using existing data on the adversary hypersonic systems which were gathered from existing US satellite and ground-based sensors.[116] MDA then fed this data into its existing systems models, and concluded that the adversary hypersonic weapon's glide phase offered the best chance for MDA to intercept it.[117] MDA next proffered a request for information (RFI) from the defense community for building interceptors (denoted the GPI —glide phase interceptor) against the glide phase of that hypersonic weapon.[117] GPIs would be guided by Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensors (HBTSS).[110][118] These GPI interceptors could first be offered to the Navy for Aegis to intercept using the C2BMC,[119][120] and later to the Army for THAAD to intercept using §IBCS.[117][121][122][120]
Multi-Domain Operations (MDO); Joint warfighting concept (JADC2)
  • Multi-Domain Operations (MDO):[g][j][28][123][124][125] Joint planning and operations are also part of the impending DoD emphasis on multi-domain operations.[10][126][127][128][129] Multi-domain battalions,[k] first stood up in 2019,[130][131] comprise a single unit[132][133] for air, land,[134] space,[135][136][110][137]—and cyber[138][139] domains.[140][86][139] A hypersonic-based battery similar to a THAAD battery is under consideration for this type of battalion,[93][104] possibly denoted a strategic fires battalion[141][142][143] (however I2CEWS support would likely be needed),[k] depending on the theater. In 2019, as part of a series of globally integrated exercises, these capabilities were analyzed.[27][144][145] Using massive simulation[124][146] the need for a §new kind of command and control (now denoted JADC2) to integrate this firepower was explored.[134][98]
    • The ability to punch-through any standoff defense of a near-peer competitor is the goal which Futures Command is seeking.[29][30][147][148] For example, the combination of F-35-based targeting coordinates, Long range precision fires, and Low-earth-orbit satellite[149] capability overmatches the competition, according to Lt. Gen. Wesley.[150] [d] Critical decisions to meet this goal will be decided by data from the results of the Army's ongoing tests of the prototypes under development.[147][96]
    • For example, in Long Range Precision Fires (LRPF), the director of the LRPF CFT envisions one application as an anti-access/area denial (A2AD) probe; this spares resources from the other services;[151] by firing a munition with a thousand-mile range at an adversary, LRPF would force an adversary to respond, which exposes the locations of its countermeasures, and might even expose the location of an adversary force's headquarters. In that situation an adversary's headquarters would not survive for long, and the adversary's forces would be subject to defeat in detail. But LRPF is only one part of the strategy of overmatch by a Combatant commander.
    • In August–September 2020. at Yuma Proving Ground, the US Army engaged in a five-week exercise to rapidly merge capabilities in multiple-domains. The exercise prototyped a ground tactical Network, pushing it to its limits of robustness[152] (as of 2020, 36 miles on the ground, and demonstrated 1500-mile capability above the ground, with kill chains measured in seconds) in the effort to penetrate anti-access/area denial (A2AD) with long-range fires. Longer-range fires are under development, ranging from hundreds of miles to over 1000 miles, with yearly iterations of Project Convergence being planned.[153]
      • MDO (multi-domain operations) and JADC2 (joint all-domain command and control) thus entails: [d]
        1. Penetrate phase: satellites detect enemy shooters
        2. Dis-integrate phase: airborne assets remove enemy long range fires
        3. Kinetic effect phase: Army shooters, using targeting data from aircraft and other sensors, fire on enemy targets.[154]
      • Army Chief of Staff Gen. James C. McConville will discuss the combination of MDO[j] and JADC2 with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown.[152] In October 2020 the Chiefs agreed that Futures Command, and the Air Force's A5 office will lead a two-year collaboration 'at the most "basic levels" by defining mutual standards for data sharing and service interfacing' in the development of Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2).[155]
        • The ability of the joint services to send data from machine to machine was exercised in front of several of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in April 2021; this is a prerequisite capability for Convergence of MDO and JADC2.[156][157][158]
  • In July 2022 the 7th ASA(ALT) Doug Bush called for the formation of a large office on the scale of the Joint Counter-small UAS office, but for JADC2.[159] This would coordinate,[160] and eventually reconcile requirements for JADC2 for Army's Project Convergence, the Navy's Project Overmatch and the Air Force's Advanced Battle Management System.[159][161][162][13] See CDAO
  • In July 2022 Army Test and Evaluation Command called for more digital twinning and modeling and simulation,[163] as end-to-end tests become more comprehensive, expensive, and larger-scale;[159] as the scale of an exercise increases, a Synthetic Training Environment (STE) can be used to cut costs.[164]

Partners

Project Convergence is a campaign of learning to aggressively pursue an Artificial Intelligence and machine learning-enabled battlefield management system.[i]

AFC is actively seeking partners outside the military,[165] including research funding to over 300 colleges and universities,[18] but with one-year program cycles.[166] "We will come to you. You don't have to come to us. —General Mike Murray, 24 August 2018"[19]: minute 6:07  Multiple incubator tech hubs are available in Austin,[167] especially Capital Factory, with offices of Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and AFWERX (USAF tech hub).[168] Gen. Murray will stand up an Army Applications Lab[Note 2] there to accelerate acquisition and deployment of materiel to the soldiers, using artificial intelligence (AI) [169] as one acceleration technique;[170] Murray will hire a chief technology officer for AFC.[171][172] Gen. Murray, in seeking to globalize AFC,[173] has embedded U.S. military allies into some of the CFTs.[174][18] For the US, and its allies and partners,[f] the basis of global surveillance and target acquisition is the US National Defense Space Architecture (NDSA) as realized by layered constellations of Earth satellites and Earth stations (such as TITAN).[175][176][177] It will take machine learning (ML) and AI to handle the scale of data flows needed for MDO.[i]

AI
  • § Robotic combat vehicles (RCVs) have an updated guideline —DoDD 3000.09 (2023).[178]
  • Disinformation at scale appears to be AI-generated, in 2021.[179][180][f]
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) Modernization[181][182]—The 23rd Secretary of the Army directed the establishment of an Army AI Task Force (A-AI TF) to support the DoD Joint AI center. The execution order will be drafted and staffed by Futures Command:[169][183]
  • The Army Applications Laboratory[Note 2] was established in 2018, along with the stand-up of the Army Futures Command, to act as a concierge service across the Army's Future Force Modernization Enterprise and the broader commercial marketplace of ideas.
    • Army AI task force[184][185] (its relationship with the CFTs is cross-cutting, in the same sense as the Assured Position, Navigation, Timing (A-PNT) CFT and the Synthetic Training Environment (STE) CFT are also cross-cutting) will use the resources of the Army to establish scalable machine learning projects at Carnegie Mellon University
    • the Army CIO/G-6 will create an Identity, Credential, and Access Management system to efficiently issue and verify credentials to non-person entities (AI agents and machines)[186]
    • DCS G-2 will coordinate with CG AFC, and director of A-AI TF, to provide intelligence for Long-Range Precision Fires
    • CG AMC will provide functional expertise and systems for maintenance of materiel with AI
    • AFC and A-AI TF will establish an AI test bed for experimentation, training, deployment, and testing of machine learning capabilities and workflows.[187][188] Funding will be assured for the Fiscal Year 2019.[86][189]
      • A Global Network to counter cyber attacks, much like Five Eyes, is the recommendation for multi-domain operations (MDO), which is unified to present a synoptic view of any cyber operation to all the combatant commands simultaneously.[190][139][191][145] 'Decision dominance' is a tenet of the 'Joint warfighting concept'.[192][27][193]
        • Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) AlphaDogfight: Trials of eight AI teams, which began learning how to fly in September 2019. In August 2020 the eight AI agents faced each other, in a series of simulated fights. The simulations included the g-forces which limit a human (accelerations greater than 9 g's will cause most forward-facing human pilots to black out— AI agents are not subject to these human constraints). The champion AI agent eventually met a human General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter pilot in simulated combat on 20 August 2020.[194] On 20 August 2020, the champion AI agent consistently defeated a human F-16 pilot in a series of dogfights.[195]
        • DoD's Joint AI Center (JAIC) is providing a Joint Common Foundation, a cloud-based AI toolkit for any DoD organization (viz., Futures Command) to use.[196] JAIC is seeking to curate the flood of data at DoD[197][48] to allow systematic, reliable datasets which are usable for machine learning.[198]
        • Adaptive Distributed Allocation of Probabilistic Tasks (ADAPT) is a DARPA model for testing AI-to-human communication in a toy environment.[199]
  • In 2021 DoD is requesting 600 separate AI efforts for FY2022 ($874 million) as opposed to 400 AI efforts for FY2021.[200] The Army is using machine learning to extract targeting data from satellite sensors for its JADC2 effort.[200][201]
    • In 2022 DEVCOM Analysis Center (DAC) signed a cooperative agreement with Northeastern University's Kostas Research Institute (KRI) to build on KRI's analytic framework, with six other universities on artificial intelligence and assistive automation (AI/AA), to further Army sub-goals ("mission effectiveness analysis, ontology for decision making, automatic target recognition, human systems integration, cyber resilience/electronic warfare threat defense, and assessing autonomous maneuver/mobility").[202]
  • By 2023 the Department of Defense was seeking a Technical Baseline which remains vendor-free, in order to exploit the Large language model (LLM) of AI.[203][204]
Software

Futures Command will stand up Army Software Factory in August 2021, to immerse Soldiers and Army civilians of all ranks in modern software development, in Austin.[205][206][207][208][209] Similar in spirit to the Training with industry program, participants are expected to take these practices back with them, to influence other Army people in their future assignments, and to build up the Army's capability in software development. The training program lasts three years, and will produce skill sets for trainees as product managers, user experience and user interface designers, software engineers, or platform engineers.[205] The Al Work Force Development program and this Software Factory will complement the Artificial Intelligence Task Force.[206][210]

  • Tapping in to its personnel system, the Army has identified soldiers who can already code at Ph.D.-level, but who are in unexpected MOSs.[211] A Senate bill to formalize and recognize skills such as "computer programming skills, which include technical and nontechnical skills related to artificial intelligence and coding" was introduced in March 2023.[212]
  • In March 2023 the Marine Corps co-located its software factory with the Army software factory in Austin, Texas.[213]

AFC is seeking to design signature systems in a relevant time frame according to priorities[Note 1] of the Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA).[73] AFC will partner with other organizations such as Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) as needed.[99][214] If a team from industry presents a viable program idea to a CFT, that CFT connects to the Army's requirements developers, Secretary Esper said, and the program prototype is then put on a fast track.[53] The Secretary of the Army has approved an Intellectual Property Management Policy, to protect both the Army and the entrepreneur or innovator.[215][216]

Data

For example, the Network CFT and the Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications—Tactical (PEO C3T) hosted a forum on 1 August 2018 for vendors to learn what might function as a testable/deployable[217] in the near future.[218][138][219] A few of the hundreds of white papers from the vendors, adjudged to be 'very mature ideas', were passed to the Army's acquisition community, while many others were passed to United States Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) for continuation in the Army's effort to modernize the network for combat.[220] Although some test requirements were inappropriately applied, the Command post computing environment (CPCE) has passed a hurdle.[221][222][223]

While seeking information, the Army is especially interested in ideas that accelerate an acquisition program —in for example the Future Vertical Lift Requests for Information (RFIs): "provide a detailed description of tailored, alternative or innovative approaches that streamlines the acquisition process to accelerate the program as much as possible" (4 April 2019);[224] in January 2020 the current Optionally manned fighting vehicle (OMFV) solicitation was cancelled when the OMFV's requirements added up to an unobtainable project;[225] in February 2020 Futures command was soliciting the industry for do-able ideas for an OMFV,[225] whereas in August 2022 Army Network modernization was the target for being speeded-up.[226]

Search for capabilities

In the Army's search for capabilities, 6th ASA(ALT) Bruce Jette initiated xTechsearch to reward private innovators.[227] The program is ongoing.[l]

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered the Army to run an xTechsearch Ventilator Challenge; entrants can submit their ideas online for immediate consideration and a possible cash prize to encourage participation for a $100,000 prize and possible Army contract.[229] In 1964 Henrik H. Straub of Harry Diamond Labs, a predecessor to CCDC Army Research Laboratory, invented the Army Emergency Respirator (now termed a 'ventilator' in current terminology).[230] This ventilator is one application of the fluidic amplifier (a 1957 Harry Diamond Labs invention), which allows the labored breathing of the patient to control the flow from an externally purified air stream, to augment the air flow into a patient's lungs.[230]

TRX Systems won an xTechsearch award for technology which allows navigation in a GPS-denied environment, an A-PNT priority. The award was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed the company more time for business development.[231]

Air-launched effects (ALEs)

Air-launched effects (ALEs) are drones which are launched from the Army's helicopters.[232] In swarms, ALEs promise to multiply the combat effectiveness of the Army's helicopters;[232] single ground-launched drones have already been used in combat during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. ALEs have been used as munitions, as in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts.[233][234] From 1 May to 18 May 2023 at Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) the Aviation CFT made progress in its effort to share data with its partners; the event concentrated on the data-sharing necessary to support JADC2 at the scale needed to support the distances encountered in the Indo-Pacom theater; this extends the reach of the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA).[235]

Robotic combat vehicles (RCVs)
 
Robotic combat vehicle (RCV)
 
Project Origin unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), at Joint Multinational Readiness Center, Hohenfels, Germany[236][237][238]

In 2021 candidate Robotic combat vehicles (RCVs), both medium and light RCVs, along with surrogate heavy RCVs (modified M-113s) and proxy manned control vehicles (MET-Ds) were to marshal at Camp Grayling MI to test a company-sized tele-operated / unmanned formation.[239] The light RCVs had their autonomous driving software installed in November and December 2020.[239] The robotic vehicle formation begins a shakeout in April 2021. The RCVs (and the software, which is common to all 18 vehicles) enters ATEC (Army Test and Evaluation Command) safety testing through May 2022.[239] Live-fire drills are scheduled to conclude in August 2022.[239][147] By October 2021 experiments with RCVs, in concert with drones for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), were underway.[240][238][234]

By June 2022 Army RCVs had demonstrated some of their disruptive capabilities,[236] in preparation for Project Convergence 2022. Autonomous capabilities, for example in resupply by unmanned helicopters, by the US, Australia, and UK were demonstrated at PC22.[241]: min 25:30 [242][243][244]

In May 2023 Army Futures Command disclosed concepts for Robotic combat platoons,[245] akin to the Collaborative combat aircraft of the Air Force. These robotics concepts integrate the ethics policies[246][247] of the Defense Department as part of mission command. See §Internet of Military Things

AFC events

By 13 October 2021 the 40th Chief of Staff of the Army could announce that the majority of the Army's Futures Command's 31 signature systems,[248] and the four rapid capability projects of the § Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office would be fielded by fiscal year 2023 (FY2023).[249][b][c]

By 2022, Futures Command was conducting the third annual iteration of Project Convergence (PC22), experiments and joint tests of 300 technologies by the Department of Defense and its allies and partners.[13][263][264] The next Project Convergence is likely to be PC24 at the earliest.[265][266]

Acquisition

See United States Army Acquisition Corps
 
DoD (2007) Acquisition process denoting Milestones A, B, C along a timeline. When a milestone has been met, the triangle then points downward, at this time. Otherwise the milestone is planned, but not yet met at this time.

Futures Command partners with the ASA(ALT),[267][9] who, in the role of the Army Acquisition Executive (AAE),[268] has milestone decision authority (MDA)[51][269] at multiple points in a Materiel development decision (MDD).[270] Thus, from the perspective of AFC, which seeks to modernize, they consolidate the relevant expertise into the relevant CFT. The CFT balances the constraints needed to realize a prototype, beginning with realizable requirements, science and technology, test, etc. before entering the acquisition process (typically the Army prototypes on its own and, as of 2019, initiates acquisition at Milestone B in order to have the Acquisition Executive, with the concurrence of the Army Chief of Staff, decide on production as a Program of Record at Milestone C).[271] Next, refine the prototype to address the factors needed to pass the Milestone decisions A, B, and C which require Milestone decision authority (MDA) in an acquisition process.[271] This consolidation of expertise thus reduces the risks in a Materiel development decision (MDD), for the Army to admit a prototype into a program of record.) The existing processes (as of April 2018) for a Materiel development decision (MDD) have been updated to clarify their place in the Life Cycle of a program of record:[268][270][48] over 1200 programs/projects were reviewed;[272] by October 2019, over 600 programs of record have been moved from the acquisition (development for modernization) phase to the sustainment phase (for mature projects, to continue their manufacture and fielding to the brigades).[272] An additional life cycle management action is underway, to re-examine which of these projects/programs should be divested.[272] (Surplus materiel might well go to the Security Assistance Command, perhaps to Foreign Military Sales.)

The emphasis remains with Futures Command, which selects programs to develop.[272] In order to achieve its mission of achieving overmatch,[273][123][47] each Futures Command CFT partners with the acquisition community.[274] This community (the Army acquisition workforce (AAW)) includes an entire Army branch (the Acquisition Corps),[275][276][277][278][279] U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center (USAASC), Army Contracting Command, .[270] The Principal Military Deputy to the ASA(ALT) is also deputy commanding general for Combat Systems, Army Futures Command,[268] and leads the Program Executive Officers (PEO); he has directed each PEO who does not have a CFT to coordinate with, to immediately form one, at least informally.[280]

The current acquisition system has pieces all throughout the Army. ... There's chunks of it in TRADOC and chunks of it in AMC and then other pieces. So really all we're trying to do is get them all lined up under a single command…..from concept, S&T, RDT&E, through the requirements process, through the beginnings of the acquisition system—Milestone A, B, and C....aligned under that same commander. ... We will finally achieve… unity of command —Secretary Esper.[46]

The PEOs work closely with their respective CFTs.[274] The list of CFTs and PEOs below is incomplete.[Note 1] Operationally, the CFTs offer "de-layering" (fewer degrees of separation between the echelons of the Army—Rugen estimates two degrees of separation),[74] and provide a point of contact (POC) for Army reformers[47] interested in adding value in the midst of constraints to be balanced while modernizing.[74] "... and if we're really good, we'll continue to adapt. Year over year over year." —Secretary Esper[19]: minute 19:00 [281] (See Value stream.)

Prototyping and experimentation

"Our new approach is really to prototype as much as we can to help us identify requirements, so our reach doesn't exceed our grasp. ... A good example is Future Vertical Lift: The prototyping has been exceptional." —Secretary of the Army Mark Esper.[282][c] The development process will be cyclic,[283] consisting of prototype, demonstration/testing, and evaluation,[53] in an iterative process designed to unearth unrealistic requirements early, before prematurely including that requirement in a program of record.[18][269]

AFC activities include at least one Cross-functional team, its Capability development integration directorate (CDID),[284]: Para. 2b  and the associated Battle Lab,[284]: Para. 2b  for each (Army Center of Excellence (CoE)) respectively. Each CDID and associated Battle Lab work with their CFT[58] to develop operational experiments and prototypes to test.

ASA(ALT), in coordination with AFC, has dotted-line relationships between its PEOs and the CFTs. In particular, the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office of ASA(ALT) has a PEO who is charged with developing experimental prototype 'units of action' for rapid fielding to the Soldiers. The prototypes are currently for Long range hypersonic weapons, High energy laser defense, and Space, as of June 2019,[285][94][286] Speed and range are the Army capabilities which are being augmented,[90][106][142][287] with spending on these capabilities tripling between 2017 and 2019.[288]

Tests are run by JMC and White Sands Missile Range, which hosts ATEC.[289] As United States Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) reports directly to the Army Chief of Staff,[39] the test support level from ATEC[290] is to be specified by the CFT,[58] or PEO.[291] Fort Bliss and WSMR together cover 3.06 million acres, large enough to test every non-nuclear weapon system in the Army inventory.[292]: minute 1:26:00 JMC runs live developmental experiments to test and assess MDO concepts or capabilities that support the Army's six modernization priorities which are then analyzed by The Research and Analysis Center, denoted TRAC based out of Fort Leavenworth,[58] or AMSAA, denoted the Data Analysis Center at APG. CCDC, now called DEVCOM (formerly RDECOM, at APG) includes the several Army research laboratory locations (ARLs),[293] as well as research, development and engineering centers (RDECs) listed:[284][58][281]

In internal partnerships, CCDC, now called DEVCOM (formerly RDECOM) has taken Long range precision fires (LRPF) as its focus in aligning its organizations (the six research, development and engineering centers (RDECs), and the Army Research Laboratory (ARL)); as of September 2018, RDECOM's 'concept of operation' is first to support the LRPF CFT,[294] with ARDEC. AMRDEC is looking to improve the energetics and efficiency of projectiles. TARDEC Ground Vehicle Center is working on high-voltage components for Extended range cannon artillery (ERCA) that save on size and weight.[294] Two dedicated RDECOM people support the LRPF CFT, with reachback support from two dozen more at RDECOM.[295] In January 2019 RDECOM was reflagged as CCDC; General Mike Murray noted that CCDC will have to support more Soldier feedback, and that prototyping and testing will have to begin before a project ever becomes a program of record.[296][281]

Although the Army Research Laboratory has not changed its name, Secretary Esper notes that the CCDC objectives supersede the activities of the Laboratory;[58][48][49] the Laboratory remains in its support role for the top-six priorities for modernizing combat capabilities.[Note 1]

Acquisition specialists are being encouraged to accept lateral transfers to the several research, development and engineering centers (RDECs), where their skills are needed: Ground vehicle systems center (formerly TARDEC, at Detroit Arsenal. Michigan), Aviation and missile center (formerly AMRDEC, at Redstone Arsenal), C5ISR center (formerly CERDEC, at Aberdeen Proving Ground), Soldier center (formerly NSRDEC, Natick, MA), and Armaments center (formerly ARDEC, at Picatinny Arsenal) listed below.[297]

AFC branch locations

 
A simulation used to put 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"[298][299] In a role-playing session; a trainer (not seen) must tell the virtual Soldier what the Soldier is not doing correctly. Trainers using this program show a 40% increase in their knowledge of the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response & Prevention policy.[300] These simulations are created at Army Research Laboratory (ARL) West, and ICT, Playa Vista, CA
 
CCDC Army Research Laboratory Neuroscience Big Data: over ten years of EEG data, comprising over 1,000 recording sessions (The Cognition and Neuroergonomics Collaborative Technology Alliance)[301]

The following activities for Futures Command are at 23 locations.[302] (A US Army center of excellence (CoE), or TRADOC Center of Excellence, can be co-located near a CFT, along with the associated Capability Development Integration Directorate (CDID) and "Battle Lab") The interrelation between AFC and TRADOC can be seen by the role of a TRADOC Capability manager, who is responsible for DOTMLPF, and reports to the TRADOC commander.[m]

Need for modernization reform

Between 1995 and 2009, $32 billion was expended on programs such as the Future Combat System[348] (2003-2009), with no harvestable content by the time of its cancellation.[349] As of 2021, the Army had not fielded a new combat system in decades.[350][128][351][352][24][269]

23rd Secretary of the Army Mark Esper has remarked that AFC will provide the unity of command and purpose needed to reduce the requirements definition phase from 60 months to 12 months.[353][40][57] A simple statement of a problem (rather than a full-blown requirements definition) that the Army is trying to address may suffice for a surprising, usable solution. —General Mike Murray, paraphrasing Trae Stephens[354]: minute 41:50 [355] (One task will be to quantify the lead time for identifying a requirement; the next task would then be to learn how to reduce that lead time.—Gap analysis )[19]: minute 11:00 [356][357][281] Process changes are expected.[356][48] The development process will be cyclic, consisting of prototype, demonstration/testing, and evaluation, in an iterative process designed to unearth unrealistic requirements early, before prematurely including that requirement in a program of record. The 6th ASA(ALT) Bruce Jette[274] has cautioned the acquisition community to 'call-out' unrealistic processes which commit a program to a drawn-out failure,[358] rather than failing early, and seeking another solution.[359]

Secretary Esper scrubbed through 800[360] modernization programs to reprioritize funding[361] for the top six modernization priorities,[75] which will consume 80% of the modernization funding,[362] of eighteen systems.[362] IVAS was slowed during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine in March 2022.[n] Secretary McCarthy had cautioned that a stopgap 2019 Continuing resolution (CR) would halt development of some of the critical modernization projects.[382][383] Realistically, budget considerations will restrict the fielding of new materiel to one Armor BCT per year;[384] at that rate, updates would take decades.[384][375] The Budget Control Act (BCA) expires in 2022.[385][386] The "night court" budget review process realigned $2.4 billion for modernization away from programs which were not tied to modernization or to the 2018 National Defense Strategy.[387] The total FY2021 budget request of $178 billion is $2 billion less than the enacted FY2020 budget of $180 billion.[387][388]

The CIO/G6 has targeted Futures Command (Austin) in 2019 as the first pilot for "enterprise IT-as-a-service"-style service contracts; General Murray now (July 2019) has a sensitive compartmented information facility in his headquarters, as a result of this pilot.[17] Two other locations are to be announced for 2019. Six to eight other pilots are envisioned for 2020. However, 288 other enterprise network locations remain to be migrated away from the previous "big bang" migration concept from several years ago, as they are vulnerable to near-peer cyber threats.[389][292]: minute 16:50  The CIO/G6 emphasizes that this enterprise migration is not the tactical network espoused in the top six priorities (a 'mobile & expeditionary Army network').[389][390]

  1. After AFC, the following G6 service contracts are high priority:[389]
  2. The Combat Training Centers (Fort Irwin, Fort Polk, and Grafenwöhr)
  3. TRADOC and its Centers of Excellence (CoEs)
  4. The power projection bases from which deployments spring

By February 2020 the 37th Vice Chief of Staff could assess that Army modernization was perceptibly speeding up.[391]

Silos

Chief Milley noted that AFC would actively reach out into the community in order to learn,[18] and that Senator John McCain's frank criticism of the acquisition process was instrumental for modernization reform at Futures command.[19]: minute 7:30 [40] In fact, AFC soldiers would blend into Austin by not wearing their uniforms [to work side by side with civilians in the tech hubs],[18][392] Milley noted on 24 August 2018 press conference.[19]: minute 6:20  Secretary Esper said he expected failures during the process of learning how to reform the acquisition and modernization process;[19]: minute 18:20  the Network CFT and PEO have detected a process failure in the DOT&E[393] requirements process: some test requirements were inappropriately applied.[221][394]

In the Department of Defense, the materiel supply process was underwritten by the acquisition, logistics, and technology directorate of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), with a deputy secretary of defense (DSD) to oversee five areas, one of them being acquisition, logistics, and technology (ALT).[395] ALT is overseen by an under secretary of defense (USD).[396] (Each of the echelons at the level of DSD and USD serve at the pleasure of the president, as does the secretary of defense (SECDEF).) The Defense Acquisition University (DAU) trains acquisition professionals for the Army as well.

In 2016 when RDECOM reported to AMC (instead of to AFC, as it does as of 2018), AMC instituted Life cycle management command (LCMC)[274] of three of RDECOM's centers for aviation and missiles, electronics, and tanks:[397] AMRDEC,[398] CERDEC,[399][400] and TARDEC[401] respectively, as well as the three contracting[402] functions for the three centers.[358]

This Life Cycle Management (formulated in 2004)[403][404] was intended to exert the kind of operational control (OPCON)[57] needed just for the sustainment function (AMC's need for Readiness today),[358] rather than for its relevance to modernization for the future, which is the focus of AFC. AFC now serves as the deciding authority when moving a project in its Life Cycle, out of the Acquisition phase and into the Sustainment phase.[272][269][a]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Acquisition Executive, and the AFC commander created a COVID-19 task force to try to project supplier problems 30, 60, and 90 days out; they are respectively tracking 800 programs, and 35 priorities on a daily basis.[405]

Relevance for modernization

The CFTs,[Note 1] as prioritized 1 through 6 by the Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA), each have to consider constraints: a balance of requirements, acquisition, science and technology, test, resourcing, costing, and sustainment.[60][59]

The Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership and education, Personnel and Facilities (DOTMLPF) method of mission planning was instituted to quantify tradeoffs in joint planning.[57] TRADOC's Mission Command CoE uses DOTMLPF.[406] DOTMLPF will be used for modernization of the Army beyond materiel alone, which (as of 2019) is the current focus of the CFTs.[407][311] The updated modernization strategy, to move from concept to doctrine as well, will be unveiled by summer 2019.[407] DOTMLPF (doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, and facilities) itself is planned as a driver for modernization.[40][407] The plan is to have an MDO-capable Army by 2028,[f] and an MDO-ready Army by 2035.[407][127]

TRADOC, ASA (ALT), and AFC are tied together in this process, according to 36th Vice Chief McConville.[408] AFC will have to be "a little bit disruptive [but not upsetting to the existing order]" in order to institute reforms within budget in a timely way.[409]

The Assistant Secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics, and technology —ASA (ALT)— is the civilian executive overseeing both the acquisition and the sustainment processes of the Department of the Army (as of 2018: Dr. Bruce Jette was 6th ASA(ALT)). The ASA(ALT) will coordinate the acquisition portion of modernization reform with AFC.[284]: Para. 1c [9][269]

Congress has given the Army Other Transaction Authority (OTA),[410][Note 2] which allows the PEOs to enter into Full Rate Production quicker by permitting the services to control their own programs of record, rather than DoD.[280] This strips out one layer of bureaucracy as of 2018.[280][411][98] MTA (middle tier acquisition authority) is another tool available to Program Managers and Contracting Officers.[412][413]

Besides the AFC CFTS, the Army Requirements Oversight Council (AROC)[414][415][416] could also play a part in acquisition reform;[417][418] as of September 2018 the Deputy Chief of Staff G-8 (DCS G-8), who leads AROC and JROC (Joint Requirements Oversight Council) has aligned with the priorities of AFC.[419] The DCS G-8 is principal military advisor to the ASA (FM&C).[268]

In addition, the Program Executive Officers (PEOs) of ASA (ALT) are to maintain a dotted-line relationship[Note 1] (i.e., coordination) with Futures Command.[274][46]

There is now a PEO for Rapid Capabilities, to get rapid turnaround. The Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO)'s PEO gets two program managers, one for rapid prototyping, and one for rapid acquisition, of a capability.[420] The Rapid capabilities office (RCO) does not develop its own requirements; rather, the RCO gets the requirements from the Cross-functional team (CFT).[421] Rapid Capabilities (RCO) was headed by Tanya Skeen as PEO RCO[274] but Skeen moved to DoD, in late 2018.[422] In 2019 RCO became the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO)[423] Redstone Arsenal, headed by LTG L. Neil Thurgood,[94] lately of ASA (ALT)'s Army Hypersonics office.[286][93]

Progress toward MDO

Then-CG of Army Futures Command (AFC) Gen. Murray announced full operational capability (FOC) 31 July 2019.[424] By 2021 the Army's 40th Chief of Staff could lay out Waypoint 2028, and Aimpoint 2035 for the Army.[34][35]

 
At Picatinny Arsenal in September 2020 a XM1299 Extended Range Cannon Artillery self-propelled howitzer with an AI kill chain used a hypervelocity munition to intercept a cruise missile surrogate.[425]

The Army G8 is monitoring just how producible (Milestone C) the upcoming materiel will be; for the moment, the G8 is funding the materiel.[23][269] Follow-up on Modernization reviews is forthcoming, on a regular basis, according to the G8.[426][427][428]

The progress in the top six priorities (long-range precision fires, Next Generation Combat Vehicle, Future Vertical Lift platforms, a mobile & expeditionary Army network, air & missile defense capabilities,[o] and soldier lethality) being:[Note 1][52][h][24][53][54][30][29]

Long Range Precision Fires

According to AFC, the mission of the Long Range Precision Fires (LRPF) CFT is to "deliver cutting-edge surface-to-surface (SSM) fires systems that will significantly increase range and effects over currently fielded US and adversary systems."[431]

AFC's five major programs for LRPF are:

Based on Futures Command's development between July 2018 and December 2020, by 2023 the earliest versions of these weapons will be fielded:[440]

 
Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon training with All-up-round in its canister, 7 Oct 2021

The kill chains will take less than 1 minute, from detection of the target, to execution of the fires command;[441] these operations will have the capability to precisely strike "command centers, air defenses, missile batteries, and logistics centers" nearly simultaneously.[440][r][443][444]

  • The speed of battle damage assessment will depend on the travel time of the munition. This capability depends on the ability of a specialized CFT, Assured precision navigation and timing (APNT) to provide detail.[81][82][83][445]
    1. Long Range Precision Fires (LRPF): Howitzer artillery ranges have doubled, in excess of 60 km (37 mi) , with accuracy within 1 meter of the aimpoint,[446] currently with sufficient accuracy to intercept cruise missiles, as of September 2020, reaching the 43 mile range as of December 2020.[447]
    2. Precision Strike Missiles (PrSMs) can reach in excess of 150 miles,[448] with current 2020 tests[q]
    3. Mid-range capability (MRC) fires can reach in excess of 500 to 1000 miles,[437] using mature Navy missiles[451][250][11]
    4. Long-Range Hypersonic Weapons (LRHWs) are to have a range greater than 1725 miles.[452][434]

The current M109A6 "Paladin" howitzer range is doubled in the M109A7 variant.[453]: minute 3:07 [454] An operational test of components of the Long range cannon was scheduled for 2020.[455] The LRC is complementary to Extended range cannon artillery (ERCA),[455][456] the M1299 Extended Range Cannon Artillery howitzer.[425] Baseline ERCA is to enter service in 2023.[457][446][458] Investigations for ERCA in 2025: rocket-boosted artillery shells:[294] Tests of the Multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) XM30 rocket shell have demonstrated a near-doubling of the range of the munition, using the Tail controlled guided multiple launch rocket system, or TC-G.[459] The TRADOC capability manager (TCM) Field Artillery Brigade - DIVARTY has been named a command position.[m]

  • An autoloader for ERCA's 95-pound shells is under development at Picatinny Arsenal,[425] to support a sustained firing rate of 10 rounds a minute [446][460] A robotic vehicle for carrying the shells is a separate effort at Futures Command's Army Applications Lab.[425][461]
  • The Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) is intended to replace the Army Tactical Missile System (MGM-140 ATACMS) in 2023.[294] PrSM flight testing is delayed beyond 2 August 2019, the anticipated date for the expiration of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which set 499 kilometer limits on intermediate-range missiles.[462] (David Sanger and Edward Wong projected that the earliest test of a longer range missile could be a ground-launched version of a Tomahawk cruise missile,[463] followed by a test of a mobile ground launched IRBM with a range of 1800–2500 miles before year-end 2019.[463][464]) The 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)[465] was approved on 9 December 2019, which allowed the Pentagon to continue testing such missiles in FY2020.[466] The Lockheed PrSM prototype had its first launch on 10 December 2019 at White Sands Missile Range, in a 150-mile test, and an overhead detonation; the Raytheon PrSM prototype was delayed from its planned November launch,[448] and Raytheon has now withdrawn from the PrSM risk reduction phase.[467] The PrSM's range and accuracy, the interfaces to HIMARS launcher, and test software, met expectations.[448][468] PrSM passed Milestone B on 1 October 2021.[469] Baseline PrSM is to enter service in 2023;[470] an upgraded version of PrSM, with multi-mode seekers will then be sought.[471] The Army needs PrSM Increment 2 for INDOPACOM.[472][457][q]
  • For targets beyond the PrSM's range, the Army's RCCTO will seek a mid-range missile prototype by 2023, with a reach from 1000 to 2000 miles.[473][474][250][475] Loren Thompson points out that a spectrum of medium-range to long-range weapons will be available to the service by 2023;[476] RCCTO's prototype Mid-Range Capability (MRC) battery will field mature Navy missiles, likely for the Indo-Pacific theater in FY2023.[437][250] DARPA is developing OpFires, an intermediate-range hypersonic weapon which is shorter-range than the Army's LRHW. DARPA is seeking a role in the armory for OpFires' throttle-able rocket motor, post-2023.[477][478] DARPA announced in July 2022 it successfully tested its OpFires hypersonic weapon at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) for the first time.[479] The OpFires launch was from a Marine Corps logistics truck.[480] OpFires will "rapidly and precisely engage critical, time-sensitive targets while penetrating modern enemy air defenses", potentially to be launched from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher.[479] These weapons will likely require planning for new Army (or Joint) formations.
  • The Long range hypersonic weapons (LRHWs) will use precision targeting data against anti-access area denial (A2AD) radars and other critical infrastructure of near-peer competitors by 2023.[481][98] LRHW does depend on stable funding.[482][427][95][483][434]
    • Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS) 7.0 is the vehicle for a Multi-domain task force's artillery battery very similar to a THAAD battery: beginning in 2020, these batteries will train for a hypersonic glide vehicle which is common to the Joint forces.[93] The Long range hypersonic weapon (LRHW)[481] glide vehicle is to be launched from transporter erector launchers.[93][484][95] Tests of the Common hypersonic glide body (C-HGB) to be used by the Army and Navy were meeting expectations in 2020.[104][434]
    • In August 2020 the director of Assured precision navigation and timing (APNT) CFT announced tests which integrate the entire fires kill chain, from initial detection to final destruction. William B. Nelson announced the flow of satellite data from the European theater (Germany), and AI processing of AFATDS targeting data to the fires units.[82][83][175]
      • In September 2020 an AI kill chain was formulated in seconds; a hypervelocity (speeds up to Mach 5) munition,[485] launched from a descendant of the Paladin, intercepted a cruise missile surrogate.[486]
    • Three flight tests of LRHW were scheduled in 2021;[487] that plan was changed to one test in late 2021, followed by a multi-missile test in 2022.[457][488]

The LRHW has been named 'Dark Eagle'[489] The first LRHW battery will start to receive its first operational rounds in early FY2023; all eight rounds for this battery will have been delivered by FY2023.[490][434] By then, the PEO Missiles and Space will have picked up the LRHW program, for batteries two and three in FY'25 and FY'27, respectively.[490] Battery one will first train, and then participate in the LRHW flight test launches in FY'22 and FY'23.[490][d][491] In February 2023 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment (5-3 LRFB) —1st MDTF's long-range fires battalion— deployed the LRHW to Cape Canaveral, a distance of 3100 miles.[492][436]

Next Generation Combat Vehicle

Main article: Next Generation Combat Vehicle

Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) portfolio:[493][494][321][495]

The use of modular protection is a move toward modular functionality for combat vehicles.[496][497][498]

At Yuma Proving Ground (YPG), Firestorm (a Project Convergence AI node)[499][500][501] sent targeting coordinates to Remote Weapons Stations, which were proxies for the Robotic Combat Vehicles and Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicles. A CROWS was slewed to the aimpoint, awaiting the human commander's order to fire.[502] Firestorm aids and partakes of the Common operational picture (COP) shared by the AI hub at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.[502][503] Satellite-based, F-35 based, and Army ground-based targeting data were shared in real-time during Firestorm's operation with the AI hubs to produce effects at YPG.[504][505]

Firestorm was made possible by a mesh network—improvising a medium earth orbit (MEO, at 1200 mile altitude), and then a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO, at 22,000 mile altitude) satellite link between Joint Base Lewis-McChord to Yuma Proving Ground.[506]Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV): in Limited User Tests[493][321][381] General purpose variant supports Blue force tracking[52]: p.40  An Advanced Powertrain Demonstrator, compact enough for AMPVs, Bradleys, OMFVs, or RCVs, can generate 1,000 horsepower from diesel.[507] Alternatively, the demonstrator can generate electrical power: 160 kiloWatts for SHORAD high-energy lasers, or for propulsion of a 50-ton vehicle in quiet mode, for brief periods.[507] A ground mobility vehicle competition, bids closing 26 October 2018[508]

The JLTV was approved for full rate production in June 2019.[509] Joint Modernization Command (JMC) is supporting a TCM Stryker study on the optimum number of JLTVs for light infantry brigades.[510]Electrification microgrid standards[511][512] AFC's Futures and concepts center is proposing a strategy to guide the electrification of the GCVs, using the JLTV as an example for a step-by-step pathway and transition plan for electrification.[513][514][48][49] Loren Thompson cautions that electrification per se could harm further fielding due to scope creep in specifications for the JLTV.[515] The Army has not requested a hybrid electric JLTV.[516]

The Maneuver CDID (MCDID) is undertaking the requirements development for electrification of Tactical and Combat Vehicles in September 2020;[517] General Wesley had previously announced a plan in April 2020 for the modernization of Tactical and Combat Vehicles using the JLTV electrification plan as a prototype template of the electrification process.[517][48] After prototype JLTV electrification, the Army is seeking ideas[518] for an electrified Light Reconnaissance Vehicle (LRV) by 2025.[519] The LRVs would complement the Infantry Squad Vehicles (ISVs),[519] and electrified versions of Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle - Dragoon which are already fielded.[520][s] GM Defense has since converted one of its bid vehicles for the ISV to an all-electric version.[522][523]

 
Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF)[524]

Mobile Protected Firepower[525][526] approved by joint requirements oversight council.[321] Two vendors were selected to build competing prototype light tanks (MPF), with contract award in 2022.[527] A unit of 82nd Airborne Division will begin assessment of prototype MPFs beginning in March 2020.[528] General Dynamics Land Systems will build 42 MPFs, a battalion of light infantry tanks by FY2025.[529][530]

Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV):[53] soliciting input, in requirements definition stage; the 2018 requirement was that 2 OMFVs fit in a C-17.[321][531][48][49] A request for proposal for a vehicle prototype was placed 29 March 2019.[53][532] On 16 January 2020 the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle solicitation was cancelled, as a middle tier acquisition in its early stage; the requirements and schedule are being revisited.[225] The FY2021 budget request has been adjusted accordingly.[386][262][533]

An Army development team will not be an OMFV competitor as of 17 September 2020.[534] NGCV optionally manned fighting vehicle: OMFV is getting some industry silhouettes[535] which may be incorporated in digital designs for 2023, prototypes by 2025.[262] A fifth OMFV bidder (a small business) is still a contender in the competition, includes large consortia.[536] However, Mark Cancian points out that OMFV might not be suitable for a pivot to the Pacific theater.[537][538]

A hybrid electrified Bradley Fighting Vehicle is slated for January 2022 by RCCTO.[539] Robotic Combat Vehicles (RCVs):[540][53] General Murray envisions that by FY2023 critical decisions will be made on RCVs after years of experimentation.[147][541][542] Russia's Uran-9 (Уран-9) is not a robotic tank; rather it is an unmanned radio-controlled drone tank. A Next Generation main battle tank[543][544] remains a § Future concept.

Future Vertical Lift

Main article: Future Vertical Lift

Future Vertical Lift (FVL) is a plan for a family of military helicopters for the United States Armed Forces using common elements such as sensors avionics and engines.[545] Five different sizes of aircraft are to be developed, to replace the wide range of rotorcraft in use. The project began in 2009. By 2014, the SB-1 Defiant and V-280 Valor had been chosen as demonstrators. On 5 December 2022 Bell's V-280 was chosen for the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft; the first phase of the contract award will be for a virtual prototype.[546][547]

  • The FVL CFT has secured approval for the requirements in all four of its Lines of Effort:[548][549]

Future Vertical Lift will use the DoD modular open systems approach (MOSA), an integrated business and technical strategy in FARA, and in FLRAA[545][550][551][552][553][554][555][556][557][224] Both FLRAA and FARA are to enter service by Fiscal Year 2030.[261] By abstracting its requirements, the Army was able to request prototypes which used new technologies.

Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD) prototypes are to be built by two teams to replace Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawks with Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA).[558] The tilt-rotor FLRAA demonstrator by Bell is flying unmanned (October 2019); it logged 100 hours of flight testing by April 2019.[559] Both Bell and Sikorsky-Boeing received contract awards to compete in a risk reduction effort (CDRRE) for FLRAA in March 2020.[560][559][561] The risk reduction effort will be a 2-phase, 2-year competition. The competition will transition technologies (powertrain, drivetrain and control laws) from the previous demonstrators (JMR-TDs) of 2018–2019 to requirements, conceptual designs, and acquisition approach for the weapon system.[560][562] The Army wants flight testing of FLRAA prototypes[563] beginning in 2025, with fielding to the first units in 2030.[564]

The Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) is smaller than FLRAA. The Army's requests for proposals (RFPs) for FARA were due in December 2018;[565][566]

A long range precision munition for the Army's aircraft will begin its program of design and development. In the interim, the Army is evaluating the Spike 18 mile range non-line of sight missile on its Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters.[567]

Unmanned UH-60

An unmanned UH-60 Black Hawk flew pilotless in July 2022.[568] An FVL FLRAA (JMR-TD) flew unmanned in 2019.[559]

Mobile, Expeditionary Network

In Fiscal Year 2019, the network CFT will leverage Network Integration Evaluation 18.2[569] for experiments with brigade level scalability.[570] By 2022, 4 separate network Capability Sets were in-process, simultaneously ('21, '23, '25, and '27).[571]

Integrated Tactical Network (ITN) "is not a new or separate network but rather a concept"—PEO C3T.[572][573][574] Avoid overspecifying the requirements for Integrated Tactical Network[52][h][572][575][576][364][577][578][579] Information Systems Initial Capabilities Document. Instead, meet operational needs,[580][570][172] such as interoperability with other networks,[581][292]: minute 26:40 [579] and release ITN capabilities incrementally.[582][52][572]

  • Up through 2028, every two years the Army will insert new capability sets for ITN (Capability sets '21, '23, '25, etc.).[583][584][52][572] and take feedback from Soldier-led experiment & evaluation.[585][586][587] However, the Army's commitment to a 'campaign of learning' showed more paths:[588][589]
    • Firestorm was made possible by a mesh network—improvising an MEO, and then a GEO satellite link between JBLM to YPG.[506] There are plans to have a Project Convergence 2021.[153][590][591] The Army fielded a data fabric at Project Convergence 2020;[592] this will eventually be part of JADC2.[593][594][595][596]
    • Five Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF) awards were granted to five vendors via the Network CFT and PEO C3T's request for white papers. That request, for a roll-on/roll-off kit that integrates all functions of mission command on the Army Network, was posted at the National Spectrum Consortium and FedBizOpps, and yielded awards within eight months.[597][Note 2] Two more awards are forthcoming.
    • The Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO)'s Emerging Technologies Office structured a competition to find superior AI/Machine Learning algorithms for electronic warfare, from a field of 150 contestants, over a three-month period.[598][Note 2]
    • The Multi-Domain Operations Task Force (MDO TF) is standing up an experimental Electronic Warfare Platoon to prototype an estimated 1000 EW soldiers needed for the 31 BCTs of the active Army.[599][123]
  • Capability Set '21 fields ITN to selected infantry brigades to prepare for IVAS Integrated vision goggles. Expeditionary signal brigades get enhanced satellite communications.
    • 1/82nd Airborne, 173rd Airborne, 3/25th ID, and 3/82nd Airborne infantry brigades will all have fielded the Integrated Tactical Network Capability Set '21 by year-end 2021.[600][575] 2nd Cavalry Regiment is getting Capability Set '21 on Strykers,[601] which will test the CS'23 network design on Strykers early.[602]
  • Integrated Tactical Network (ITN) Capability Set '23 is prototyping JADC2 communications and the data fabric, to LEO (Low earth orbit) and to MEO (Medium earth orbit) satellites, as continued in Project Convergence 2021 in Yuma Proving Ground.[592][603][601][604] Capability Set '23 has passed its Critical design review (CDR).[571][t]
  • Integrated Tactical Network (ITN) Capability Set '25 will implement JADC2, according to the acting head of the Network CFT (9 June 2021).[606]
  • By 2023 the brigade-centric capability sets CS'21 and CS'23 already support mobile headquarters operation (Infantry and Stryker BCTs). The Armored BCTs are heavily affected by the need to support Large scale combat operations;[607][608][609][610][611] these Heavy brigades are to operate as part of a Division-level, and Corps-level plan.[612]
  • Command post footprint is to be reduced even at the division level, to keep headquarters survivable,[573][612] and the next network updates (the former CS'25) are for the echelons above brigade;[612][609] this new upgrade strategy will make the network more agile.[612]
  • The former Integrated Tactical Network (ITN) Capability Sets for the '25 and '27 waypoints[583] are to be implemented with rapid updates that are independent of previous tests. The Army network will rely upon a single standardized foundation.[612]

  • G-6 John Morrison is seeking to unify the battlefield networks of ITN, and IEN (Enterprise Network), as of September 2021.[613][614]
    • An Army leader dashboard from PEO Enterprise Information Systems is underway.[615][616] The dashboard is renamed Vantage.[617] The dashboard has streamlined and connected data updates for deployments.[618] Cloud-service-provider agnostic abstraction layers are in use, which allows merging the staff work in G-3/5/7 for cyber/EW (electronic warfare), mission command, and space.[619] The "seamless, real-time flow of data" across multiple domains (land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace) is an objective for G-6, as well as the sensor-to-shooter work at Futures command.[326][619][620][592]
    • Fort Irwin, Fort Cavazos, Joint Base San Antonio, and Joint Base Lewis McChord have 5G experiments on wireless connectivity between forward operating bases and tactical operations centers, as well as nonaircraft Augmented reality support of maintenance and training.[621]
    • The Multi-domain task forces (MDTFs)[11] will be used to expose any capability gaps in the Unified network plan.[622][613]

Air, Missile Defense

Air, Missile Defense (AMD):[623][624][625][7][626][627] In 2022 plans for FY2023 cruise missile defense were underway.[628]

 
Schematic 6-layer Air Defense dome, one of multiple arrays linked by Integrated Air and Missile Battle Command System (IBCS)
Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System

The United States Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense [IAMD] Battle Command System (IBCS) is a plug and fight network intended to let any defensive sensor (such as a radar) feed its data to any available weapon system (colloquially, "connect any sensor to any shooter").[52]: p.42 [h] The system is designed to shoot down short, medium, and intermediate range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase by intercepting with a hit-to-kill approach.[629][630][631] IBCS has been developed since 2004, with the aim to replace Raytheon's Patriot missile (SAM) engagement control station (ECS), along with seven other forms of ABM defense command systems.[632][633][634][635] In 2022, IBCS successfully completed initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E),[636] and was approved for full-rate production in 2023.[637]

The IBCS program is part of the Army's Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) effort.[611][638][639] IBCS aims to create an integrated network of air defense sensors, such as AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel and AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR,[640] AN/MPQ-53, AN/MPQ-65A and GhostEye (LTAMDS) in Patriot missile system,[641] GhostEye MR in NASAMS, AN/TPY-2 in Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)[642] and Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD),[641] AN/SPY-1 and AN/SPY-6 in Aegis BMD,[643] and AN/APG-81 in Lockeed Martin F-35 Lightning II,[644] allowing them to interoperate with IBCS engagement control stations.[107] IBCS engagement stations will be able to take fine control of army-fielded air-defense systems like Patriot and THAAD, directing radar positioning and suggesting recommended launchers; naval, aerial and Marine systems will only be able to share either radar tracks or raw radar data with the IBCS network.[641] The Army requires all new missiles and air-defense systems to implement IBCS support.[645]

Northrop Grumman was announced as the prime contractor in 2010; between 2009 and 2020, the Army had spent $2.7 billion on the program.[646][647]

By May 2015, a first flight test integrated a networked S-280 engagement operations center[648] with radar sensor and interceptor launchers. This test demonstrated a missile kill with the first interceptor. By Army doctrine, two interceptors were launched against that missile. By April 2016,[649] IBCS tests demonstrated sensor fusion from disparate data streams,[629]: minute 2:28  identification and tracking of targets, selection of appropriate kill vehicles, and interception of the targets,[629]: minute 3:29  but the "IBCS software was 'neither mature nor stable'".[649] On 1 May 2019 an Engagement Operations Center (EOC) for the Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS) was delivered to the Army, at Huntsville, Alabama.[650]

In July 2019, the TRADOC capability manager (TCM) for Strategic Missile Defense (SMD) has accepted the charter for DOTMLPF for the Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC/ARSTRAT).[651][127]

On 30 August 2019 at Reagan Test Site on Kwajalein atoll, THAAD Battery E-62 successfully intercepted a medium range ballistic missile (MRBM), using a radar which was well-separated from the interceptors;[652][653] the next step tested Patriot missiles as interceptors[638] while using THAAD radars as sensors;[652] a THAAD radar has a longer detection range than a Patriot radar.[652] THAAD Battery E-62 engaged the MRBM without knowledge of just when the medium range ballistic missile had launched.[652][653]

IBCS' second limited user test was scheduled to take place in the fourth quarter of FY20.[625][654]

In July 2020 a Limited user test (LUT) of IBCS was initiated at WSMR; the test ran until mid-September 2020.[655] The LUT was originally scheduled for May but was delayed to handle the COVID-19 safety protocols.[654] The first of several LUTs of IBCS, by an ADA battalion was successfully run in August 2020.[656] IBCS successfully integrated data from two sensors (Sentinel and Patriot radars), and shot down two drones (cruise missile surrogates) with two Patriot missiles in the presence of jamming;[656] In the week after, by 20 August 2020 two more disparate threats (cruise missile and ballistic missile) were launched and intercepted;[657][658] the ADA battalion then ran hundreds of drills denoting hundreds of threats for the remainder of the IBCS tests (the increased effort occupied the entire unit);[659] the real-world data serve as a sanity check for Monte Carlo simulations of an array of physical scenarios amounting to hundreds of thousands of cases.[443][660] IBCS created a "single uninterrupted composite track of each threat" and handed off each threat for separate disposition by the air and missile defense's integrated fire control network (IFCN).[661] The same battalion running the LUT, for both IBCS, and LTAMDS radar, is scheduled to run the Initial Operational Test & Evaluation (IOTE) in 2021,[655][662] and is to run well into 2022.[660]

In September 2020 a Joint exercise against cruise missiles demonstrated AI-based kill chains which can be formulated in seconds; one of the kills was by a kinetic projectile fired by a "M109-based" tracked howitzer[441][663] (a Paladin descendant).[664]

The ranges of the IAMD defensive radars, when operated as a system, are thousands of miles. Cross-domain information from ground, air, and space sensors was passed to a fire control system at Project Convergence 2021 (PC21), via IBCS, during one of the use case scenarios.[665] At PC21 IBCS fused sensor data from an F-35, tracking the target, and passing that data to AFATDS (Army Field Artillery Tactical Data System). The F-35 then served as a spotter for artillery fire on ground target data.[666] More than 100 technologies were prototyped in experiments at PC21.[12]: minute 34:00 

By August 2020, a second Limited User Test (LUT) at White Sands Missile Range was able to detect, track, and intercept near-simultaneous low-altitude targets as well as a tactical ballistic missile,[667] over several separate engagements.[443][668][646] Army doctrine can now be updated to allow the launch of a single Patriot against a single target.[667][443] By 2021 the Army awarded a $1.4 billion contract to Northrop Grumman for IBCS.[669]

On 24 February 2022 THAAD radar and TFCC (THAAD Fire Control & Communication) demonstrated their interoperability with Patriot PAC-3 MSE missiles; in other words IBCS can engage targets using both THAAD and Patriot interceptors, freed of a siloed solution (THAAD-only / Patriot-only, etc.).[670] For example, in a scenario where a THAAD system has to conserve its All-Up-Rounds, IBCS can calculate which targets are within the reach of its PAC-3 MSE interceptors, and instead fire the PAC-3 interceptors at those targets within range.[670]

IBCS was projected to be at its initial operating capability (IOC) in Fiscal year 2022.[52]: 42 [h] In January 2018 James H. Dickinson and Richard Formica broached the integration of strategic fires and air/missile defense in the multi-domain task force.[430]: min 37:00 [o][11] IBCS was finally approved for full-rate production in April 2023, after years of delays. [637]

Raytheon's new GhostEye radar (previously Lower Tier Air and Missiles Defense Sensor, LTAMDS)[625] replaces the Patriot AN/SPY-65A radar. GhostEye will be able to feed raw sensor data to IBCS, and it will fit on a C-17 Globemaster.[642][671][672] GhostEye is engineered to operate with much greater sensitivity, improved range and ability to track smaller, faster-moving targets. It uses three fixed 120-degree arrays to seamlessly find, discriminate and track fast-approaching threats using a 360-degree protection envelope. The arrays are overlapping to close “blind spots” and maintain a track if an attacking missile shifts course in flight. GhostEye can detect the precise shape, size, distance and speed of an approaching threat with high-fidelity sensor “pings”; its semiconductor gallium nitride (GaN) emitters allow increased resolution, accuracy, and power efficiency.[673][674][675][Note 2][671][672][676][677][678] The fielding of four LTAMDS radars to a battalion is expected in 2023.[679][680]

The Indirect fire protection capability (IFPC) Multi-Mission Launcher (MML) will have fielded 50 kW lasers on Strykers[143][481] in 2021 and 2022 to two battalions per year.[126] In late FY2024 an integrated test of LTAMDS, IFPC, and IBCS is planned.[681]

Although on 21 August 2019 the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) cancelled the $5.8 billion contract for the Redesigned kill vehicle (RKV),[682][683][684][107] the Army's 100th Missile Defense Brigade will continue to use the Exo-Atmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV). The current Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) programs continue per plan, with 64 ground-based interceptors (GBIs) in the missile fields for 2019 planned. Command and Control Battle Management and Communications (C2BMC), was developed by the Missile defense agency (as a development organization) and is integrated with GMD, as demonstrated by FTG-11 on 25 March 2019.[685]: 15:00  By March 2021, the decision to approve further development of the Next Generation Interceptor is on the agenda for the 35th Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks. Hicks has extensive background in defense modernization; the 28th Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has recused himself from acquisition matters.[686][687]

High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator
 
High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator (HEL-TVD) 2019

A contract for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command's High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator (HEL TVD) laser system, a 100 kilowatt laser demonstrator for use on the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles, was awarded 15 May 2019 to Dynetics-Lockheed.[688][94] A 300 kilowatt laser demonstrator (HEL-IFPC) effort supersedes the HEL TVD (after the critical design review).[689][690][691] System test at White Sands Missile Range in 2023.[688]

[692][693][694][625][695][696][697][698]

  • Maneuver short-range air defense (MSHORAD)[699][625][700] with laser cannon prototypes in 2020,[690] In July 2021 RCCTO conducted a combat shootoff on just how to control pointing these high-energy lasers.[701][702] Raytheon is providing the high energy laser (Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense system —DE M-SHORAD) for the Strykers in 2022.[257][703][704]
  • RCCTO has awarded a contract to build a 300 kW high-energy laser (HEL) for the Army in FY2022, capable of defending against airborne threats, by acquiring, tracking, and maintaining the HEL's aimpoint on the threat until it goes down.[705]

Soldier lethality

  1. Soldier Lethality:[706][707][381][708]
    • Next Generation Squad Weapon Program: Expect 100,000 to be fielded to the Close Combat Force:[709][u] Infantry, Armor, Cavalry, Special Forces, and Combat engineers. Tests at Fort Benning in 2019. —Chief of Staff Milley[711]
    • Nine thousand systems, with two drones apiece are being purchased over a three-year period for the 9-man infantry squads heading to Afghanistan.[712]
    • Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) —an augmented reality display— allows soldiers to use multiple sensors to fight.[576] IVAS was put on hold in March 2022, with Congress budgeting $349 million in favor of drones instead.[363] An initial IVAS buy was approved in September 2022 after a six month hold.[364] An improved IVAS is being sought after finding that some soldiers are being physically affected from wearing the goggles.[713]
    • Enhanced night vision goggles (ENVG)-B, will be fielded to an Armor brigade combat team (ABCT) going to South Korea in October 2019[714][709][715]
      • A CCDC program which instrumented a battalion with sleep monitors, Redibands, and smartwatches to detect exertion, detected soldiers with elevated heart rates, indicating the beginnings of a streptococcus infection. This condition was detected by the medics, and would have impacted the battalion, detected before deploying to Afghanistan.[716]
    • Synthetic training environment (STE)—a CFT devoted to an augmented reality system[316][717] to aid planning, using mapping techniques, even at squad level[718][719][258] will begin fielding by 2021.[720][164][721] In October 2019 the Synthetic Training Environment (STE) prototype is being used by Special Operations for planning actual missions.[722][318] Development for the Synthetic Training Environment (STE) is to be accelerated to meet MDO and JADC2 training demands.[723]
  2. On the battlefield of the future, where no headquarters is safe for long, the commander's task is:[724]: p.87 
    • "Avoid being detected and targeted".[223]
    • "Work through and survive attacks".[223]
    • "Rapidly recover from losses".
    • Thus the commander has to be continuously aware of the current status (that is: alive or not) of the deputy commander (and the staff) so that the mission can be completed.

Enterprise campaign planning

In 2019 DoD planners are exercising Doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, and facilities (DOTMLPF) in planning, per the National Defense Strategy (NDS),[725] in the shift from counterinsurgency (COIN) to competition with near-peer powers.[725] The evaluations from planners' scenarios will be determining materiel and organization by late 2020.[725][127][726][727]

Futures Command is formulating multiyear Enterprise campaign plans, in 2019.[728][309] The planning process includes Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC), AFC's cross-functional teams (CFTs), Futures and Concepts (FCC), Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC), and Army Reserve's Houston-based 75th Innovation Command. At this stage, one goal is to formulate the plans in simple, coherent language which nests within the national security strategic documents.[728][729][730][244][731][732] By October 2022 Field Manual 3-0 could state that The Army Operating Concept was that 'Multi-domain Operations are at the root of all Army operations',[733]: § 1-11, p.1-3 [734]: minute 28:09 to 36:00 

Futures

AFC faces multiple futures,[735] both as threat and opportunity. The Army's warfighting directive, viz., "to impose the nation's political will on its enemy" —Chief of Staff Milley, is to be ready[40] for multiple near-term futures.[736] Under Secretary McCarthy notes that Gen. Murray functions as the Army's Chief Investments Officer[171] (more precisely, its "chief futures modernization investment officer").[268]: Section 4 [Note 2][47] Funding for the top six priorities could mean that existing programs might be curtailed.[737][269]

In the top six priorities:

 
XM1113 extended range artillery round, shown here at a range demonstration, uses a rocket-assist motor
  1. LRPF Long range precision fires[q][738][739]
  2. NGCV Next generation combat vehicle[749][166]
    • Much smaller and lighter ground combat vehicles, optionally unmanned[321] (Dedicated short-range communications for robotic vehicles[750]
       
      Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport (S-MET) candidate robotic mules for transporting infantry squad equipment[751]
      • If robotic combat vehicles (RCVs) do not need to be manned, neither would they need to be armored (see Uran-9); use of sensors and batteries could replace the armor.[752][753] Soldiers have learned to remotely operate the weapons on such RCVs in several days;[752] the CCDC RCV Center and CFT are placing RCV prototypes and the Soldier's vehicle prototypes in company-level scenarios in Europe, in 2020 and forward.[752] Modified Bradley Fighting Vehicles and M113s at Fort Carson went through unit-level operations to gain experience with RCVs in July and August 2020.[754] Future breaching operations will be affected in detail by the robotic breaching concept, according to the panel at the AUSA October 2020 meeting.[755][756]
      • In October 2020 the Army's Chief of Staff reminded the force that "The time is now" to modernize for the future, including how the Army develops the systems themselves;[757][758][34] if a soldier can now use IVAS to shoot around corners and hit the target, if soldiers and their units can use STE (synthetic training environment) to depict the mission's terrain and train for the mission before the conflict occurs, if deploying robotic reconnaissance vehicles at the time of the mission can smoke out defenses before committing manned combat vehicles against those defenses, then even light vehicles can transport soldiers in conflict, and precision fires can neutralize threats against those soldiers in a conflict. STE can depict these scenarios.[757]: min 14:01 [759][760]
    • Robotic warfare, as a concept or capability at the Joint Corps echelon, was demonstrated at the operational level using Joint Warfighting assessment (JWA) 18.1 in April 2018.
      • JWA 19 (April–May 2019): I Corps, at Joint base Lewis-McChord, is getting modernization training on the robotic complex breaching concept (RCBC),[761] and the command post computing environment (CPCE)[762] from Joint modernization command (JMC) training staff.[763]
      • Create decisive lethality:[764][765][147] Robotic experiments[766][767]
        • Jen Judson reports that Lt. Gen. Eric Wesley is proposing that the brigades begin to electrify their vehicles using hybrid,[768] or all-electric propulsion.[514][769][v]
        • Smaller brigades and stronger division-level maneuver, with robotic aerial reconnaissance vehicles, robotic combat vehicles (RCVs), and long-range precision fires (LRPFs) are under consideration.[777][237]
        • Modified M2 Bradleys (MET-Ds) and other RCVs operating at Fort Carson, and in Europe have used robotic software to operate the vehicles, for both logistics and also for combat maneuver.[778] As of August 2020, the RCVs are able to perform limited waypoint navigation; multiple vehicles can be controlled by one human operator.[778]
  3. FVL[779] "Our new approach is really to prototype as much as we can to help us identify requirements, so our reach doesn't exceed our grasp. ... A good example is Future Vertical Lift: The prototyping has been exceptional." —Secretary of the Army Mark Esper[282]
    • The Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) scout helicopter prototypes are to be designed to fly along urban streets, to survive air defenses.[780] Five design vendors were selected, with downselect to two for prototyping by February 2020.[780]
    • These aircraft are envisioned as platforms for utilizing sensor networks to control and enable weapons delivery, as demonstrated in a 2019 experiment.[781][782] In preparation for FVL platforms, the FVL CFT demonstrated a 2020 Spike non-line of sight missile launch from an Apache gunship at Yuma Proving Ground, for extended range capability;[783] a forward air launch of an unmanned sensor aircraft (UAS) from a helicopter was demonstrated at YPG as well.[784]
  4. Mobile & Expeditionary Network[724] / MDO Multi-domain operations[27][384]
    • In the battlefield of the future, where nowhere is safe for long, "you will miss opportunities to get to positions of advantage if you don't synthesize the data very quickly"—LTG Wesley (AI for multi-domain command and control: MDC2)[132][785][124] "Finding and engaging high-value relocatable ground systems within rapid timelines" is the Air Force's operational objective in this JADC2 exercise (December 2019) —Eliahu Norwood, Greg Grant, and Tyler Lewis.[786]
      • ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance)[k][f] needs to match the range of the upcoming LRPF (Long range precision fires) and thousand-nautical-mile missile standoff capability of the Army.[787] Soldiers on the ground are now able to receive satellite ISR.[505][788]
    • Cybersecurity[789][790][791][792] RAND simulations show Blue losses[126]
    • Cyber warfare[793] / urban warfare[127][794][795][796][797] / Underground warfare / Multi-domain combined maneuver[798][147][540] Robotic swarms are a tactic under consideration.[799][311][800][124]
    • Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing (A-PNT)[81][801][802] Zephyr, a solar-powered drone successfully stayed aloft at Yuma Proving Ground for nearly 26 days, at times descending to 55,000 feet to avoid adverse weather conditions, while remaining well above the altitudes flown by commercial aircraft, and landing per plan in the summer of 2018, to meet other testing commitments.[803] A 2022 test of Zephyr S began on 15 June 2022; as of 22 July 2022 the drone was still flying at 70,000 feet in the stratosphere, and has broken its previous non-stop record.[804] However on 19 August, after 64 days, Zephyr S lost 20,000 feet of altitude, before suddenly plummeting at high speed in a presumed crash at YPG. Zephyr yielded over 1500 hours of stratospheric data during the mission. This surpasses Airbus' goal of 60 days of unmanned service, which included international flight from Arizona to Belize, and back.[805] Zephyr would have broken the world record for continuous flight, had it lasted just a few more hours.[806][807][808] In April 2021 a Vanilla UAS demonstrated 45 hour 23 minute unrefueled flight from Point Mugu to the Pacific Fleet's (PACFLT) UxS IBP 2021 exercise.[809][810]
      • An A-PNT event is scheduled at WSMR for August 2019[52]: pp220-3 [h][811]: Positioning, Navigation and Timing Assessment Exercise (PNTAX) [812][52]: pp220-1 [h][813][445]
      • Prototype jam-resistant GPS kits are being fielded to 2nd Cavalry Regiment in US European Command (EUCOM) before year-end 2019.[283] More than 300 Strykers of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment are being fitted with the Mounted Assured Precision Navigation & Timing System (MAPS), with thousands more planned for EUCOM.[814]
      • A Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) to Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) is under development.[815][140][219]
        • Low Earth orbit satellites for Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing—"When you look at the sheer number of satellites that go up and the reduced cost to do it, it gives us an array of opportunities on how to solve the problems" in A-PNT[816]
      • CCDC Army Research Laboratory (ARL) researchers have proposed and demonstrated a way for small ground-based robots with mounted antennas to configure phased arrays, a technique which usually takes a static laboratory to develop. Instead the researchers used robots to covertly create and focus a highly directional parasitic array (see Yagi antenna).[817]
      • CCDC Army Research Laboratory (ARL): ARL's Army Research Office is funding researchers at University of Texas at Austin, and University of Lille who have built a new 5G component using hexagonal boron nitride which can switch at performant speeds, while remaining 50 times more energy-efficient than current materials—the "thinnest known insulator with a thickness of 0.33 nanometers".[818]
      • CCDC Army Research Laboratory (ARL): ARL's Army Research Office (ARO) is seeking diamond colloids, microscopic spheres which can assemble bottom-up into promising structures for laser action.[819]
      • Newly developed materials with nanoscale trusses could serve as armor or coatings.[820]
      • A demonstration of proof of concept allows Soldiers to communicate their position using a wearable tracking unit. The technology allows soldiers (or robots) to prosecute a fight even indoors or underground, even if GPS were lost during a NavWar.[231]
  5. Air, Missile Defense[739][130][695] is being reframed, as more integrated.[642][821][822]
      • Integrated Air and Missile Battle Command System (IBCS)[823] award, including next software build.[824][130] $238 million also funds initial prototypes of the command and control system for fielding in FY22.[625]
        • Hypersonic glide vehicle launch preparations,[98] beginning in 2020, and continuing with launches every six months.[93]
        • At Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake an FVL CFT-sponsored demonstration of interconnected sensors handed-off the control of a glide munition which had been launched from a Grey Eagle unmanned aircraft system (UAS). During the flight of that munition, another group of sensors picked up a higher-priority target; another operator at the Tactical Operations Center (TOC) redirected the glide munition to the higher-priority target and destroyed it.[781][825][548] See: § Air-launched effects
    2. Indiscriminate use of thousands of offensive missiles against Ukraine "shows we should expect these weapons to become a common feature of 21st-century conflict" —unnamed DoD official, 27 October 2022.[826][827][828]
    3. Contested logistics are needed for Ukraine's Army, in a time span of months as of April 2022.[829][830][831] As a test of its assumptions on contested logistics, the 2023 exercises for IndoPacom will test its prepositioned stocks.[832] The CG of Army Materiel Command is taking the lead for contested logistics.[833]
  6. Soldier lethality
    • Sensor-to-shooter prototype for multi-domain battle, 2019 operational assessment: Air Force RCO / Army RCO / Network CFT[144][145][146]
    • Night vision goggles thermal polarimetric camera.[834] Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS)[835][836][837][838][576][839][840][841][842] The Synthetic Training Environment (STE) is available to some of the troops outfitted with IVAS.[843] Christine Wormuth, 25th Secretary of the Army, has identified the Army's work on a Common operating picture (COP) as foundational for the operation of the Joint services.[844][845][846]
    • CCDC ARL researchers are developing a flexible, waterproof, lithium-ion battery of any size and shape, for soldiers to wear; the electrolyte is water itself. In 2020 the batteries were engineering prototypes; by 2021 soldiers will wear the battery for themselves for the first time.[847]
      • CCDC ARL and DoE's PNNL are examining the solid-electrolyte-interphase (SEI) as it first forms during the initial charging of a Lithium-ion battery. They have found an inner SEI (thin, dense, and inorganic—most likely lithium oxide) between the copper electrode, and an outer SEI which is organic and permeable—a finding which will be useful when building future batteries.[848]
    • CCDC ARL and MIT researchers are formulating atomically thin materials to be layered upon soldiers' equipment and clothing for MDO information display and processing.[849]
    • Integrated, wearable cabling for capabilities such as IVAS, NGSW, or Nett Warrior are under development;[850] the potential exists to reduce 20 pounds of batteries to half that weight.[851]
    • CCDC ARL is undertaking an Essential research program (ERP) in the processes underlying additive manufacturing (3D printing), which is applicable to munitions.[852]
    • Natick Soldier RDEC has awarded an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) contract to prototype soldier exoskeletons which augment human leg strength under harsh conditions.[853][854][855][856]
    • DEVCOM Chem Bio Center (CBC) is developing sensors to detect possible hazardous contamination.[857]
    • Plans for the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) are underway.[858][859] An ISV is meant to be airdropped for a squad of nine paratroopers.[860] The GM design was selected; first unit is expected at 1/82nd AB division in February 2021.[861][862]
      • Assured pointing, navigation and tracking (A-PNT) devices are being miniaturized, with increased redundant positioning sources. This aids wearability.[812][52]: pp220-3 [h]
      • In September 2019 in the Maneuver CoE's Battle Lab at Fort Moore, OneSAF simulations[863] of a platoon augmented by UAS drones, ground robots, and AI were able to dislodge a defending force 3 times larger, repeatedly. But by current doctrine, a near-battalion would have been required to accomplish that mission.[863]

Waypoint 2028 and the Army of 2030

In 2022 to 2028,[34][35] the Army defined a path for defining Corps-level Large scale combat operations (LSCO): in multi-domain operation,[864] that the Corps be the Unit of Employment;[865] the Division echelon to be the Unit of Action; Brigades are Units for Close combat. Divisions are purpose-built designs: [866][867] Joint forcible entry airborne, and air assault; [868] Standard heavy, and light;[869] and Heavy Reinforced (formerly Penetration) divisions.[870][871][872][873]

By 2022 the 25th Secretary of the Army, Christine Wormuth was able to announce the top six areas for the Army of 2030:[874][875]: minute 43:30  1) improved Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR); 2) "Coordination at greater speed";[d] 3) "Win the Fires fight"; 4) §concealment[876][877] via improved mobility and reduced signature; 5) "talk often and quickly";[729][i] and 6) logistics.[874][878][34][35][879][865][14][880]

Army of 2040

By October 2022 the 25th Secretary of the Army, Christine Wormuth could charge the 2nd commander of Futures Command with proponency[a] for the Army of 2040.[881][875]: minute 51:00 [878][882][883] Futures Command hosted the inaugural Army Future Readiness Conference in Austin 13–15 December 2022, covering the design of the Army of 2040.[884] The conference was a synchronization meeting for AFC, AMC, TRADOC, FORSCOM, and Headquarters Department of the Army. The meeting was to support the Army Campaign Plan and to execute the ReARMM readiness model in future synchronization meetings.[884] A series of working groups, using the techniques of DOTMLPF to focus future meetings is underway.[884][885][886][887]

Headquarters (HQ)

AFC's headquarters is based in Austin, Texas where it spreads across three locations totaling 75,000 ft2;[165] One location is a University of Texas System building at 210 W. Seventh St. in downtown Austin, on the 15th and 19th floors; the UT Regents were not going to charge rent to AFC until December 2019.[888][889] The command began initial operations on 1 July 2018.[890]

Value stream

In a hearing before Congress' House Armed Services Committee, the AFC commander projected that materiel will result from the value stream below, within a two-year time frame,[9] from concept to Soldier. The commanding general is assisted by three deputy commanders.

  1. Science and technology (S&T: discovery / collection of ideas with usable effects)[Note 3][892]
  2. Experiments (Testing of a system to a known expectation of effects, or else observation of that system, in the absence of a specific expectation of effects)
  3. Concepts development[47] (Development of a relevant idea about that system)[313][308]
  4. Requirements development (Development of the terms and conditions for that system)[31]
  • Combat Development element,[335][893] Army Futures Command.[305] LTG Richard R. Coffman is the deputy commander. He assists the commander with efforts to assess and integrate the future operational environment, emerging threats, and technologies to develop and deliver concepts, requirements, and future force designs to posture the Army for the future.
    • The Capability development integration directorate (CDID) of each Center of Excellence (CoE), works with its CFT[Note 1] and its research, development and engineering center (RDEC) to develop operational experiments and prototypes to test.
    • The Battle Labs and The Research Analysis Center (TRAC)[307][313] prototype and analyze the concepts to test.
    • JMC is capable of providing live developmental experiments to test those concepts or capabilities, "scalable from company level to corps, amid tough, realistic multi-domain operations".[168][10][131]
    • RDECOM becomes the Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC, or DEVCOM), part of the Combat Development element, on 3 February 2019.[335][58][296][894][48][49]
  • Futures Command's Thomas H. Todd III, Lt. Gen. USA, is Deputy Commanding General of Acquisition and Systems (in 2018, denoted Combat Systems).[w][a]
    • Gen. Robert Abrams has tasked III Corps with providing Soldier feedback for the Next Generation Combat Vehicles CFT, XVIII Corps for the Soldier feedback on the Soldier lethality CFT, the Network CFT, as well as the Synthetic training CFT, and I Corps for the Long Range Precision Fires CFT.[899]
    • Combat Systems refines, engineers, and produces the developed solutions from Combat Development.[900][901]
    • An analysis by AMSAA can then assess that concept or capability, as a promising system for a materiel development decision.[270]

... what I do think you will see is some of the capabilities the cross-functional teams are working will be in production and being delivered and in the hands of soldiers in the next two years" —Gen. John "Mike" Murray (2018).[9]

Army Chief of Staff Milley is looking for AFC to attain full operational capability (FOC) by August 2019.[19][25][77][902] By 2022 the Army's unclassified Multi-Domain Operations concept[g] (which had been initially formulated by Futures Command) was disclosed to the public.[34][35]

List of commanding generals

 
LTG James E. Rainey assumes command of AFC from LTG James M. Richardson on 4 October 2022.

On 16 July 2018, Lieutenant General John M. Murray was nominated for promotion and appointment as Army Futures Command's first commanding general.[903] and his appointment was confirmed on 20 August 2018[904] and he assumed command during the official activation ceremony of AFC on 24 August 2018, in Austin, Texas.[165] Murray relinquished command of AFC on 3 December 2021.[905][67][68][898][69][70][71] Lieutenant General James E. Rainey (later promoted to general on 7 October 2022)[906] became AFC's second commanding general on 4 October 2022.[a]

No. Portrait Name and rank Took office Left office Term length
1
 
General
John M. Murray		24 August 20183 December 20213 years, 101 days
-
 
Lieutenant General
James M. Richardson
Acting		3 December 20214 October 2022305 days
2
 
General
James E. Rainey		4 October 2022Incumbent237 days

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g The CG,AFC is responsible for Force design (in the style of TRADOC's G357,[907] but applied to Force modernization, rather than training).[61] 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.[908] The AROC serves as a discussion forum of these factors.[61]
    • The Army G-8 and G-3/5/7 sit on the Army Requirements Oversight Council (AROC), chaired by the Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA).[909]: diagram on p.559 [61][908]
    • The relevant strategy is provided by the Army's leadership to guide Army staff.[909]
    • The resources are "dictated by Congress".[908]
    • A DOTMLPF analysis models the factors necessary to change the Current force into a relevant Future force.
    • A JCIDS/ACIDS[910] 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.
      • AR 5-22(pdf) lists the Force modernization proponent for each Army branch, which can be a CoE or Branch proponent leader.
      • Staff uses Synchronization meetings[911]: 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".[909]: p.3-1 
    • A budget request is submitted to Congress.
    • Approved requests then await resource deliveries which then become available to the combatant commanders.
  2. ^ a b c Andrew Eversden (17 Dec 2021) Here's the Army's 24 programs in soldiers' hands by 2023
    1. Precision Strike Missile (§ PrSM)
    2. Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA)
    3. Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (§ LRHW)
    4. Mid-range capability (§ MRC) missile, also called Strategic Mid-Range Fires (SMRF)[250]
    5. Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV)
    6. Robotic Combat Vehicle (§ RCV)
    7. Mobile Protective Firepower (§ MPF)
    8. Future Unmanned Aircraft Systems/ Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (FUAS)/(FTUAS)[251][252]
    9. Integrated Tactical Network (§ ITN) unified with § echelons above brigade, and the multi-domain task forces
    10. Common Operating Environment: Command Post Computing Environment[253]/Mounted Computed Environment (CPCE)/(MCE) See Common operational picture
    11. Command Post Integrated Infrastructure (CPI2)
    12. Mounted Assured Positioning, Navigation, and Timing System (MAPS)[254][255]
    13. Dismounted Assured Positioning, Navigation, and Timing System (DAPS)[254]
    14. Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) using high-energy lasers
    15. Indirect Fires Protection Capability: Iron Dome
    16. Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (§ LTAMDS)[256] - Patriot radar replacement
    17. Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense (§ IBCS)
    18. Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (DE M-SHORAD)[257] High energy lasers
    19. Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW)
    20. Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS)
    21. Enhanced Night Vision Goggle – Binocular (ENVG-B)
    22. Reconfigurable Virtual Collective Trainer (RVCT) - Synthetic training environment
    23. IVAS Squad Immersive Virtual Trainer (SiVT) - Synthetic training environment
    24. One World Terrain/ Training Management Tools/ Training Simulation Software (OWT) / (TMT) / (TSS) - Synthetic training environment[258]
    [248][249][259][260]
  3. ^ a b c d In Future Vertical Lift, FARA and FLRAA are projected to be prototyped by 2028, with fielding by 2030.[224][261] The OMFV prototype is projected for 2025.[262]
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h 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) 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:
    1. Competition— No overt hostilities are yet detected. Blue bar (force projection) is in standoff against red bar (threat).
    2. Strategic Support area— National assets (blue) detect breaching of standoff by adversary (in red).
    3. Close area support— blue assets hand-off to the combatant commands, who are to create effects visible to the adversary (in red).
    4. 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).
    5. 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.)
  5. ^
     
    In standoff,[29] adversaries attempt to project protected areas against each other.[30] Within these protected areas, friends are deemed safe, but foes who attempt penetration are endangered by the capabilities of the allies arrayed against them. Outside these protected areas, adversaries compete for control, by projecting their power.
  6. ^ a b c d e As informed by lessons learned in light of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  7. ^ 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".[55]
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j ASA(ALT) (2018) Weapon Systems Handbook update Page 32 lists how the Weapon Systems Handbook is organized. 440 pages.
    • By Modernization priority
    • By Acquisition or Business System category (ACAT or BSC). The Weapon systems in each ACAT are sorted alphabetically by Weapon system name. Each weapon system might also be in several variants (Lettered); a weapon system's variants might be severally and simultaneously in the following phases of its Life Cycle, namely—°Materiel Solution Analysis; °Technology Maturation & Risk Reduction; °Engineering & Manufacturing Development; °Production & Deployment; °Operations & Support
    • ACAT I, II, III, IV are defined on page 404.[51][24][53][54][29]
  9. ^ 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"
  10. ^ a b c Echelons above brigade (division, corps, and theater army) engage in a continuum of conflict.[i] [d][84]: minute 17:45 [85]
  11. ^ a b c 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
  12. ^ The 2020 xTechSearch top ten semifinalists (who will each receive $120,000) are:[228]
    • Bounce Imaging, for a tactical throwable camera (self-orienting, pointable camera)
    • GeneCapture, for deployable medical tests
    • Inductive Ventures, for magnetic braking of helicopters
    • IoT/AI, for hardware IoT AI devices
    • LynQ Technologies, for a GPS beacon
    • KeriCure, for wound care
    • MEI Micro, for Micro Electronic-Mechanical System Inertial Measurement Unit (assured position, navigation, and timing—A-PNT)
    • Multiscale Systems, for meta-material
    • Novaa, for single-aperture antennas ( multi-band rather than 1 dedicated antenna per application)
    • Vita Inclinata, stabilized anti-spin hoisting for pulling injured people on a stretcher into a hovering helicopter
    [227]
  13. ^ a b "That's pretty important because that gives him (Dunwoody) the authority to do what needs to be done across the Army with the myriad responsibilities that he has," Shoffner said." Dunwoody becomes a direct report to the TRADOC commander —Tribune staff (22 August 2019) Colonel named division artillery director
  14. ^ Even with an increased 2022 defense budget to $782 billion, deployment of Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) was put on hold, in favor of drone countermeasures.[363] By September 2022 the ASA(ALT) announced a final testing step for IVAS would take place in October.[364] (The Budget Control Act was to have restricted funds by 2020.)[365][366][367][368][369][370][371][372][373][20][21][374][375][376] but was overtaken by the §events in Ukraine in 2022.[377][378][259][379][380][381][excessive citations]
  15. ^ a b In January 2018 Lt. Gen. James H. Dickinson broached the possibility of both strategic fires and air/missile defense capabilities being in the same unit.[429][430]
  16. ^ In late FY2023 18 ERCA prototypes will undergo a one-year operational assessment at Fort Bliss.[432]
  17. ^ a b c d Munitions such as PrSM will need to fire and then move, at targets on the move.[449][450]
  18. ^ "[HIMARS] is used to destroy critical communications nodes, command posts, airfields, and important logistics facilities".—Mick Ryerson (Major General, Australian Army, retired)[442]
  19. ^ Strykers upgraded with autonomous operation would need more control by wire, in order to experiment with autonomy.[521]
  20. ^ The Senate Appropriations Committee is cutting an Army component of the FY23 Presidential Budget Request which funds a CS'23 network capability.[605]
  21. ^ The DoD Close Combat Lethality Task Force is hosting the Artificial Intelligence for Small-Unit Maneuver working group in order to foment relationships with OUSD(R&E), the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO), and the Army, Marines, and Special Operations cells for close combat.[710]
  22. ^ Perhaps using other mobile power plants (2020), using TRISO fuel[770] (2022)—Idaho National Laboratory will assemble a Project Pele transportable nuclear reactor, and test it for up to three years;[771] if test performance warrants it, this type of reactor will generate a nominal 2 MWe (1 to 5 MWe— megaWatts, electrical) for up to 3 years, for isolated areas such as the Arctic, or for an island;[772] the reactor will be gas-cooled;[773][774][775] the fuel will be high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU);[776] experiments for handling the nuclear fuel will be performed at Idaho National Labs Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT), or the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF) during the three year test period.[775] Mobile Microreactor startup testing at the Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC), or at the Critical Infrastructure Test Range Complex (CITRC).[775] Assembling, operating, and disassembling, and transporting the Mobile Microreactor at the MFC, or at the CITRC.[775] Transporting the disassembled mobile microreactor to temporary storage at the Radioactive Scrap and Waste Facility (RSWF), or at the Outdoor Radioactive Storage Area (ORSA).[775] Potentially conducting mobile microreactor and spent nuclear fuel post-irradiation examination (PIE) and disposition at Idaho National Lab.[775] Produce reliable electrical power on a CITRC electrical grid that is separate from the public utility grid at Idaho National Lab.[775]
  23. ^ The Combat Systems Directorate[893] was to be led by the ASA(ALT)'s Principal Military Deputy [895][896] (Principal Military Deputy (PMILDEP) to the ASA(ALT)) [268]: AD2018-15, 6b:PMILDEP will additionally be AFC director, Combat Systems [280] who will produce those developed solutions and seek feedback.[51][897] In 2022, AD2018-15 was rescinded by Army Directive AD2022-07,[63] which in turn is subject to rescission 180 days after passage of FY2023 NDAA.[68][898]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i The capabilities as prioritized by the Chief of Staff, will use subject-matter experts (SMEs) in the realms of requirements, acquisition, science and technology, test, resourcing, costing, and sustainment, using CFTs for:
    1. Improved long-range precision fires (artillery):—(Fort Sill, Oklahoma) Lead: BG John Rafferty ... PEO Ammunition (AMMO)
    2. Next Generation Combat Vehicle—(Detroit Arsenal, Warren, Michigan) Lead: BG Geoffrey Norman ... PEO Ground Combat Systems (GCS)
    3. Vertical lift platforms—(Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama) Lead: BG Wally Rugen ... PEO Aviation (AVN)
    4. Mobile and expeditionary (usable in ground combat) communications network (Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland)
      1. Network Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence—Lead: BG Jeth Rey ... PEO Command Control Communications Tactical (C3T)
      2. Assured Position Navigation and Timing—(Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama) Lead: William B. Nelson, SES
    5. Air and missile defense—(Fort Sill, Oklahoma) Lead: BG Brian Gibson, ... PEO Missiles and Space (M&S)
    6. Soldier lethality
      1. Soldier Lethality—(Fort Moore, Georgia) Lead: BG Larry Q. Burris, Jr. ... PEO Soldier
      2. Synthetic Training Environment—(Orlando, Florida) Lead: BG William Glaser ... PEO Simulation, Training, & Instrumentation (STRI)
    • Above, 'dotted line' relationship (i.e., coordination) is denoted by a ' ... '
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. Army Applications Lab: (23 October 2018) Army Futures Command Wants YOU (To Innovate)
    • —Adam Jay Harrison's list for types of Funding Authority
  3. ^ As an example, any number of effects can be weaponized (see p.1 The New York Times 2 September 2018 "Invisible strikes may be cause of envoy's ills", describing the Microwave auditory effect), or else countered. Hypersonic vehicles are a countermeasure to ballistic missiles.

References

  1. ^ a b c Sean Kimmons, Army News Service (6 December 2018) Futures Command reveals new insignia as it 'forges' ahead last accessed 3 February 2019
  2. ^ Joe Lacdan, Army News Service (27 August 2018) Establishment of Army Futures Command marks a culture shift
  3. ^ "About - U.S. Army Futures Command". U.S. Army. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  4. ^ Army Futures Command Meet Our Leadership 20 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ a b c Army Futures Command: Meet Our Leadership
  6. ^ Carlson, Kara "'Modernizing is key': Austin-based Army Futures Command continues to grow, adapt". Austin-American Statesman. 11 May 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  7. ^ a b MG Cedric T. Wins (09.10.2019) CCDC'S road map to modernizing the Army: air and missile defense DVIDS release
    • (10 September 2019) Same CCDC text but with 3 more images. Fifth in a series.
  8. ^ Phillip B. Fountain, U.S. Army Futures Command (8 October 2019) Army Futures Command to highlight modernization efforts at 2019 AUSA 7 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ a b c d e Matthew Cox (14 Sep 2018) Head of Army Futures Command Fields Tough Questions From Congress
  10. ^ a b c d Gen. David G. Perkins, U.S. Army (Nov-Dec 2017) Multi-Domain Battle: The Advent of Twenty-First Century War
  11. ^ a b c d Andrew Feickert, Specialist in Military Ground Forces, Congressional Research Service (CRS) (31 May 2022) The Army's Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF) report IF11797
  12. ^ a b Christine Wormuth (10.11.2021) AUSA 2021
  13. ^ a b c Colin Demarest (21 Oct 2022) Project Convergence shows JADC2 alignment, leaders from 3 services say Interoperations "show the services are aligned and not disjointed".
  14. ^ a b Jen Judson (29 Mar 2023) US Army has a 'gigantic problem' with logistics in the Indo-Pacific AMC is lead, AFC sets requirements
  15. ^ Gilbert F. Decker, Louis C. Wagner (co-chairs) et. al. (Jan 2011) Army Strong: Equipped, Trained and Ready Final Report of the 2010 Army Acquisition Review
  16. ^ C. Todd Lopez (25 July 2011) Army to implement 63 Decker-Wagner acquisition recommendations
  17. ^ a b Scott Maucione (19 July 2019) Army Futures Command fully operational, dinged by GAO on announcement
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h Sean Kimmons, Army News Service (11 July 2019) "Embracing a new culture at Army Futures Command". www.army.mil. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Army Futures Command Press Conference". DVIDS. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  20. ^ a b c Devon L. Suits, Army News Service Army (26 February 2019) FY20 budget proposal realigns $30 billion
  21. ^ a b Sydney J Freedberg Jr (29 May 2019) Army Big 6 Gets $10B More Over 2021-2025
  22. ^ Michael A. Grinston, James C. McConville, and Ryan McCarthy(2019) 2019 Army Modernization Strategy revision 7, CFTs' 31 signature efforts
  23. ^ a b Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (19 September 2019) Can Army Control Costs Of Its New Weapons? Currently the Army has 692 programs of record
  24. ^ a b c d Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (14 March 2019) Army 'Big Six' Ramp Up in 2021: Learning From FCS
  25. ^ a b Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (11 January 2019) 12 Moments Of Truth For Army Modernization In 2019
  26. ^ a b MDO Challenge (15 May 2019) *Start here* MDO 101 General explanation of multi-domain operations (MDO) for the layman
  27. ^ a b c d 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
  28. ^ a b "The U.S. Army Modernization Strategy". APG News. 13 June 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  29. ^ a b c d Kerensa Crum CCDC Aviation & Missile Center Public Affairs (14 August 2019) Leader updates Army's modernization priorities Standoff
  30. ^ a b c d Yasmin Tadjdeh (10/10/2018) Army to Focus on Defeating Enemies' Standoff Capabilities Summary of standoff
  31. ^ a b CRS Insight (IN11019) (17 January 2019) The U.S. Army and Multi-Domain Operations Congressional Research Service (CRS)
    • Todd South (11 August 2019) This 3-star Army general explains what multi-domain operations mean for you "think, assess and employ all domains when necessary"—General Wesley
  32. ^ Sydney Freedberg, Jr. (14 January 2020) Army Chief Seeks 'Minimally Manned' Vehicles, Joint C2 LRPF, ITN, IBCS, FARA, FLRAA, and "We need a joint command and control system" —Army Chief of Staff James C. McConville
  33. ^ Sydney Freedberg, Jr. (2021) Army Chief To Navy, Air Force: We've Got 'Speed & Range' "The future is all about range and speed" —Gen. McConville
  34. ^ a b c d e f Chief of Staff paper #1, Headquarters, Department of the Army (16 March 2021) Army Multi-Domain Transformation: Ready to Win in Competition and Conflict Unclassified version by 40th Chief of Staff of the Army, Gen. James C. McConville
  35. ^ a b c d e Chief of Staff paper #2 (1 March 2021) The Army in Military Competition
  36. ^ Sean Kimmons In first year, Futures Command grows from 12 to 24,000 personnel, Army News Service, 19 July 2019
  37. ^ Freedberg Jr, Sydney J. (13 September 2018), Futures Command Won't Hurt Oversight, Army Tells Congress, Breakingdefense.com
  38. ^ Source: Organization, United States Army. For detail, see AR10-87
  39. ^ a b Army Commands, Army Service Component Commands, and Direct Reporting Units ARN2541_AR10-87_WEB_Final.pdf section 20-2a, p.27
  40. ^ a b c d e Arpi Dilanian and Matthew Howard (1 April 2019) The number one priority: An interview with Gen. Mark Milley: Readiness (both current and future)
  41. ^ a b Sébastien Roblin (11 Oct. 2019) China's stealth drones and hypersonic missiles surpass—and threaten—the U.S.
    • Binkov (11 Oct 2019) New game changing weapons shown at Chinese military parade; October 2019 Binkov explains and animates Hypersonic glide trajectories for under-the-radar operation; Binkov estimates which weapons displays are mockups; Compares and contrasts Chinese, Russian, and US capabilities
  42. ^ "75th Innovation Command Page - About Us". US Army Reserve. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  43. ^ US Army (2020) AMERICA'S ARMY: READY NOW,INVESTING IN THE FUTURE FY19-21 accomplishments and investment plan
  44. ^ Andrew Smith (9 Apr 2020) Convergence within SOCOM – A Bottom-Up Approach to Multi Domain Operations
  45. ^ Todd South (17 Jun 2021) Even generals must learn new skills in tech-dominated special operations future
  46. ^ a b c d Sydney Freedberg, Jr. (26 March 2018) Army Outlines Futures Command; Org Chart In Flux
  47. ^ a b c d e Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (25 October 2017) Can The Pentagon Protect Young Innovators? Fixing the 'up or out' culture, which favors generalists
  48. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Lt. Col. Thomas "Bull" Holland, PhD, U.S. Army (15 January 2019) Proposed Army Futures Command Process Tenets
    1. 'Scientific research is a fundamentally different activity than technology development';
    2. Incorporate 'scientific research into "Appendix C: Functional Concepts" and specify pathways for technology development';
    3. Buy into the 'fail fast' mentality;
    4. '6.3-funded projects to produce knowledge (technical data) that can be consumed by requirements developers as opposed to PMs';
    5. Use 'evidence-based requirements process' (early hypothesis testing) with citations for evidence:
      • All projects will be executed in no less than two increments.
      • No new requirements once an increment is started.
    6. Summary: 'advances on the battlefield requires comprehensive, coordinated changes in the entire acquisition system';
  49. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k The RAND Corporation (2000) Discovery and Innovation: Federal Research and Development in the Fifty States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico RAND MR1194 Appendix B: Government-Wide and DOD Definitions of R&D 6 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine See Appendix B p.615 for DOD Financial Management Regulation (Volume 2B, Chapter 5)
  50. ^ Neil Hollenbeck and Benjamin Jensen (6 December 2017) Why the Army needs a Futures Command Enable a culture of experimentation, and develop concepts and technology together.
  51. ^ a b c d Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (13 Sep 2018) Futures Command Won't Hurt Oversight, Army Tells Congress
  52. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m ASA(ALT) Weapon Systems Handbook 2018 update
  53. ^ a b c d e f g Gary Sheftick, Army News Service (3 April 2019) Army 'Shark Tank' enabling quick prototyping of new systems
  54. ^ a b Sean Kimmons, Army News Service (18 July 2019) Futures Command showcases efforts ahead of upcoming FOC
  55. ^ Jen Judson (23 Mar 2022) Multidomain operations concept will become doctrine this summer
  56. ^ a b c Sydney J. Freedberg, Jr. (7 May 2018) Permanent Evolution: SecArmy Esper On Futures Command
  57. ^ a b c d JP-1 26 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine p.xxi has the definition of operational control (OPCON). Note that "command authority may not be delegated" (COCOM being command authority). p.xxii has the definition of administrative control (ADCON): one application being coordinating authority.
    • see also C. Berry (3 May 2010) Understanding OPCON . (COCOM is the legal authority of a combatant commander (CCDR).) OPCON, on the other hand, "is derived from the authorities of COCOM and delineated in JP-1".
  58. ^ a b c d e f g h Army R&D Chief: 'I Don't Think We Went Far Enough'—But Futures Command Can
  59. ^ a b Scott Maucione (14 Sep 2018) Army leaders ask for trust in lieu of metrics for Futures Command
  60. ^ a b c d US Army (6 Oct 2017) Army Directive 2017-24 (Cross-Functional Team Pilot In Support of Materiel Development)
  61. ^ a b c d 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.
  62. ^ Research, Development, and Acquisition AR 71–9 (2009) Warfighting Capabilities Determination Aug 15, 2019 update
  63. ^ a b HQDA (3 May 2022) Army Directive 2022-07 (Army Modernization Roles and Responsibilities) AD2022-07 is 6 pages
  64. ^ Research, Development, and Acquisition (22 Jul 2011) Army Acquisition Policy 22 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine AR 70-1
  65. ^ Jared Serbu (11 Mar 2016) Army puts its chief of staff 'at the center' of acquisition decisions
  66. ^ USAASC, Army ALT Magazine, Best Practices (16 February 2018) A Model and Process for Transitioning Urgent Acquisition - USAASC (United States Army Acquisition Corps)
  67. ^ a b Jen Judson (6 Sep 2022) Futures Command faces identity crisis as Army shifts mission
  68. ^ a b c Andrew Eversden (24 Jun 2022) House lawmakers ask Army: Who's in charge of massive modernization program? 180 day timer after FY2023 NDAA takes effect, could trigger rescission of AD2022-07. To find an Army document, enter the pub form identifier, such as "ar 71-9" in the menu: ARMY PUBLISHING INDEX
  69. ^ a b Jen Judson (6 Sep 2022) Army's next Futures Command leader could come 'in short order'
  70. ^ a b Andrew Eversden (7 Sep 2022) After months of delay, Army nominates new commander for Futures Command
  71. ^ a b Stripes (8 Sep 2022) Army announces new Futures Command leader as Texas senator calls for clarity on innovating force
  72. ^ David Vergun, Army News Service (13 October 2017) Cross-functional teams to spearhead modernization, says McCarthy: allocated money in Program Objective Memorandum (POM) to protect resources.
  73. ^ a b Arpi Dilanian and Matthew Howard (31 August 2018) Modernizing at the speed of relevance: An interview with Under Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy
  74. ^ a b c d Freedberg Jr, Sydney (14 August 2018). "Inside Army Futures Command: CFT Chiefs Take Charge". Breaking Defense. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  75. ^ a b Sydney Freedberg (29 August 2018) Army Futures Command: $100M, 500 Staff, & Access To Top Leaders
  76. ^ David Vergun (22 April 2018) New Army Futures Command success hinges on relationship building—Ryan McCarthy
  77. ^ a b United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report: GAO-19-132 (23 Jan 2019) ARMY MODERNIZATION: Steps Needed to Ensure Army Futures Command Fully Applies Leading Practices
    • United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) (Feb 2019) AUSA synopsis
  78. ^ United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) Defense Management: DOD Needs to Implement Statutory Requirements and Identify Resources for Its Cross-Functional Reform Teams GAO 19-165 accessdate=2021-09-24 Search for GAO 19-165, but the 35th deputy secretary of defense addressed the issue of DoD-wide CFT continuity in 2021 by establishing the RDER fund. —Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (21 Jun 2021) Hicks Seeks To Unify Service Experiments With New 'Raider' Fund
  79. ^ Jen Judson (6 Mar 2023) Army weighs changes to Futures Command modernization teams possible CFTs for "contested logistics, deep sensing, adapting soldier lethality to focus more on formation-based lethality, and even human and machine integration" —Gen. Rainey
  80. ^ Office of the Chief of Public Affairs, US Army (10.16.2019) 2019 AUSA Warriors Corner - TacticalSpace: Delivering Future Force Space Capabilities
  81. ^ a b c Office of the Chief of Public Affairs (10.16.2019) 2019 AUSA Warriors Corner - TacticalSpace: Delivering Future Force Space Capabilities
      1. Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing
      2. Tactical Space: SDA is structuring a multi-layer satellite system:
        1. Backbone layer for data transport downward to the long-range precision fires
        2. Custody layer for missiles' trajectories, whether friendly or threat
        3. Tracking layer for hypersonic glide vehicles which represent threats to the multi-layer satellite system
        4. Space situational awareness for cis-lunar trajectories,
      3. NavWar
  82. ^ a b c Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (5 August 2020) Army Tests New All Domain Kill Chain: From Space To AI
    1. Initially, satellites feed data to TITAN.
    2. Prometheus, which is AI software, combs through the data for potential threats and targets.
    3. SHOT, which is also software, tracks each target on a custody list, correlating each target's current location, signature, and threat assessment, with a list of candidate fires countermeasures, ranked by capability, range to the target, kill radius, etc. "SHOT then computes the optimal match of weapons to targets", and passes the list to AFATDS.
    4. Human commanders choose whether to fire, or not, from the list of fires assets (Nelson notes that ERCA and Grey Eagle drones are to be added to the list of fires assets—currently M777 howitzers and MLRS 270 rocket launchers in the upcoming tests, August 2020).
    5. satellites perform Battle damage assessment, to update the list of threats and targets.
  83. ^ 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"
  84. ^ Office of the Chief of Public Affairs, US Army (10.16.2019) 2019 AUSA Warriors Corner - TacticalSpace: Delivering Future Force Space Capabilities The Army is the largest user of Space
      1. Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing
      2. Tactical Space: SDA is structuring a multi-layer satellite system:
        1. Backbone layer for data transport downward to the long-range precision fires
        2. Custody layer for missiles' trajectories, whether friendly or threat
        3. Tracking layer for hypersonic glide vehicles which represent threats to the multi-layer satellite system
        4. Space situational awareness for cis-lunar trajectories,
      3. NavWar
  85. ^ Lt. Gen. Eric J. Wesley, U.S. Army, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jon Bates, U.S. Army (May-Jun 2020) To Change an Army—Winning Tomorrow The MDO concept —TRADOC pamphlet 525-3-1
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  87. ^ David Vergun, Defense.gov (21 February 2020) Military leaders discuss hypersonics, supply chain vulnerabilities
  88. ^ In, for example Waverider hypersonic weapons delivery, China has flown a Mach 5.5 vehicle for 400 seconds, at 30 km altitude, demonstrating large-angle deviations from a ballistic trajectory, as well as recovery of the payload. See
    • 3 August 2018 China tests hypersonic aircraft Starry Sky-2 --Xingkong-2 (Starry-sky-2) first flight
    • China successfully tests first hypersonic aircraft that can .. Youtube clip XingKong-2 hypersonic aircraft (Starry Sky-2)
    • USSTRATCOM John Hyten statement 05:03, 8 August 2018 (UTC)
    • (15 Jun 2018) Lockheed Martin Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon (HCSW) Missile for US Air Force
      • Chris Martin (17 Dec 2019) Lockheed awards $81.5M contract for hypersonic missile motor to Rocketdyne for HCSW $81.5M, ARRW
    • NPR (23 October 2018) Nations Rush Ahead With Hypersonic Weapons Amid Arms Race Fear
    • DOV S. ZAKHEIM, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR (08/26/19) Putin built a hypersonic arsenal, while the Pentagon slept
    • Colin Clark (19 June 2019) Raytheon, Northrop Will 'Soon' Fly Hypersonic Cruise Missile Paris Air Show, new additive-process materials to build the combustor of a scramjet; potential integration among members of an intercommunicating swarm of hypersonics systems
    Current test targets, such as Zombie Pathfinder are not hypersonic. ET-2 is a economical test replacement —Jason Cutshaw, SMDC (13 Feb 2023) Army SMDC team launches economical target for missile tests Rand Corporation (28 September 2017) Hypersonic Missile Nonproliferation estimates there is less than a decade to prevent Hypersonic Missile proliferation.
  89. ^ Stephen Carlson (14 Nov 2018) DARPA issues contract proposition for hypersonic missile defense
    • Stephen Carlson (13 Nov 2018) Space, lasers, hypersonic missiles rank high for U.S. missile defense research
  90. ^ a b c Sydney J. Freedberg, Jr. (22 August 2018) Army Warhead Is Key To Joint Hypersonics
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  92. ^ a b Jason Cutshaw (19 September 2018) Secretary of the Navy visits AMC, SMDC memorandum of agreement in June to co-develop a hypersonic vehicle
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    • Nancy Jones-Bonbrest, U.S. Army RCCTO (30 August 2019) Army awards hypersonic weapon system contracts
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  101. ^ Aaron Gregg (2 August 2019) In conversations with investors, defense firms double down on hypersonic weapons As of August 2019, Lockheed reports $3.5 billion in hypersonics work, while Raytheon reports $1.6 billion; Boeing declined to give the value of its hypersonics awards.
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  103. ^ a b Jon Harper (4 March 2020) JUST IN: Pentagon to Spend Billions Mass-Producing Hypersonic Weapons "Aero shells that provide thermal protection for the high-speed platforms will be a key component of the systems"
  104. ^ a b c Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (20 Mar 2020) Hypersonics: Army, Navy Test Common Glide Body "The U.S. Navy and U.S. Army jointly executed the launch of a common hypersonic glide body (C-HGB), which flew at hypersonic speed to a designated impact point"
    • DoD (20 March 2020) Department of Defense tests hypersonic glide body "The C-HGB – when fully fielded – will comprise the weapon's conventional warhead, guidance system, cabling, and thermal protection shield." Also: comments from LTG L. Neill Thurgood RCCTO
  105. ^ By (14 August 2019). "The Army is getting a new $130 million hypersonics playground in Texas". Task & Purpose. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  106. ^ a b c d e Sydney J. Freedberg, Jr. (11 September 2018) Aiming The Army's Thousand-Mile Missiles Multi-domain Ft Sill
  107. ^ a b c Jen Judson (20 August 2019) US Missile Defense Agency boss reveals his goals, challenges on the job Increase the discrimination of the radars and other sensors. Use Large aperture sensors. Use Space-based missile sensors. An SM-3 Block IIA missile test against ICBM is scheduled for 2020. Plan out the detection, control and engagement; the sensors, the command-and-control, the fire control, and the weapons (the kill vehicles).
  108. ^ Theresa Hitchens (9 October 2020) SDA Missile Tracking A 'Strategic Win' For L3Harris, SpaceX
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  110. ^ a b c John L. Dolan, Richard K. Gallagher & David L. Mann (23 April 2019) Hypersonic Weapons – A Threat to National Security Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS)
    • Kris Osborn (16 December 2019) Pentagon Advances New Technology to Destroy Hypersonic Missile Attacks HBTSS will "establish a continuous 'track' on approaching hypersonic missiles"
    • Melanie Marlowe (8 April 2020) Three obstacles are slowing space sensors for hypersonic threats Continuous tracking is needed to maintain custody of a hypersonic threat before its disposition.
    • David Brennan (27 Jan 2021) Pentagon Orders Hypersonic Missile Trackers Amid Russia, China Arms Race HBTSS awards to L3Harris; Northrop Grumman
  111. ^ Theresa Hitchens (24 February 2020) 2021 Budget Will Finally Fully Fund Next-Gen OPIR, Says Roper Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) replacement: three satellites in Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO) and two satellites in a polar orbit
  112. ^ Theresa Hitchens (17 May 2021) New SBIRS Sat Creates Bridge To Next-Gen Missile Warning SBIRS GEO 5
  113. ^ Theresa Hitchens (1 Aug 2022) Space Force plans launch this week for final SBIRS missile warning sat GEO 6
  114. ^ Theresa Hitchens (22 Mar 2021) DoD Needs To Sharpen Hypersonics Oversight: GAO
  115. ^ Nathan Strout (5 Oct 2020) SpaceX, L3 to provide hypersonic tracking satellites for Space Development Agency SDA's National Defense Space Architecture (NDSA)
  116. ^ Paul McLeary (18 Dec 2019) MDA Kickstarts New Way To Kill Hypersonic Missiles HBTSS is 'Space sensor layer'
  117. ^ a b c Jen Judson (13 Aug 2021) Missile Defense Agency dials up the speed in quest for hypersonic interceptor
  118. ^ Theresa Hitchens (19 Nov 2021) Raytheon, Northrop, Lockheed to compete for hypersonic interceptor
  119. ^ Jen Judson (20 Nov 2021) Here are the three companies selected to design hypersonic missile interceptors for MDA
  120. ^ a b Jen Judson (24 Jun 2022) Raytheon, Northrop advance in competition to develop hypersonic weapons interceptor
  121. ^ Theresa Hitchens (12 Aug 2021) Next Budget Will Limit Glide Phase Interceptor Contractors: MDA Head 2028 target date is being accelerated. FY2022 decisions on GPI/Ground-Based Interceptor, GBI replacement (the Next generation interceptor NGI) will be made by Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks.
  122. ^ Naval Technology (27 Jun 2022) US MDA awards contracts to continue developing Glide Phase Interceptor The GPI deliverable is a System Requirements Review—Prototype by Raytheon, Northrop-Grumman in Feb 2023
  123. ^ a b c d Anthony Small Futures Command Deputy Commanding General talks the U.S. Army's Future at South by Southwest, US Army, 13 March 2019
  124. ^ a b c d e Todd South (13 September 2019) Massive simulation shows the need for speed in multi-domain ops "400 participants working with 55 formations, 64 concepts and 150 capabilities"
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  126. ^ a b c Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (7 March 2019) US 'Gets Its Ass Handed To It' In Wargames: Here's A $24 Billion Fix Army prepositioned stocks (APS) vulnerability
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  130. ^ a b c d Army News Service. I Corps has I2CEWS Battalion or Intelligence, Information, Cyber, Electronic Warfare and Space Battalion —Joe Lacdan,[http:[dead link]//fortblissbugle.com/2019/06june/062019/pdf/062019part1b.pdf (6/19/2019) Army leaders say service must shore up its space defense]
    • Jason Cutshaw (SMDC/ARSTRAT) (21 February 2019) SMDC supports the development of I2CEWS battalions for multi-domain operations
    • Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (24 Jan 2019) Hack, Jam, Sense & Shoot: Army Creates 1st Multi-Domain Unit an MDO BN for Targeting, I Corps
  131. ^ a b US Army (4 Sep 2018) U.S. Army Pacific Commander Gen. Robert Brown: State of the Pacific
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  133. ^ AUSA Aviation Hot Topic 2018 - PANEL 1 - Multi Domain Maneuver, retrieved 15 December 2021
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  136. ^ Office of the Chief of Public Affairs (10.16.2019) 2019 AUSA Warriors Corner - TacticalSpace: Delivering Future Force Space Capabilities
    • Loren Thompson (30 Jul 2019) Defense Against Hypersonic Attack Is Becoming The Biggest Military Challenge Of The Trump Era
  137. ^ Paul McLeary (18 December 2019) MDA Kickstarts New Way To Kill Hypersonic Missiles MDA's Hypersonic Defense Weapon System - 4 Interceptors
  138. ^ a b Kathryn Bailey, PEO C3T Public Affairs (26 November 2019) The Army gathers industry to inspire network modernization Network Cross-Functional Team (N-CFT) and PEO C3T hosted 670 industry partners at the Technical Exchange Meeting (TEM) 4, Capability Set (CS) 23. www.army.mil
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  140. ^ a b Theresa Hitchens and Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (7 August 2019) Army Seeks Small Satellites To Support Ground Troops 3 programs: Gunsmoke, Lonestar and Polaris.
    • Theresa Hitchens (12 October 2020) SMDC Pushes For New PNT, Tracking Sat Payloads In addition to the 3 LEO satellite programs mentioned above, SMDC's technical center is working on project TITAN (Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node), a "common, mobile ground station" for the Army's tactical needs.
  141. ^ a b c Jen Judson (14 Oct 2019) Strategic, long-range cannon preps to jump its first tech hurdle 2019 AUSA— targets 2023 prototype
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  149. ^ Theresa Hitchens (2 December 2019) Hey SDA, AFRL Boosts Space-Based Internet Tests
  150. ^ Joseph Lacdan, Army News Service (21 October 2019) AFC deputy: Combined capabilities make military might more lethal
  151. ^ Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (16 July 2020) Army Says Long Range Missiles Will Help Air Force, Not Compete
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  154. ^ Patrick Tucker (24 Sep 2020) Inside the Army's Fearless, Messy, Networked Warfare Experiment Murray: Army software factory will start contributing.
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  156. ^ Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (20 Apr 2021) New Army Lab Tests Joint Tech: Project Convergence Joint Systems Integration Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground
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  158. ^ Colin Demarest (23 Sep 2022) Siemens, 29 others added to Air Force's $950 million JADC2 contract
  159. ^ a b c Jaspreet Gill (11 Jul 2022) Army acquisition exec pushes for joint JADC2 office, large-scale exercise
  160. ^ Colin Demarest (11 Jul 2022) Pentagon's secret JADC2 plan 'evolving', official says, as lawmakers seek audit "The oversight will inform future support and is not meant to be punitive".
  161. ^ Valerie Insinna (17 Jul 2022) Air Force's sixth-gen fighter downselect 'not all that far away,' says Kendall Air Force's Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) will have a private company as prime contractor, but the US government will probably be the prime contractor for integrating efforts involving collaborative combat aircraft (drones), NGAD, and AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile. —USAF Secretary Frank Kendall
  162. ^ Travis Sharp, CSBA (20 Oct 2022) JADC2 spending is sprawling. DoD should keep watch, but Let It Go. Planning, Programming, Budgeting & Execution Process (PPBE) ~ $2.2 billion to $2.6 billion in FY2023 for 30 initiatives in JADC2.
  163. ^ Jen Judson (15 Jul 2022) Army Test and Evaluation Command pushes to reduce live-fire tests
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    • Ronald Sega, CTO for AFC, Starts 1 July 2019
    • Ronald "Ron" Michael Sega Ronald M. Sega
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    • MASAYA KATO (13 Aug 2020) Japan's deeper ties with Five Eyes hinge on how it keeps secrets
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  195. ^ Theresa Hitchens (20 August 2020) AI Slays Top F-16 Pilot In DARPA Dogfight Simulation The AI systems are eventually to serve as wingmen for human commanders.
    • Eric Tegler (20 August 2020) AI Just Won A Series Of Simulated Dogfights Against A Human F-16 Pilot, 5-0. What Does That Mean?
    • DARPAtv (20 August 2020) AlphaDogfight Trials Final Event 5 hour live stream.
  196. ^ Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (12 August 2020) Deloitte Wins $106M JAIC Contract To Build AI Toolkit
  197. ^ Aaron Mehta (23 Sep 2020) Hyten to issue new joint requirements on handling data by using JROC-specified Capabilities stated in high-level natural language rather than relying on traditional item-by-item Requirements documents
  198. ^ Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (3 Sep 2020) AI's Data Hunger Will Drive Intelligence Collection Army's Chief data officer: In the Future, "every Soldier is a Chief data officer"
    • Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (10 Sep 2020) China Is Not Ahead Of US On AI: JAIC Chief & Gen. Hyten
  199. ^ Kelsey Atherton (14 August 2020) DARPA Trains AI To Understand Humans – In Minecraft
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  202. ^ Kaylan Hutchison, DAC Strategic Communications (22 Jun 2022) Collaborative agreement propels Army analysis of artificial intelligence
  203. ^ Sydney J. Freedberg, Jr. (14 Apr 2023) EXCLUSIVE: Pentagon aims to 'own the technical baseline' for AI tech, R&D official says
  204. ^ Anil Ananthaswamy (13 Apr 2023) A New Approach to Computation Reimagines Artificial Intelligence hyperdimensional computing using large numbers of parameters, each parameter itself representing a dimension of the sample space.
  205. ^ a b Eversden, Andrew "Army Software Factory experiments with a new culture to unleash coders in its ranks". C4ISRNet. 14 April 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  206. ^ a b Army Futures Command "STAND-TO!". www.army.mil. Retrieved 15 December 2021. Army Software Factory
  207. ^ Katie Davis Skelley, DEVCOM Aviation & Missile Center Public Affairs (27 May 2022) Software Factory helps transform Army from industrial to information age 16-week boot camp. Four different tracks (platform engineer, software developer, product manager and designer). Anyone (soldier or Army civilian) can submit a problem to the Factory; A team interviews the problem, performs an initial scoping, and then decides whether to accept the problem to work on.
  208. ^ Lindsay Grant (25 May 2022) New Army application enhances equipment readiness PMCS app developed by first cohort in ASF; allows soldiers to gain access to field manuals without a CAC card, using only a cell phone.
  209. ^ USAF Assistant Secretary of Acquisition, Chief Software Office (19 Dec 2019) SpaceCAMP USAF Software Factory
  210. ^ AI TF Artificial Intelligence Task Force 24 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine
    • US Army Army Artificial Intelligence Task Force (31 August 2020) AFC: Growing an AI-ready workforce
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  212. ^ Jaspreet Gill (31 Mar 2023) Duckworth introduces bill to build out 'imperative' tech skills in military
  213. ^ Jaspreet Gill (10 March 2023) Marines teaming with Army on 3-year software factory pilot technical accelerator; 3 year pilot is to build applications; at least 50 Marines; 8 to enter the technical accelerator every 6 months; each of them in a program to accelerate modernization as product managers, designers, or software developers. The teams will learn baseline skillsets using pair programming for one-on-one mentoring, and utilization.
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  215. ^ Devon L. Suits (11 December 2018) Army secretary approves new Intellectual Property Management Policy
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  219. ^ a b Nathan Strout (30 Nov 2019) Can hundreds of unrelated satellites create a GPS backup?
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    • RFI posted on the Federal Business Opportunities, 4 April
    • Contract award: fourth quarter of FY21
    • preliminary design review (PDR) second quarter of FY23
    • first flight in the third quarter of FY24
    • critical design review (CDR) in the fourth quarter of FY24
    • fielding to first unit in second quarter of FY30
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    • U.S. Army Public Affairs (16 January 2020) Army decides to cancel current OMFV solicitation
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  233. ^ Brenden Devereaux (22 Apr 2022) LOITERING MUNITIONS IN UKRAINE AND BEYOND
  234. ^ a b Ben Watson (6 May 2022) Defense One Radio, Ep. 99: The role of drones in Russia's Ukraine invasion
  235. ^ Ashley Rocque (19 May 2023) At Edge 23, the US Army and international partners break down data-sharing barriers
  236. ^ a b Andrew Eversden (24 Aug 2022) Army's robotic vehicle slipped behind 'enemy' lines in European exercise
  237. ^ a b Spc. Garrison Waites (12 Jun 2022) Soldiers get hands-on experience with new tech during Combined Resolve Using RCVs with Javelins and CROWS
  238. ^ a b Andrew Eversden (21 Oct 2022) 'Lightning in a bottle': Inside the 'Origin' of the Army's future robotic fleet
  239. ^ a b c d Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (19 Mar 2021) Army Outlines Ambitious Schedule For Robots, Armor
  240. ^ Andrew Eversden (22 Nov 2021) Robotic vehicles, drones coordinate recon at Army's Project Convergence 21
  241. ^ Defense One staff (9 Sep 2022) The Army's top officer discusses the future of the force and how the six-month-old Ukraine invasion is evolving. LTG Scott McKean
  242. ^ Army Futures Command (19 Sep 2022) Project Convergence 2022 to demonstrate futuristic joint, multinational warfighting technologies inaugural PC22 Technology Gateway
  243. ^ Joe Lacdan, Army News Service (21 Sep 2022) Army to test robotic vehicles on land and sea during PC 22 AFC's McKean: JADC2 experiment to reach from continental US to Pacific: 1) establish an IAMD; 2) use Joint offensive fires; 3) examine which authorities and policies hinder the mission
  244. ^ a b
May 30, 2023
united, states, army, futures, command, united, states, army, command, designed, public, private, initiative, that, runs, modernization, projects, army, headquartered, austin, texas, first, commanded, general, john, murray, formerly, army, second, current, com. The United States Army Futures Command AFC is a United States Army command designed as a public private initiative that runs modernization projects for the Army It is headquartered in Austin Texas and was first commanded by General John Murray 6 formerly the Army s G 8 the second and current commander was formerly the Army s G 3 5 7 a United States Army Futures CommandAFC s shoulder sleeve insignia 1 Founded24 August 2018 2 Country United StatesBranch United States ArmyTypeArmy commandGarrison HQAustin TexasMotto s Forge the future 1 Websitewww wbr army wbr mil wbr futuresCommandersCommanding general 5 GEN James E Rainey 3 Deputy Commanding Generals 5 LTG Richard R Coffman LTG Thomas H Todd IIILTG D Scott McKean 4 Command Sergeant Major 5 CSM Brian A HesterInsigniaDistinctive unit insignia 1 Beret flash As of 2018 Futures Command was focused on six priorities Note 1 1 Long range precision fires 2 Next Generation Combat Vehicle 3 Future Vertical Lift platforms 4 a mobile amp expeditionary Army network 5 air and missile defense capabilities 7 and 6 soldier lethality AFC s cross functional teams CFTs are Futures Command s vehicle for sustainable reform of the acquisition process for the future 8 9 By October 2021 the 40th Chief of Staff of the Army was able to project that 24 of the top 35 priority programs for modernization would be fielded in fiscal year 2023 FY2023 b c Overmatch of the capability of a competitor or adversary is one of the goals of AFC More specifically the imposition of multiple simultaneous dilemmas upon a competitor or adversary is a goal of the US Army to get into a position of relative advantage 10 By 2021 Army leadership recognized that new Army formations the multi domain operations task force MDTF 11 had the ability to simultaneously compete with and also threaten an adversary with its new capability across domains space cyber disinformation of the conflict continuum 12 min 30 45 d By 2022 or 2023 a new concept for command and control JADC2 will have been largely prototyped 13 In 2023 a new CFT was stood up for Contested Logistics 14 Contents 1 History 2 Transition to multi domain operations MDO 2 1 Cross Functional Teams CFTs 2 2 Joint collaboration on modernization 2 3 Partners 2 3 1 AFC events 2 3 2 Acquisition 2 3 3 Prototyping and experimentation 2 4 AFC branch locations 3 Need for modernization reform 3 1 Silos 3 2 Relevance for modernization 3 3 Progress toward MDO 3 3 1 Long Range Precision Fires 3 3 2 Next Generation Combat Vehicle 3 3 3 Future Vertical Lift 3 3 4 Mobile Expeditionary Network 3 3 5 Air Missile Defense 3 3 5 1 Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System 3 3 5 2 High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator 3 3 6 Soldier lethality 3 4 Enterprise campaign planning 3 5 Futures 4 Waypoint 2028 and the Army of 2030 5 Headquarters HQ 5 1 Value stream 6 List of commanding generals 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 External linksHistory EditSee also Reorganization plan of United States Army Four Army commands U S Army Futures Command was activated in the summer of 2018 The Decker Wagner report on the 2010 Army Acquisition Review Jan 2011 listed numerous changes to the acquisition process 15 the recommendation to disestablish RDECOM was not followed 16 Instead a unitary Futures Command to unify development over the life cycle was moved forward by an Acting Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy and the 36th Vice Chief of Staff of the Army James McConville who established a task force for modernization in 2016 2017 using cross functional teams of subject matter experts to drive initial actions See Need for modernization reformAFC declared its full operational capability in July 2019 17 18 after an initial one year period 19 The FY2020 military budget allocated 30 billion for the top six modernization priorities over the next five years 20 The 30 billion came from 8 billion in cost avoidance and 22 billion in terminations 20 21 Over 30 projects 22 23 are envisioned to become the materiel basis needed for overmatching any potential competitors in the continuum of conflict over the next ten years 24 25 in multi domain operations MDO 26 By 2018 a fundamental strategy was formulated involving simultaneous integrated operations across domains 27 28 This strategy involves pushing adversaries to standoff e 31 30 by presenting them with multiple simultaneous dilemmas 32 33 d By 2028 the ability to project rapid responsive power across domains will have become apparent to potential adversaries 34 35 f See Power projectionFrom an initial 12 people at its headquarters in 2018 AFC grew to 24 000 across 25 states and 15 countries in 2019 36 The apparent rapid expansion came by research facilities and personnel including ARCIC and RDECOM migrated from other commands and parts of the Army such as the United States Army Research Laboratory 37 The AFC was created in 2018 as a peer of Forces Command FORSCOM Training and Doctrine Command TRADOC and Army Materiel Command AMC the Army commands that provide forces training and doctrine and materiel respectively 38 39 The other Army commands focus on their readiness to fight tonight when called upon In contrast AFC is focused on future readiness 40 for competition with near peers who have updated their capabilities 10 41 The command is supported by United States Army Reserve Innovation Command aka 75th Innovation Command 42 See Army of 2040Transition to multi domain operations MDO Edit Multi domain operations MDO Friendly forces denoted in black 43 operating in multi domains gray yellow light blue dark gray and dark blue Space Cyber Air Land and Maritime respectively cooperate across domains g working as an integrated force against adversaries denoted in red These operations will disrupt these adversaries and present them multiple simultaneous dilemmas d to encourage adversaries to return to competition rather than continue a conflict 26 44 45 According to the 24th Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy the three elements in Futures Command are to be 46 Futures and Concepts assess gaps needs versus opportunities 47 given a threat 46 Concepts for realizable future systems with readily harvestable content 48 49 for definitions of terms such as 6 3 will flow into TRADOC doctrine manuals and training programs a Combat Development stabilized concepts 48 49 Balance the current state of technology and the cash flow requirements of the defense contractors providing the technology that they become deliverable experiments demonstrations and prototypes in an iterative process of acquisition 50 b c See Value stream Combat Systems experiments demonstrations and prototypes 51 Transition to the acquisition production and sustainment programs of AMC 52 h g 23rd Secretary of the Army Mark Esper emphasized that the 2018 administrative infrastructure for the Futures and Concepts Center formerly ARCIC and United States Army Combat Capabilities Development Command CCDC now called DEVCOM formerly RDECOM remains in place at their existing locations 56 What has changed or will change is the layers of command operational control or OPCON 57 needed to make a decision 56 He said You ve got to remain open to change you ve got to remain flexible you ve got to remain accessible That is the purpose of this command 56 58 See Army of 2040 Cross Functional Teams CFTs Edit When he was 33rd Under Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy characterized a Cross Functional Team CFT as a team of teams led by a requirements leader program manager sustainer and tester 59 Each CFT must strike a balance for itself amid constraints the realms of requirements acquisition science and technology test resourcing costing and sustainment A balance is needed in order for a CFT in order to produce a realizable concept before a competitor achieves it 60 The Army Requirements Oversight Council AROC itself serves as a kind of CFT a operating at a higher level 61 62 63 64 65 66 as response to Congressional oversight budgeting funding policy and authorization for action 48 49 67 68 69 70 71 CFTs for materiel and capabilities were first structured in a task force in order to de layer the Army Commands 60 72 Each CFT addresses a capability gap which the Army must now match for its future there can be a Capability Development Integration Directorate CDID for each CFT Note 1 Initially the CFTs were placed as needed eventually they might each co locate at a Center of Excellence CoE listed below For example the Aviation CoE at Fort Rucker in coordination with the Aviation Program Executive Officer PEO also contains the Vertical Lift CFT and the Aviation CDID Modernization reform is the priority for AFC in order to achieve readiness for the future The CFTs will be involved in all three of AFC s elements Futures and concepts Combat development and Combat systems 73 We were never above probably a total of eight people BG Wally Rugen Aviation CFT 74 Four of the eight CFT leads have now shifted from dual hat jobs to full time status Each CFT lead is mentored by a 4 star general 74 Although AFC and the CFTs are a top priority of the Department of the Army as AFC and the CFTs are expected to unify control of the 30 billion dollar modernization budget 75 18 The new command will not tolerate a zero defects mentality But if you fail we d like you to fail early and fail cheap because progress and success often builds on failure Ryan McCarthy 76 Holland notes that prototyping applies to the conceptual realm harvestable content as much as prototyping applies to the hardware realm 48 49 A 2019 Government Accountability Office GAO report 77 cautions that lessons learned from the CFT pilot 60 are yet to be applied Holland notes that this organizational critique applies to prototyping hardware a different realm than concept refinement scientific research is a fundamentally different activity than technology development 48 49 Also in 2019 the GAO recommended that the government establish a process to ensure that CFTs implement their intended business reforms however by 2021 the office of the Chief Management officer CMO had been disestablished 78 79 Joint collaboration on modernization Edit Multi domain operations MDO g span multiple domains cislunar space land air maritime cyber and populations 80 minute 17 45 81 82 83 Echelons above brigade division corps and theater army engage in a continuum of conflict This illustration is from The MDO Concept TRADOC pamphlet 525 3 1 j The Secretaries of the Army Air Force and Navy meet regularly to take advantage of overlap in their programs 86 87 HypersonicHypersonic The US Army August 2018 has no tested countermeasure for intercepting maneuverable hypersonic weapons platforms 88 89 41 and in this case the problem is being addressed in a joint program of the entire Department of Defense 90 The Army is participating in a joint program with the Navy and Air Force to develop a hypersonic glide body 91 by mutual agreement between the respective secretaries 91 92 In order to rapidly develop this capability a dedicated program office was established 93 94 95 96 in behalf of the joint services 97 A division of responsibility was agreed upon with researchers who demonstrated hypersonic capability in 2011 teaching industrial vendors to transfer the technology 98 Joint programs in hypersonic are informed by Army work 99 100 however at the strategic level the bulk of the hypersonic work remains at the Joint level 101 102 92 103 98 Long Range Precision Fires LRPF is an Army priority and also a DoD joint effort 100 The Army and Navy s Common Hypersonic Glide Body C HGB had a successful test of a prototype in March 2020 104 After the US realized that a catch up effort was needed billions of dollars were expended by 2020 103 A wind tunnel for testing hypersonic vehicles is being built at the Texas A amp M University System RELLIS Campus in Bryan Texas 2019 105 The Army s Land based Hypersonic Missile is intended to have a range of 1 400 miles 97 p 6 98 By adding rocket propulsion to a shell or glide body the joint effort shaved five years off the likely fielding time for hypersonic weapon systems 86 106 Countermeasures against hypersonic 107 108 109 will require sensor data fusion both radar and infrared sensor tracking data will be required to capture the signature of a hypersonic vehicle in the atmosphere 110 111 112 113 In 2021 the GAO counted 70 separate hypersonic projects in both offense and defensive categories overseen by DoD s Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering which oversees only research and development and not DoD s Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment DoD s acquisition and sustainment office which do not need oversight until the hypersonic projects are ready for the acquisition phase 114 115 By 2021 the Missile Defense Agency MDA realized that it almost had a countermeasure to hypersonic boost glide weapons by using existing data on the adversary hypersonic systems which were gathered from existing US satellite and ground based sensors 116 MDA then fed this data into its existing systems models and concluded that the adversary hypersonic weapon s glide phase offered the best chance for MDA to intercept it 117 MDA next proffered a request for information RFI from the defense community for building interceptors denoted the GPI glide phase interceptor against the glide phase of that hypersonic weapon 117 GPIs would be guided by Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensors HBTSS 110 118 These GPI interceptors could first be offered to the Navy for Aegis to intercept using the C2BMC 119 120 and later to the Army for THAAD to intercept using IBCS 117 121 122 120 Multi Domain Operations MDO Joint warfighting concept JADC2 Multi Domain Operations MDO g j 28 123 124 125 Joint planning and operations are also part of the impending DoD emphasis on multi domain operations 10 126 127 128 129 Multi domain battalions k first stood up in 2019 130 131 comprise a single unit 132 133 for air land 134 space 135 136 110 137 and cyber 138 139 domains 140 86 139 A hypersonic based battery similar to a THAAD battery is under consideration for this type of battalion 93 104 possibly denoted a strategic fires battalion 141 142 143 however I2CEWS support would likely be needed k depending on the theater In 2019 as part of a series of globally integrated exercises these capabilities were analyzed 27 144 145 Using massive simulation 124 146 the need for a new kind of command and control now denoted JADC2 to integrate this firepower was explored 134 98 The ability to punch through any standoff defense of a near peer competitor is the goal which Futures Command is seeking 29 30 147 148 For example the combination of F 35 based targeting coordinates Long range precision fires and Low earth orbit satellite 149 capability overmatches the competition according to Lt Gen Wesley 150 d Critical decisions to meet this goal will be decided by data from the results of the Army s ongoing tests of the prototypes under development 147 96 For example in Long Range Precision Fires LRPF the director of the LRPF CFT envisions one application as an anti access area denial A2AD probe this spares resources from the other services 151 by firing a munition with a thousand mile range at an adversary LRPF would force an adversary to respond which exposes the locations of its countermeasures and might even expose the location of an adversary force s headquarters In that situation an adversary s headquarters would not survive for long and the adversary s forces would be subject to defeat in detail But LRPF is only one part of the strategy of overmatch by a Combatant commander In August September 2020 at Yuma Proving Ground the US Army engaged in a five week exercise to rapidly merge capabilities in multiple domains The exercise prototyped a ground tactical Network pushing it to its limits of robustness 152 as of 2020 36 miles on the ground and demonstrated 1500 mile capability above the ground with kill chains measured in seconds in the effort to penetrate anti access area denial A2AD with long range fires Longer range fires are under development ranging from hundreds of miles to over 1000 miles with yearly iterations of Project Convergence being planned 153 MDO multi domain operations and JADC2 joint all domain command and control thus entails d Penetrate phase satellites detect enemy shooters Dis integrate phase airborne assets remove enemy long range fires Kinetic effect phase Army shooters using targeting data from aircraft and other sensors fire on enemy targets 154 Army Chief of Staff Gen James C McConville will discuss the combination of MDO j and JADC2 with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen Charles Q Brown 152 In October 2020 the Chiefs agreed that Futures Command and the Air Force s A5 office will lead a two year collaboration at the most basic levels by defining mutual standards for data sharing and service interfacing in the development of Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control CJADC2 155 The ability of the joint services to send data from machine to machine was exercised in front of several of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in April 2021 this is a prerequisite capability for Convergence of MDO and JADC2 156 157 158 In July 2022 the 7th ASA ALT Doug Bush called for the formation of a large office on the scale of the Joint Counter small UAS office but for JADC2 159 This would coordinate 160 and eventually reconcile requirements for JADC2 for Army s Project Convergence the Navy s Project Overmatch and the Air Force s Advanced Battle Management System 159 161 162 13 See CDAO In July 2022 Army Test and Evaluation Command called for more digital twinning and modeling and simulation 163 as end to end tests become more comprehensive expensive and larger scale 159 as the scale of an exercise increases a Synthetic Training Environment STE can be used to cut costs 164 Partners Edit source source source source source source source source source source source source Project Convergence is a campaign of learning to aggressively pursue an Artificial Intelligence and machine learning enabled battlefield management system i AFC is actively seeking partners outside the military 165 including research funding to over 300 colleges and universities 18 but with one year program cycles 166 We will come to you You don t have to come to us General Mike Murray 24 August 2018 19 minute 6 07 Multiple incubator tech hubs are available in Austin 167 especially Capital Factory with offices of Defense Innovation Unit DIU and AFWERX USAF tech hub 168 Gen Murray will stand up an Army Applications Lab Note 2 there to accelerate acquisition and deployment of materiel to the soldiers using artificial intelligence AI 169 as one acceleration technique 170 Murray will hire a chief technology officer for AFC 171 172 Gen Murray in seeking to globalize AFC 173 has embedded U S military allies into some of the CFTs 174 18 For the US and its allies and partners f the basis of global surveillance and target acquisition is the US National Defense Space Architecture NDSA as realized by layered constellations of Earth satellites and Earth stations such as TITAN 175 176 177 It will take machine learning ML and AI to handle the scale of data flows needed for MDO i AI Robotic combat vehicles RCVs have an updated guideline DoDD 3000 09 2023 178 Disinformation at scale appears to be AI generated in 2021 179 180 f Artificial Intelligence AI Modernization 181 182 The 23rd Secretary of the Army directed the establishment of an Army AI Task Force A AI TF to support the DoD Joint AI center The execution order will be drafted and staffed by Futures Command 169 183 The Army Applications Laboratory Note 2 was established in 2018 along with the stand up of the Army Futures Command to act as a concierge service across the Army s Future Force Modernization Enterprise and the broader commercial marketplace of ideas Army AI task force 184 185 its relationship with the CFTs is cross cutting in the same sense as the Assured Position Navigation Timing A PNT CFT and the Synthetic Training Environment STE CFT are also cross cutting will use the resources of the Army to establish scalable machine learning projects at Carnegie Mellon University the Army CIO G 6 will create an Identity Credential and Access Management system to efficiently issue and verify credentials to non person entities AI agents and machines 186 DCS G 2 will coordinate with CG AFC and director of A AI TF to provide intelligence for Long Range Precision Fires CG AMC will provide functional expertise and systems for maintenance of materiel with AI AFC and A AI TF will establish an AI test bed for experimentation training deployment and testing of machine learning capabilities and workflows 187 188 Funding will be assured for the Fiscal Year 2019 86 189 A Global Network to counter cyber attacks much like Five Eyes is the recommendation for multi domain operations MDO which is unified to present a synoptic view of any cyber operation to all the combatant commands simultaneously 190 139 191 145 Decision dominance is a tenet of the Joint warfighting concept 192 27 193 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA AlphaDogfight Trials of eight AI teams which began learning how to fly in September 2019 In August 2020 the eight AI agents faced each other in a series of simulated fights The simulations included the g forces which limit a human accelerations greater than 9 g s will cause most forward facing human pilots to black out AI agents are not subject to these human constraints The champion AI agent eventually met a human General Dynamics F 16 Fighting Falcon fighter pilot in simulated combat on 20 August 2020 194 On 20 August 2020 the champion AI agent consistently defeated a human F 16 pilot in a series of dogfights 195 DoD s Joint AI Center JAIC is providing a Joint Common Foundation a cloud based AI toolkit for any DoD organization viz Futures Command to use 196 JAIC is seeking to curate the flood of data at DoD 197 48 to allow systematic reliable datasets which are usable for machine learning 198 Adaptive Distributed Allocation of Probabilistic Tasks ADAPT is a DARPA model for testing AI to human communication in a toy environment 199 In 2021 DoD is requesting 600 separate AI efforts for FY2022 874 million as opposed to 400 AI efforts for FY2021 200 The Army is using machine learning to extract targeting data from satellite sensors for its JADC2 effort 200 201 In 2022 DEVCOM Analysis Center DAC signed a cooperative agreement with Northeastern University s Kostas Research Institute KRI to build on KRI s analytic framework with six other universities on artificial intelligence and assistive automation AI AA to further Army sub goals mission effectiveness analysis ontology for decision making automatic target recognition human systems integration cyber resilience electronic warfare threat defense and assessing autonomous maneuver mobility 202 By 2023 the Department of Defense was seeking a Technical Baseline which remains vendor free in order to exploit the Large language model LLM of AI 203 204 SoftwareFutures Command will stand up Army Software Factory in August 2021 to immerse Soldiers and Army civilians of all ranks in modern software development in Austin 205 206 207 208 209 Similar in spirit to the Training with industry program participants are expected to take these practices back with them to influence other Army people in their future assignments and to build up the Army s capability in software development The training program lasts three years and will produce skill sets for trainees as product managers user experience and user interface designers software engineers or platform engineers 205 The Al Work Force Development program and this Software Factory will complement the Artificial Intelligence Task Force 206 210 Tapping in to its personnel system the Army has identified soldiers who can already code at Ph D level but who are in unexpected MOSs 211 A Senate bill to formalize and recognize skills such as computer programming skills which include technical and nontechnical skills related to artificial intelligence and coding was introduced in March 2023 212 In March 2023 the Marine Corps co located its software factory with the Army software factory in Austin Texas 213 AFC is seeking to design signature systems in a relevant time frame according to priorities Note 1 of the Chief of Staff of the Army CSA 73 AFC will partner with other organizations such as Defense Innovation Unit Experimental DIUx as needed 99 214 If a team from industry presents a viable program idea to a CFT that CFT connects to the Army s requirements developers Secretary Esper said and the program prototype is then put on a fast track 53 The Secretary of the Army has approved an Intellectual Property Management Policy to protect both the Army and the entrepreneur or innovator 215 216 DataFor example the Network CFT and the Program Executive Office Command Control Communications Tactical PEO C3T hosted a forum on 1 August 2018 for vendors to learn what might function as a testable deployable 217 in the near future 218 138 219 A few of the hundreds of white papers from the vendors adjudged to be very mature ideas were passed to the Army s acquisition community while many others were passed to United States Army Communications Electronics Research Development and Engineering Center CERDEC for continuation in the Army s effort to modernize the network for combat 220 Although some test requirements were inappropriately applied the Command post computing environment CPCE has passed a hurdle 221 222 223 While seeking information the Army is especially interested in ideas that accelerate an acquisition program in for example the Future Vertical Lift Requests for Information RFIs provide a detailed description of tailored alternative or innovative approaches that streamlines the acquisition process to accelerate the program as much as possible 4 April 2019 224 in January 2020 the current Optionally manned fighting vehicle OMFV solicitation was cancelled when the OMFV s requirements added up to an unobtainable project 225 in February 2020 Futures command was soliciting the industry for do able ideas for an OMFV 225 whereas in August 2022 Army Network modernization was the target for being speeded up 226 Search for capabilitiesIn the Army s search for capabilities 6th ASA ALT Bruce Jette initiated xTechsearch to reward private innovators 227 The program is ongoing l The COVID 19 pandemic triggered the Army to run an xTechsearch Ventilator Challenge entrants can submit their ideas online for immediate consideration and a possible cash prize to encourage participation for a 100 000 prize and possible Army contract 229 In 1964 Henrik H Straub of Harry Diamond Labs a predecessor to CCDC Army Research Laboratory invented the Army Emergency Respirator now termed a ventilator in current terminology 230 This ventilator is one application of the fluidic amplifier a 1957 Harry Diamond Labs invention which allows the labored breathing of the patient to control the flow from an externally purified air stream to augment the air flow into a patient s lungs 230 TRX Systems won an xTechsearch award for technology which allows navigation in a GPS denied environment an A PNT priority The award was delayed by the COVID 19 pandemic which allowed the company more time for business development 231 Air launched effects ALEs Air launched effects ALEs are drones which are launched from the Army s helicopters 232 In swarms ALEs promise to multiply the combat effectiveness of the Army s helicopters 232 single ground launched drones have already been used in combat during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine for intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance ALEs have been used as munitions as in the Nagorno Karabakh conflicts 233 234 From 1 May to 18 May 2023 at Yuma Proving Ground YPG the Aviation CFT made progress in its effort to share data with its partners the event concentrated on the data sharing necessary to support JADC2 at the scale needed to support the distances encountered in the Indo Pacom theater this extends the reach of the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft FARA 235 Robotic combat vehicles RCVs Robotic combat vehicle RCV Project Origin unmanned ground vehicle UGV at Joint Multinational Readiness Center Hohenfels Germany 236 237 238 In 2021 candidate Robotic combat vehicles RCVs both medium and light RCVs along with surrogate heavy RCVs modified M 113s and proxy manned control vehicles MET Ds were to marshal at Camp Grayling MI to test a company sized tele operated unmanned formation 239 The light RCVs had their autonomous driving software installed in November and December 2020 239 The robotic vehicle formation begins a shakeout in April 2021 The RCVs and the software which is common to all 18 vehicles enters ATEC Army Test and Evaluation Command safety testing through May 2022 239 Live fire drills are scheduled to conclude in August 2022 239 147 By October 2021 experiments with RCVs in concert with drones for intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance ISR were underway 240 238 234 By June 2022 Army RCVs had demonstrated some of their disruptive capabilities 236 in preparation for Project Convergence 2022 Autonomous capabilities for example in resupply by unmanned helicopters by the US Australia and UK were demonstrated at PC22 241 min 25 30 242 243 244 In May 2023 Army Futures Command disclosed concepts for Robotic combat platoons 245 akin to the Collaborative combat aircraft of the Air Force These robotics concepts integrate the ethics policies 246 247 of the Defense Department as part of mission command See Internet of Military Things AFC events Edit By 13 October 2021 the 40th Chief of Staff of the Army could announce that the majority of the Army s Futures Command s 31 signature systems 248 and the four rapid capability projects of the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office would be fielded by fiscal year 2023 FY2023 249 b c By 2022 Futures Command was conducting the third annual iteration of Project Convergence PC22 experiments and joint tests of 300 technologies by the Department of Defense and its allies and partners 13 263 264 The next Project Convergence is likely to be PC24 at the earliest 265 266 Acquisition Edit See United States Army Acquisition Corps DoD 2007 Acquisition process denoting Milestones A B C along a timeline When a milestone has been met the triangle then points downward at this time Otherwise the milestone is planned but not yet met at this time Futures Command partners with the ASA ALT 267 9 who in the role of the Army Acquisition Executive AAE 268 has milestone decision authority MDA 51 269 at multiple points in a Materiel development decision MDD 270 Thus from the perspective of AFC which seeks to modernize they consolidate the relevant expertise into the relevant CFT The CFT balances the constraints needed to realize a prototype beginning with realizable requirements science and technology test etc before entering the acquisition process typically the Army prototypes on its own and as of 2019 initiates acquisition at Milestone B in order to have the Acquisition Executive with the concurrence of the Army Chief of Staff decide on production as a Program of Record at Milestone C 271 Next refine the prototype to address the factors needed to pass the Milestone decisions A B and C which require Milestone decision authority MDA in an acquisition process 271 This consolidation of expertise thus reduces the risks in a Materiel development decision MDD for the Army to admit a prototype into a program of record The existing processes as of April 2018 for a Materiel development decision MDD have been updated to clarify their place in the Life Cycle of a program of record 268 270 48 over 1200 programs projects were reviewed 272 by October 2019 over 600 programs of record have been moved from the acquisition development for modernization phase to the sustainment phase for mature projects to continue their manufacture and fielding to the brigades 272 An additional life cycle management action is underway to re examine which of these projects programs should be divested 272 Surplus materiel might well go to the Security Assistance Command perhaps to Foreign Military Sales The emphasis remains with Futures Command which selects programs to develop 272 In order to achieve its mission of achieving overmatch 273 123 47 each Futures Command CFT partners with the acquisition community 274 This community the Army acquisition workforce AAW includes an entire Army branch the Acquisition Corps 275 276 277 278 279 U S Army Acquisition Support Center USAASC Army Contracting Command 270 The Principal Military Deputy to the ASA ALT is also deputy commanding general for Combat Systems Army Futures Command 268 and leads the Program Executive Officers PEO he has directed each PEO who does not have a CFT to coordinate with to immediately form one at least informally 280 The current acquisition system has pieces all throughout the Army There s chunks of it in TRADOC and chunks of it in AMC and then other pieces So really all we re trying to do is get them all lined up under a single command from concept S amp T RDT amp E through the requirements process through the beginnings of the acquisition system Milestone A B and C aligned under that same commander We will finally achieve unity of command Secretary Esper 46 The PEOs work closely with their respective CFTs 274 The list of CFTs and PEOs below is incomplete Note 1 Operationally the CFTs offer de layering fewer degrees of separation between the echelons of the Army Rugen estimates two degrees of separation 74 and provide a point of contact POC for Army reformers 47 interested in adding value in the midst of constraints to be balanced while modernizing 74 and if we re really good we ll continue to adapt Year over year over year Secretary Esper 19 minute 19 00 281 See Value stream Prototyping and experimentation Edit Our new approach is really to prototype as much as we can to help us identify requirements so our reach doesn t exceed our grasp A good example is Future Vertical Lift The prototyping has been exceptional Secretary of the Army Mark Esper 282 c The development process will be cyclic 283 consisting of prototype demonstration testing and evaluation 53 in an iterative process designed to unearth unrealistic requirements early before prematurely including that requirement in a program of record 18 269 AFC activities include at least one Cross functional team its Capability development integration directorate CDID 284 Para 2b and the associated Battle Lab 284 Para 2b for each Army Center of Excellence CoE respectively Each CDID and associated Battle Lab work with their CFT 58 to develop operational experiments and prototypes to test ASA ALT in coordination with AFC has dotted line relationships between its PEOs and the CFTs In particular the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office of ASA ALT has a PEO who is charged with developing experimental prototype units of action for rapid fielding to the Soldiers The prototypes are currently for Long range hypersonic weapons High energy laser defense and Space as of June 2019 285 94 286 Speed and range are the Army capabilities which are being augmented 90 106 142 287 with spending on these capabilities tripling between 2017 and 2019 288 Tests are run by JMC and White Sands Missile Range which hosts ATEC 289 As United States Army Test and Evaluation Command ATEC reports directly to the Army Chief of Staff 39 the test support level from ATEC 290 is to be specified by the CFT 58 or PEO 291 Fort Bliss and WSMR together cover 3 06 million acres large enough to test every non nuclear weapon system in the Army inventory 292 minute 1 26 00 JMC runs live developmental experiments to test and assess MDO concepts or capabilities that support the Army s six modernization priorities which are then analyzed by The Research and Analysis Center denoted TRAC based out of Fort Leavenworth 58 or AMSAA denoted the Data Analysis Center at APG CCDC now called DEVCOM formerly RDECOM at APG includes the several Army research laboratory locations ARLs 293 as well as research development and engineering centers RDECs listed 284 58 281 In internal partnerships CCDC now called DEVCOM formerly RDECOM has taken Long range precision fires LRPF as its focus in aligning its organizations the six research development and engineering centers RDECs and the Army Research Laboratory ARL as of September 2018 RDECOM s concept of operation is first to support the LRPF CFT 294 with ARDEC AMRDEC is looking to improve the energetics and efficiency of projectiles TARDEC Ground Vehicle Center is working on high voltage components for Extended range cannon artillery ERCA that save on size and weight 294 Two dedicated RDECOM people support the LRPF CFT with reachback support from two dozen more at RDECOM 295 In January 2019 RDECOM was reflagged as CCDC General Mike Murray noted that CCDC will have to support more Soldier feedback and that prototyping and testing will have to begin before a project ever becomes a program of record 296 281 Although the Army Research Laboratory has not changed its name Secretary Esper notes that the CCDC objectives supersede the activities of the Laboratory 58 48 49 the Laboratory remains in its support role for the top six priorities for modernizing combat capabilities Note 1 Acquisition specialists are being encouraged to accept lateral transfers to the several research development and engineering centers RDECs where their skills are needed Ground vehicle systems center formerly TARDEC at Detroit Arsenal Michigan Aviation and missile center formerly AMRDEC at Redstone Arsenal C5ISR center formerly CERDEC at Aberdeen Proving Ground Soldier center formerly NSRDEC Natick MA and Armaments center formerly ARDEC at Picatinny Arsenal listed below 297 AFC branch locations Edit This section 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 December 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message A simulation used to put 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 298 299 In a role playing session a trainer not seen must tell the virtual Soldier what the Soldier is not doing correctly Trainers using this program show a 40 increase in their knowledge of the Sexual Harassment Assault Response amp Prevention policy 300 These simulations are created at Army Research Laboratory ARL West and ICT Playa Vista CA CCDC Army Research Laboratory Neuroscience Big Data over ten years of EEG data comprising over 1 000 recording sessions The Cognition and Neuroergonomics Collaborative Technology Alliance 301 The following activities for Futures Command are at 23 locations 302 A US Army center of excellence CoE or TRADOC Center of Excellence can be co located near a CFT along with the associated Capability Development Integration Directorate CDID and Battle Lab The interrelation between AFC and TRADOC can be seen by the role of a TRADOC Capability manager who is responsible for DOTMLPF and reports to the TRADOC commander m AFC HQ Austin TX 18 303 19 123 304 AFSG Army Future Studies Group 48 49 2530 Crystal Dr Arlington VA 22202 Futures and Concepts Center of AFC 305 formerly ARCIC Fort Eustis VA JMC Joint Modernization Command 168 Fort Bliss which is contiguous to WSMR White Sands Missile Range NM 289 also houses ARL 306 TRAC 307 and Army Test and Evaluation Command 292 minute 1 19 00 FT LVN Operations research Mission Command Battle Lab 308 309 310 311 124 Capability development integration directorate CDID 312 The Research Analysis Center TRAC formerly TRADOC Analysis Center 307 313 Fort Leavenworth KS CFT Synthetic Training Environment STE 314 164 315 The HQ for STE has opened in Orlando 28 January 2019 316 317 318 52 p 27 h CCOE Cyber CoE its CDID and Battle Lab 319 Fort Gordon GA CFT Mobile and Expeditionary Network 217 MCOE Maneuver CoE its CDID and Battle Lab 320 Fort Benning GA CFT Next Generation Combat Vehicle NGCV 321 CFT Soldier Lethality AVNCOE Aviation CoE its CDID 322 148 at Fort Rucker CFT Future Vertical Lift FVL FCOE Fires CoE its CDID and Battle Lab 323 324 325 326 327 Doctrine updates to support strategic fires 328 329 Fort Sill OK CFT Long Range Precision Fires LRPF 106 325 CFT Air and Missile Defense ICOE Intelligence CoE its CDID 330 Fort Huachuca AZ MSCOE Maneuver Support CoE its CDID and Battle Lab 331 Fort Leonard Wood MO SCOE Sustainment CoE its CDID 332 Fort Lee VA APG 333 334 Aberdeen Proving Ground Aberdeen MD also houses Combat Capabilities Development Command CCDC now called DEVCOM 335 formerly RDECOM Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity AMSAA and C5ISR center 336 337 338 the Command Control Communications Computers Cyber Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center was formerly CERDEC CFT Assured Positioning Navigation and Timing A PNT 336 339 340 341 CFT Network CFT N CFT 333 p 5 CFT Long Range Precision Fires 294 CCDC Armaments Center formerly Armament research development and engineering center ARDEC Picatinny Arsenal PEO AMMO and the Cross Functional Team for Long Range Precision Fires CFT Long Range Precision Fires CCDC Ground Vehicle Systems Center formerly Tank Automotive research development and engineering center TARDEC Detroit Arsenal Warren Michigan CFT Next Generation Combat Vehicle NGCV Army Aviation and Missile Center formerly Aviation and Missile research development and engineering center AMRDEC Redstone Arsenal Huntsville AL 342 CFT Air and Missile Defense CCDC Soldier Center 343 formerly Natick Soldier research development and engineering center NSRDEC General Greene Ave Natick MA Army Research Laboratory ARL 344 345 346 301 Adelphi MD ARL Orlando Army Research Laboratory 316 317 52 p 27 h Orlando FL ARL West Playa Vista 347 CA ARL RTP Army Research Laboratory Raleigh Durham NC AI task force at Carnegie Mellon University 181 58 Need for modernization reform EditBetween 1995 and 2009 32 billion was expended on programs such as the Future Combat System 348 2003 2009 with no harvestable content by the time of its cancellation 349 As of 2021 the Army had not fielded a new combat system in decades 350 128 351 352 24 269 23rd Secretary of the Army Mark Esper has remarked that AFC will provide the unity of command and purpose needed to reduce the requirements definition phase from 60 months to 12 months 353 40 57 A simple statement of a problem rather than a full blown requirements definition that the Army is trying to address may suffice for a surprising usable solution General Mike Murray paraphrasing Trae Stephens 354 minute 41 50 355 One task will be to quantify the lead time for identifying a requirement the next task would then be to learn how to reduce that lead time Gap analysis 19 minute 11 00 356 357 281 Process changes are expected 356 48 The development process will be cyclic consisting of prototype demonstration testing and evaluation in an iterative process designed to unearth unrealistic requirements early before prematurely including that requirement in a program of record The 6th ASA ALT Bruce Jette 274 has cautioned the acquisition community to call out unrealistic processes which commit a program to a drawn out failure 358 rather than failing early and seeking another solution 359 Secretary Esper scrubbed through 800 360 modernization programs to reprioritize funding 361 for the top six modernization priorities 75 which will consume 80 of the modernization funding 362 of eighteen systems 362 IVAS was slowed during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine in March 2022 n Secretary McCarthy had cautioned that a stopgap 2019 Continuing resolution CR would halt development of some of the critical modernization projects 382 383 Realistically budget considerations will restrict the fielding of new materiel to one Armor BCT per year 384 at that rate updates would take decades 384 375 The Budget Control Act BCA expires in 2022 385 386 The night court budget review process realigned 2 4 billion for modernization away from programs which were not tied to modernization or to the 2018 National Defense Strategy 387 The total FY2021 budget request of 178 billion is 2 billion less than the enacted FY2020 budget of 180 billion 387 388 The CIO G6 has targeted Futures Command Austin in 2019 as the first pilot for enterprise IT as a service style service contracts General Murray now July 2019 has a sensitive compartmented information facility in his headquarters as a result of this pilot 17 Two other locations are to be announced for 2019 Six to eight other pilots are envisioned for 2020 However 288 other enterprise network locations remain to be migrated away from the previous big bang migration concept from several years ago as they are vulnerable to near peer cyber threats 389 292 minute 16 50 The CIO G6 emphasizes that this enterprise migration is not the tactical network espoused in the top six priorities a mobile amp expeditionary Army network 389 390 After AFC the following G6 service contracts are high priority 389 The Combat Training Centers Fort Irwin Fort Polk and Grafenwohr TRADOC and its Centers of Excellence CoEs The power projection bases from which deployments springBy February 2020 the 37th Vice Chief of Staff could assess that Army modernization was perceptibly speeding up 391 Silos Edit Chief Milley noted that AFC would actively reach out into the community in order to learn 18 and that Senator John McCain s frank criticism of the acquisition process was instrumental for modernization reform at Futures command 19 minute 7 30 40 In fact AFC soldiers would blend into Austin by not wearing their uniforms to work side by side with civilians in the tech hubs 18 392 Milley noted on 24 August 2018 press conference 19 minute 6 20 Secretary Esper said he expected failures during the process of learning how to reform the acquisition and modernization process 19 minute 18 20 the Network CFT and PEO have detected a process failure in the DOT amp E 393 requirements process some test requirements were inappropriately applied 221 394 In the Department of Defense the materiel supply process was underwritten by the acquisition logistics and technology directorate of the Office of the Secretary of Defense OSD with a deputy secretary of defense DSD to oversee five areas one of them being acquisition logistics and technology ALT 395 ALT is overseen by an under secretary of defense USD 396 Each of the echelons at the level of DSD and USD serve at the pleasure of the president as does the secretary of defense SECDEF The Defense Acquisition University DAU trains acquisition professionals for the Army as well In 2016 when RDECOM reported to AMC instead of to AFC as it does as of 2018 AMC instituted Life cycle management command LCMC 274 of three of RDECOM s centers for aviation and missiles electronics and tanks 397 AMRDEC 398 CERDEC 399 400 and TARDEC 401 respectively as well as the three contracting 402 functions for the three centers 358 This Life Cycle Management formulated in 2004 403 404 was intended to exert the kind of operational control OPCON 57 needed just for the sustainment function AMC s need for Readiness today 358 rather than for its relevance to modernization for the future which is the focus of AFC AFC now serves as the deciding authority when moving a project in its Life Cycle out of the Acquisition phase and into the Sustainment phase 272 269 a Due to the COVID 19 pandemic the Acquisition Executive and the AFC commander created a COVID 19 task force to try to project supplier problems 30 60 and 90 days out they are respectively tracking 800 programs and 35 priorities on a daily basis 405 Relevance for modernization Edit The CFTs Note 1 as prioritized 1 through 6 by the Chief of Staff of the Army CSA each have to consider constraints a balance of requirements acquisition science and technology test resourcing costing and sustainment 60 59 The Doctrine Organization Training Materiel Leadership and education Personnel and Facilities DOTMLPF method of mission planning was instituted to quantify tradeoffs in joint planning 57 TRADOC s Mission Command CoE uses DOTMLPF 406 DOTMLPF will be used for modernization of the Army beyond materiel alone which as of 2019 is the current focus of the CFTs 407 311 The updated modernization strategy to move from concept to doctrine as well will be unveiled by summer 2019 407 DOTMLPF doctrine organization training materiel leadership and education personnel and facilities itself is planned as a driver for modernization 40 407 The plan is to have an MDO capable Army by 2028 f and an MDO ready Army by 2035 407 127 TRADOC ASA ALT and AFC are tied together in this process according to 36th Vice Chief McConville 408 AFC will have to be a little bit disruptive but not upsetting to the existing order in order to institute reforms within budget in a timely way 409 The Assistant Secretary of the Army for acquisition logistics and technology ASA ALT is the civilian executive overseeing both the acquisition and the sustainment processes of the Department of the Army as of 2018 Dr Bruce Jette was 6th ASA ALT The ASA ALT will coordinate the acquisition portion of modernization reform with AFC 284 Para 1c 9 269 Congress has given the Army Other Transaction Authority OTA 410 Note 2 which allows the PEOs to enter into Full Rate Production quicker by permitting the services to control their own programs of record rather than DoD 280 This strips out one layer of bureaucracy as of 2018 280 411 98 MTA middle tier acquisition authority is another tool available to Program Managers and Contracting Officers 412 413 Besides the AFC CFTS the Army Requirements Oversight Council AROC 414 415 416 could also play a part in acquisition reform 417 418 as of September 2018 the Deputy Chief of Staff G 8 DCS G 8 who leads AROC and JROC Joint Requirements Oversight Council has aligned with the priorities of AFC 419 The DCS G 8 is principal military advisor to the ASA FM amp C 268 In addition the Program Executive Officers PEOs of ASA ALT are to maintain a dotted line relationship Note 1 i e coordination with Futures Command 274 46 There is now a PEO for Rapid Capabilities to get rapid turnaround The Rapid Capabilities Office RCO s PEO gets two program managers one for rapid prototyping and one for rapid acquisition of a capability 420 The Rapid capabilities office RCO does not develop its own requirements rather the RCO gets the requirements from the Cross functional team CFT 421 Rapid Capabilities RCO was headed by Tanya Skeen as PEO RCO 274 but Skeen moved to DoD in late 2018 422 In 2019 RCO became the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office RCCTO 423 Redstone Arsenal headed by LTG L Neil Thurgood 94 lately of ASA ALT s Army Hypersonics office 286 93 Progress toward MDO Edit Then CG of Army Futures Command AFC Gen Murray announced full operational capability FOC 31 July 2019 424 By 2021 the Army s 40th Chief of Staff could lay out Waypoint 2028 and Aimpoint 2035 for the Army 34 35 At Picatinny Arsenal in September 2020 a XM1299 Extended Range Cannon Artillery self propelled howitzer with an AI kill chain used a hypervelocity munition to intercept a cruise missile surrogate 425 The Army G8 is monitoring just how producible Milestone C the upcoming materiel will be for the moment the G8 is funding the materiel 23 269 Follow up on Modernization reviews is forthcoming on a regular basis according to the G8 426 427 428 The progress in the top six priorities long range precision fires Next Generation Combat Vehicle Future Vertical Lift platforms a mobile amp expeditionary Army network air amp missile defense capabilities o and soldier lethality being Note 1 52 h 24 53 54 30 29 Long Range Precision Fires Edit According to AFC the mission of the Long Range Precision Fires LRPF CFT is to deliver cutting edge surface to surface SSM fires systems that will significantly increase range and effects over currently fielded US and adversary systems 431 AFC s five major programs for LRPF are The Extended Range Cannon Artillery ERCA program which develops a system capable of firing accurately at targets beyond 70 km as opposed to the M109A7 s 30 km current range p The Precision Strike Mission PrSM which is a precision strike guided SSM fired from the M270A1 MLRS and M142 HIMARS doubling the present rate of fire with two missiles per launch pod q The Strategic Long Range Cannon SLRC program which would have developed a system that could have fired a hypersonic projectile up to 1 000 miles against air defense artillery missile systems and command and control targets 141 was terminated 23 May 2022 433 The Common Hypersonic Glide Body C HGB is a collaborative program between the Army Navy Air Force and Missile Defense Agency MDA which is planned to become the base of the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon LRHW program 434 435 436 A ground launchable UGM 109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile as well as the SM 6 RIM 174 Standard ERAM to fill the gap in the Army s mid range missile capabilities 437 438 has been delivered to RCCTO 439 Based on Futures Command s development between July 2018 and December 2020 by 2023 the earliest versions of these weapons will be fielded 440 Long Range Hypersonic Weapon training with All up round in its canister 7 Oct 2021 The kill chains will take less than 1 minute from detection of the target to execution of the fires command 441 these operations will have the capability to precisely strike command centers air defenses missile batteries and logistics centers nearly simultaneously 440 r 443 444 The speed of battle damage assessment will depend on the travel time of the munition This capability depends on the ability of a specialized CFT Assured precision navigation and timing APNT to provide detail 81 82 83 445 Long Range Precision Fires LRPF Howitzer artillery ranges have doubled in excess of 60 km 37 mi with accuracy within 1 meter of the aimpoint 446 currently with sufficient accuracy to intercept cruise missiles as of September 2020 reaching the 43 mile range as of December 2020 447 Precision Strike Missiles PrSMs can reach in excess of 150 miles 448 with current 2020 tests q Mid range capability MRC fires can reach in excess of 500 to 1000 miles 437 using mature Navy missiles 451 250 11 Long Range Hypersonic Weapons LRHWs are to have a range greater than 1725 miles 452 434 The current M109A6 Paladin howitzer range is doubled in the M109A7 variant 453 minute 3 07 454 An operational test of components of the Long range cannon was scheduled for 2020 455 The LRC is complementary to Extended range cannon artillery ERCA 455 456 the M1299 Extended Range Cannon Artillery howitzer 425 Baseline ERCA is to enter service in 2023 457 446 458 Investigations for ERCA in 2025 rocket boosted artillery shells 294 Tests of the Multiple launch rocket system MLRS XM30 rocket shell have demonstrated a near doubling of the range of the munition using the Tail controlled guided multiple launch rocket system or TC G 459 The TRADOC capability manager TCM Field Artillery Brigade DIVARTY has been named a command position m An autoloader for ERCA s 95 pound shells is under development at Picatinny Arsenal 425 to support a sustained firing rate of 10 rounds a minute 446 460 A robotic vehicle for carrying the shells is a separate effort at Futures Command s Army Applications Lab 425 461 The Precision Strike Missile PrSM is intended to replace the Army Tactical Missile System MGM 140 ATACMS in 2023 294 PrSM flight testing is delayed beyond 2 August 2019 the anticipated date for the expiration of the Intermediate range Nuclear Forces Treaty which set 499 kilometer limits on intermediate range missiles 462 David Sanger and Edward Wong projected that the earliest test of a longer range missile could be a ground launched version of a Tomahawk cruise missile 463 followed by a test of a mobile ground launched IRBM with a range of 1800 2500 miles before year end 2019 463 464 The 2020 National Defense Authorization Act NDAA 465 was approved on 9 December 2019 which allowed the Pentagon to continue testing such missiles in FY2020 466 The Lockheed PrSM prototype had its first launch on 10 December 2019 at White Sands Missile Range in a 150 mile test and an overhead detonation the Raytheon PrSM prototype was delayed from its planned November launch 448 and Raytheon has now withdrawn from the PrSM risk reduction phase 467 The PrSM s range and accuracy the interfaces to HIMARS launcher and test software met expectations 448 468 PrSM passed Milestone B on 1 October 2021 469 Baseline PrSM is to enter service in 2023 470 an upgraded version of PrSM with multi mode seekers will then be sought 471 The Army needs PrSM Increment 2 for INDOPACOM 472 457 q For targets beyond the PrSM s range the Army s RCCTO will seek a mid range missile prototype by 2023 with a reach from 1000 to 2000 miles 473 474 250 475 Loren Thompson points out that a spectrum of medium range to long range weapons will be available to the service by 2023 476 RCCTO s prototype Mid Range Capability MRC battery will field mature Navy missiles likely for the Indo Pacific theater in FY2023 437 250 DARPA is developing OpFires an intermediate range hypersonic weapon which is shorter range than the Army s LRHW DARPA is seeking a role in the armory for OpFires throttle able rocket motor post 2023 477 478 DARPA announced in July 2022 it successfully tested its OpFires hypersonic weapon at White Sands Missile Range WSMR for the first time 479 The OpFires launch was from a Marine Corps logistics truck 480 OpFires will rapidly and precisely engage critical time sensitive targets while penetrating modern enemy air defenses potentially to be launched from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System HIMARS launcher 479 These weapons will likely require planning for new Army or Joint formations The Long range hypersonic weapons LRHWs will use precision targeting data against anti access area denial A2AD radars and other critical infrastructure of near peer competitors by 2023 481 98 LRHW does depend on stable funding 482 427 95 483 434 Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System AFATDS 7 0 is the vehicle for a Multi domain task force s artillery battery very similar to a THAAD battery beginning in 2020 these batteries will train for a hypersonic glide vehicle which is common to the Joint forces 93 The Long range hypersonic weapon LRHW 481 glide vehicle is to be launched from transporter erector launchers 93 484 95 Tests of the Common hypersonic glide body C HGB to be used by the Army and Navy were meeting expectations in 2020 104 434 In August 2020 the director of Assured precision navigation and timing APNT CFT announced tests which integrate the entire fires kill chain from initial detection to final destruction William B Nelson announced the flow of satellite data from the European theater Germany and AI processing of AFATDS targeting data to the fires units 82 83 175 In September 2020 an AI kill chain was formulated in seconds a hypervelocity speeds up to Mach 5 munition 485 launched from a descendant of the Paladin intercepted a cruise missile surrogate 486 Three flight tests of LRHW were scheduled in 2021 487 that plan was changed to one test in late 2021 followed by a multi missile test in 2022 457 488 The LRHW has been named Dark Eagle 489 The first LRHW battery will start to receive its first operational rounds in early FY2023 all eight rounds for this battery will have been delivered by FY2023 490 434 By then the PEO Missiles and Space will have picked up the LRHW program for batteries two and three in FY 25 and FY 27 respectively 490 Battery one will first train and then participate in the LRHW flight test launches in FY 22 and FY 23 490 d 491 In February 2023 5th Battalion 3rd Field Artillery Regiment 5 3 LRFB 1st MDTF s long range fires battalion deployed the LRHW to Cape Canaveral a distance of 3100 miles 492 436 Next Generation Combat Vehicle Edit Main article Next Generation Combat Vehicle Next Generation Combat Vehicle NGCV portfolio 493 494 321 495 The use of modular protection is a move toward modular functionality for combat vehicles 496 497 498 At Yuma Proving Ground YPG Firestorm a Project Convergence AI node 499 500 501 sent targeting coordinates to Remote Weapons Stations which were proxies for the Robotic Combat Vehicles and Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicles A CROWS was slewed to the aimpoint awaiting the human commander s order to fire 502 Firestorm aids and partakes of the Common operational picture COP shared by the AI hub at Joint Base Lewis McChord 502 503 Satellite based F 35 based and Army ground based targeting data were shared in real time during Firestorm s operation with the AI hubs to produce effects at YPG 504 505 Firestorm was made possible by a mesh network improvising a medium earth orbit MEO at 1200 mile altitude and then a geosynchronous earth orbit GEO at 22 000 mile altitude satellite link between Joint Base Lewis McChord to Yuma Proving Ground 506 Armored Multi Purpose Vehicle AMPV in Limited User Tests 493 321 381 General purpose variant supports Blue force tracking 52 p 40 An Advanced Powertrain Demonstrator compact enough for AMPVs Bradleys OMFVs or RCVs can generate 1 000 horsepower from diesel 507 Alternatively the demonstrator can generate electrical power 160 kiloWatts for SHORAD high energy lasers or for propulsion of a 50 ton vehicle in quiet mode for brief periods 507 A ground mobility vehicle competition bids closing 26 October 2018 508 The JLTV was approved for full rate production in June 2019 509 Joint Modernization Command JMC is supporting a TCM Stryker study on the optimum number of JLTVs for light infantry brigades 510 Electrification microgrid standards 511 512 AFC s Futures and concepts center is proposing a strategy to guide the electrification of the GCVs using the JLTV as an example for a step by step pathway and transition plan for electrification 513 514 48 49 Loren Thompson cautions that electrification per se could harm further fielding due to scope creep in specifications for the JLTV 515 The Army has not requested a hybrid electric JLTV 516 The Maneuver CDID MCDID is undertaking the requirements development for electrification of Tactical and Combat Vehicles in September 2020 517 General Wesley had previously announced a plan in April 2020 for the modernization of Tactical and Combat Vehicles using the JLTV electrification plan as a prototype template of the electrification process 517 48 After prototype JLTV electrification the Army is seeking ideas 518 for an electrified Light Reconnaissance Vehicle LRV by 2025 519 The LRVs would complement the Infantry Squad Vehicles ISVs 519 and electrified versions of Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle Dragoon which are already fielded 520 s GM Defense has since converted one of its bid vehicles for the ISV to an all electric version 522 523 Mobile Protected Firepower MPF 524 Mobile Protected Firepower 525 526 approved by joint requirements oversight council 321 Two vendors were selected to build competing prototype light tanks MPF with contract award in 2022 527 A unit of 82nd Airborne Division will begin assessment of prototype MPFs beginning in March 2020 528 General Dynamics Land Systems will build 42 MPFs a battalion of light infantry tanks by FY2025 529 530 Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle OMFV 53 soliciting input in requirements definition stage the 2018 requirement was that 2 OMFVs fit in a C 17 321 531 48 49 A request for proposal for a vehicle prototype was placed 29 March 2019 53 532 On 16 January 2020 the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle solicitation was cancelled as a middle tier acquisition in its early stage the requirements and schedule are being revisited 225 The FY2021 budget request has been adjusted accordingly 386 262 533 An Army development team will not be an OMFV competitor as of 17 September 2020 534 NGCV optionally manned fighting vehicle OMFV is getting some industry silhouettes 535 which may be incorporated in digital designs for 2023 prototypes by 2025 262 A fifth OMFV bidder a small business is still a contender in the competition includes large consortia 536 However Mark Cancian points out that OMFV might not be suitable for a pivot to the Pacific theater 537 538 A hybrid electrified Bradley Fighting Vehicle is slated for January 2022 by RCCTO 539 Robotic Combat Vehicles RCVs 540 53 General Murray envisions that by FY2023 critical decisions will be made on RCVs after years of experimentation 147 541 542 Russia s Uran 9 Uran 9 is not a robotic tank rather it is an unmanned radio controlled drone tank A Next Generation main battle tank 543 544 remains a Future concept Future Vertical Lift Edit Main article Future Vertical Lift Future Vertical Lift FVL is a plan for a family of military helicopters for the United States Armed Forces using common elements such as sensors avionics and engines 545 Five different sizes of aircraft are to be developed to replace the wide range of rotorcraft in use The project began in 2009 By 2014 the SB 1 Defiant and V 280 Valor had been chosen as demonstrators On 5 December 2022 Bell s V 280 was chosen for the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft the first phase of the contract award will be for a virtual prototype 546 547 The FVL CFT has secured approval for the requirements in all four of its Lines of Effort 548 549 Future Vertical Lift will use the DoD modular open systems approach MOSA an integrated business and technical strategy in FARA and in FLRAA 545 550 551 552 553 554 555 556 557 224 Both FLRAA and FARA are to enter service by Fiscal Year 2030 261 By abstracting its requirements the Army was able to request prototypes which used new technologies Joint Multi Role Technology Demonstrator JMR TD prototypes are to be built by two teams to replace Sikorsky UH 60 Blackhawks with Future Long Range Assault Aircraft FLRAA 558 The tilt rotor FLRAA demonstrator by Bell is flying unmanned October 2019 it logged 100 hours of flight testing by April 2019 559 Both Bell and Sikorsky Boeing received contract awards to compete in a risk reduction effort CDRRE for FLRAA in March 2020 560 559 561 The risk reduction effort will be a 2 phase 2 year competition The competition will transition technologies powertrain drivetrain and control laws from the previous demonstrators JMR TDs of 2018 2019 to requirements conceptual designs and acquisition approach for the weapon system 560 562 The Army wants flight testing of FLRAA prototypes 563 beginning in 2025 with fielding to the first units in 2030 564 The Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft FARA is smaller than FLRAA The Army s requests for proposals RFPs for FARA were due in December 2018 565 566 A long range precision munition for the Army s aircraft will begin its program of design and development In the interim the Army is evaluating the Spike 18 mile range non line of sight missile on its Boeing AH 64E Apache attack helicopters 567 Unmanned UH 60An unmanned UH 60 Black Hawk flew pilotless in July 2022 568 An FVL FLRAA JMR TD flew unmanned in 2019 559 Mobile Expeditionary Network Edit In Fiscal Year 2019 the network CFT will leverage Network Integration Evaluation 18 2 569 for experiments with brigade level scalability 570 By 2022 4 separate network Capability Sets were in process simultaneously 21 23 25 and 27 571 Integrated Tactical Network ITN is not a new or separate network but rather a concept PEO C3T 572 573 574 Avoid overspecifying the requirements for Integrated Tactical Network 52 h 572 575 576 364 577 578 579 Information Systems Initial Capabilities Document Instead meet operational needs 580 570 172 such as interoperability with other networks 581 292 minute 26 40 579 and release ITN capabilities incrementally 582 52 572 Up through 2028 every two years the Army will insert new capability sets for ITN Capability sets 21 23 25 etc 583 584 52 572 and take feedback from Soldier led experiment amp evaluation 585 586 587 However the Army s commitment to a campaign of learning showed more paths 588 589 Firestorm was made possible by a mesh network improvising an MEO and then a GEO satellite link between JBLM to YPG 506 There are plans to have a Project Convergence 2021 153 590 591 The Army fielded a data fabric at Project Convergence 2020 592 this will eventually be part of JADC2 593 594 595 596 Five Rapid Innovation Fund RIF awards were granted to five vendors via the Network CFT and PEO C3T s request for white papers That request for a roll on roll off kit that integrates all functions of mission command on the Army Network was posted at the National Spectrum Consortium and FedBizOpps and yielded awards within eight months 597 Note 2 Two more awards are forthcoming The Rapid Capabilities Office RCO s Emerging Technologies Office structured a competition to find superior AI Machine Learning algorithms for electronic warfare from a field of 150 contestants over a three month period 598 Note 2 The Multi Domain Operations Task Force MDO TF is standing up an experimental Electronic Warfare Platoon to prototype an estimated 1000 EW soldiers needed for the 31 BCTs of the active Army 599 123 Capability Set 21 fields ITN to selected infantry brigades to prepare for IVAS Integrated vision goggles Expeditionary signal brigades get enhanced satellite communications 1 82nd Airborne 173rd Airborne 3 25th ID and 3 82nd Airborne infantry brigades will all have fielded the Integrated Tactical Network Capability Set 21 by year end 2021 600 575 2nd Cavalry Regiment is getting Capability Set 21 on Strykers 601 which will test the CS 23 network design on Strykers early 602 Integrated Tactical Network ITN Capability Set 23 is prototyping JADC2 communications and the data fabric to LEO Low earth orbit and to MEO Medium earth orbit satellites as continued in Project Convergence 2021 in Yuma Proving Ground 592 603 601 604 Capability Set 23 has passed its Critical design review CDR 571 t Integrated Tactical Network ITN Capability Set 25 will implement JADC2 according to the acting head of the Network CFT 9 June 2021 606 By 2023 the brigade centric capability sets CS 21 and CS 23 already support mobile headquarters operation Infantry and Stryker BCTs The Armored BCTs are heavily affected by the need to support Large scale combat operations 607 608 609 610 611 these Heavy brigades are to operate as part of a Division level and Corps level plan 612 Command post footprint is to be reduced even at the division level to keep headquarters survivable 573 612 and the next network updates the former CS 25 are for the echelons above brigade 612 609 this new upgrade strategy will make the network more agile 612 The former Integrated Tactical Network ITN Capability Sets for the 25 and 27 waypoints 583 are to be implemented with rapid updates that are independent of previous tests The Army network will rely upon a single standardized foundation 612 G 6 John Morrison is seeking to unify the battlefield networks of ITN and IEN Enterprise Network as of September 2021 613 614 An Army leader dashboard from PEO Enterprise Information Systems is underway 615 616 The dashboard is renamed Vantage 617 The dashboard has streamlined and connected data updates for deployments 618 Cloud service provider agnostic abstraction layers are in use which allows merging the staff work in G 3 5 7 for cyber EW electronic warfare mission command and space 619 The seamless real time flow of data across multiple domains land sea air space and cyberspace is an objective for G 6 as well as the sensor to shooter work at Futures command 326 619 620 592 Fort Irwin Fort Cavazos Joint Base San Antonio and Joint Base Lewis McChord have 5G experiments on wireless connectivity between forward operating bases and tactical operations centers as well as nonaircraft Augmented reality support of maintenance and training 621 The Multi domain task forces MDTFs 11 will be used to expose any capability gaps in the Unified network plan 622 613 Air Missile Defense Edit Air Missile Defense AMD 623 624 625 7 626 627 In 2022 plans for FY2023 cruise missile defense were underway 628 Schematic 6 layer Air Defense dome one of multiple arrays linked by Integrated Air and Missile Battle Command System IBCS Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System Edit The United States Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense IAMD Battle Command System IBCS is a plug and fight network intended to let any defensive sensor such as a radar feed its data to any available weapon system colloquially connect any sensor to any shooter 52 p 42 h The system is designed to shoot down short medium and intermediate range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase by intercepting with a hit to kill approach 629 630 631 IBCS has been developed since 2004 with the aim to replace Raytheon s Patriot missile SAM engagement control station ECS along with seven other forms of ABM defense command systems 632 633 634 635 In 2022 IBCS successfully completed initial operational test and evaluation IOT amp E 636 and was approved for full rate production in 2023 637 The IBCS program is part of the Army s Integrated Air and Missile Defense IAMD effort 611 638 639 IBCS aims to create an integrated network of air defense sensors such as AN MPQ 64 Sentinel and AN TPS 80 G ATOR 640 AN MPQ 53 AN MPQ 65A and GhostEye LTAMDS in Patriot missile system 641 GhostEye MR in NASAMS AN TPY 2 in Terminal High Altitude Area Defense THAAD 642 and Ground Based Midcourse Defense GMD 641 AN SPY 1 and AN SPY 6 in Aegis BMD 643 and AN APG 81 in Lockeed Martin F 35 Lightning II 644 allowing them to interoperate with IBCS engagement control stations 107 IBCS engagement stations will be able to take fine control of army fielded air defense systems like Patriot and THAAD directing radar positioning and suggesting recommended launchers naval aerial and Marine systems will only be able to share either radar tracks or raw radar data with the IBCS network 641 The Army requires all new missiles and air defense systems to implement IBCS support 645 Northrop Grumman was announced as the prime contractor in 2010 between 2009 and 2020 the Army had spent 2 7 billion on the program 646 647 By May 2015 a first flight test integrated a networked S 280 engagement operations center 648 with radar sensor and interceptor launchers This test demonstrated a missile kill with the first interceptor By Army doctrine two interceptors were launched against that missile By April 2016 649 IBCS tests demonstrated sensor fusion from disparate data streams 629 minute 2 28 identification and tracking of targets selection of appropriate kill vehicles and interception of the targets 629 minute 3 29 but the IBCS software was neither mature nor stable 649 On 1 May 2019 an Engagement Operations Center EOC for the Integrated Air and Missile Defense IAMD Battle Command System IBCS was delivered to the Army at Huntsville Alabama 650 In July 2019 the TRADOC capability manager TCM for Strategic Missile Defense SMD has accepted the charter for DOTMLPF for the Space and Missile Defense Command SMDC ARSTRAT 651 127 On 30 August 2019 at Reagan Test Site on Kwajalein atoll THAAD Battery E 62 successfully intercepted a medium range ballistic missile MRBM using a radar which was well separated from the interceptors 652 653 the next step tested Patriot missiles as interceptors 638 while using THAAD radars as sensors 652 a THAAD radar has a longer detection range than a Patriot radar 652 THAAD Battery E 62 engaged the MRBM without knowledge of just when the medium range ballistic missile had launched 652 653 IBCS second limited user test was scheduled to take place in the fourth quarter of FY20 625 654 In July 2020 a Limited user test LUT of IBCS was initiated at WSMR the test ran until mid September 2020 655 The LUT was originally scheduled for May but was delayed to handle the COVID 19 safety protocols 654 The first of several LUTs of IBCS by an ADA battalion was successfully run in August 2020 656 IBCS successfully integrated data from two sensors Sentinel and Patriot radars and shot down two drones cruise missile surrogates with two Patriot missiles in the presence of jamming 656 In the week after by 20 August 2020 two more disparate threats cruise missile and ballistic missile were launched and intercepted 657 658 the ADA battalion then ran hundreds of drills denoting hundreds of threats for the remainder of the IBCS tests the increased effort occupied the entire unit 659 the real world data serve as a sanity check for Monte Carlo simulations of an array of physical scenarios amounting to hundreds of thousands of cases 443 660 IBCS created a single uninterrupted composite track of each threat and handed off each threat for separate disposition by the air and missile defense s integrated fire control network IFCN 661 The same battalion running the LUT for both IBCS and LTAMDS radar is scheduled to run the Initial Operational Test amp Evaluation IOTE in 2021 655 662 and is to run well into 2022 660 In September 2020 a Joint exercise against cruise missiles demonstrated AI based kill chains which can be formulated in seconds one of the kills was by a kinetic projectile fired by a M109 based tracked howitzer 441 663 a Paladin descendant 664 The ranges of the IAMD defensive radars when operated as a system are thousands of miles Cross domain information from ground air and space sensors was passed to a fire control system at Project Convergence 2021 PC21 via IBCS during one of the use case scenarios 665 At PC21 IBCS fused sensor data from an F 35 tracking the target and passing that data to AFATDS Army Field Artillery Tactical Data System The F 35 then served as a spotter for artillery fire on ground target data 666 More than 100 technologies were prototyped in experiments at PC21 12 minute 34 00 By August 2020 a second Limited User Test LUT at White Sands Missile Range was able to detect track and intercept near simultaneous low altitude targets as well as a tactical ballistic missile 667 over several separate engagements 443 668 646 Army doctrine can now be updated to allow the launch of a single Patriot against a single target 667 443 By 2021 the Army awarded a 1 4 billion contract to Northrop Grumman for IBCS 669 On 24 February 2022 THAAD radar and TFCC THAAD Fire Control amp Communication demonstrated their interoperability with Patriot PAC 3 MSE missiles in other words IBCS can engage targets using both THAAD and Patriot interceptors freed of a siloed solution THAAD only Patriot only etc 670 For example in a scenario where a THAAD system has to conserve its All Up Rounds IBCS can calculate which targets are within the reach of its PAC 3 MSE interceptors and instead fire the PAC 3 interceptors at those targets within range 670 IBCS was projected to be at its initial operating capability IOC in Fiscal year 2022 52 42 h In January 2018 James H Dickinson and Richard Formica broached the integration of strategic fires and air missile defense in the multi domain task force 430 min 37 00 o 11 IBCS was finally approved for full rate production in April 2023 after years of delays 637 Raytheon s new GhostEye radar previously Lower Tier Air and Missiles Defense Sensor LTAMDS 625 replaces the Patriot AN SPY 65A radar GhostEye will be able to feed raw sensor data to IBCS and it will fit on a C 17 Globemaster 642 671 672 GhostEye is engineered to operate with much greater sensitivity improved range and ability to track smaller faster moving targets It uses three fixed 120 degree arrays to seamlessly find discriminate and track fast approaching threats using a 360 degree protection envelope The arrays are overlapping to close blind spots and maintain a track if an attacking missile shifts course in flight GhostEye can detect the precise shape size distance and speed of an approaching threat with high fidelity sensor pings its semiconductor gallium nitride GaN emitters allow increased resolution accuracy and power efficiency 673 674 675 Note 2 671 672 676 677 678 The fielding of four LTAMDS radars to a battalion is expected in 2023 679 680 The Indirect fire protection capability IFPC Multi Mission Launcher MML will have fielded 50 kW lasers on Strykers 143 481 in 2021 and 2022 to two battalions per year 126 In late FY2024 an integrated test of LTAMDS IFPC and IBCS is planned 681 Although on 21 August 2019 the Missile Defense Agency MDA cancelled the 5 8 billion contract for the Redesigned kill vehicle RKV 682 683 684 107 the Army s 100th Missile Defense Brigade will continue to use the Exo Atmospheric Kill Vehicle EKV The current Ground based Midcourse Defense GMD programs continue per plan with 64 ground based interceptors GBIs in the missile fields for 2019 planned Command and Control Battle Management and Communications C2BMC was developed by the Missile defense agency as a development organization and is integrated with GMD as demonstrated by FTG 11 on 25 March 2019 685 15 00 By March 2021 the decision to approve further development of the Next Generation Interceptor is on the agenda for the 35th Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks Hicks has extensive background in defense modernization the 28th Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has recused himself from acquisition matters 686 687 High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator Edit High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator HEL TVD 2019 A contract for the U S Army Space and Missile Defense Command Army Forces Strategic Command s High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator HEL TVD laser system a 100 kilowatt laser demonstrator for use on the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles was awarded 15 May 2019 to Dynetics Lockheed 688 94 A 300 kilowatt laser demonstrator HEL IFPC effort supersedes the HEL TVD after the critical design review 689 690 691 System test at White Sands Missile Range in 2023 688 692 693 694 625 695 696 697 698 Maneuver short range air defense MSHORAD 699 625 700 with laser cannon prototypes in 2020 690 In July 2021 RCCTO conducted a combat shootoff on just how to control pointing these high energy lasers 701 702 Raytheon is providing the high energy laser Directed Energy Maneuver Short Range Air Defense system DE M SHORAD for the Strykers in 2022 257 703 704 RCCTO has awarded a contract to build a 300 kW high energy laser HEL for the Army in FY2022 capable of defending against airborne threats by acquiring tracking and maintaining the HEL s aimpoint on the threat until it goes down 705 Soldier lethality Edit Soldier Lethality 706 707 381 708 Next Generation Squad Weapon Program Expect 100 000 to be fielded to the Close Combat Force 709 u Infantry Armor Cavalry Special Forces and Combat engineers Tests at Fort Benning in 2019 Chief of Staff Milley 711 Nine thousand systems with two drones apiece are being purchased over a three year period for the 9 man infantry squads heading to Afghanistan 712 Integrated Visual Augmentation System IVAS an augmented reality display allows soldiers to use multiple sensors to fight 576 IVAS was put on hold in March 2022 with Congress budgeting 349 million in favor of drones instead 363 An initial IVAS buy was approved in September 2022 after a six month hold 364 An improved IVAS is being sought after finding that some soldiers are being physically affected from wearing the goggles 713 Enhanced night vision goggles ENVG B will be fielded to an Armor brigade combat team ABCT going to South Korea in October 2019 714 709 715 A CCDC program which instrumented a battalion with sleep monitors Redibands and smartwatches to detect exertion detected soldiers with elevated heart rates indicating the beginnings of a streptococcus infection This condition was detected by the medics and would have impacted the battalion detected before deploying to Afghanistan 716 Synthetic training environment STE a CFT devoted to an augmented reality system 316 717 to aid planning using mapping techniques even at squad level 718 719 258 will begin fielding by 2021 720 164 721 In October 2019 the Synthetic Training Environment STE prototype is being used by Special Operations for planning actual missions 722 318 Development for the Synthetic Training Environment STE is to be accelerated to meet MDO and JADC2 training demands 723 On the battlefield of the future where no headquarters is safe for long the commander s task is 724 p 87 Avoid being detected and targeted 223 Work through and survive attacks 223 Rapidly recover from losses Thus the commander has to be continuously aware of the current status that is alive or not of the deputy commander and the staff so that the mission can be completed Enterprise campaign planning Edit In 2019 DoD planners are exercising Doctrine organization training materiel leadership and education personnel and facilities DOTMLPF in planning per the National Defense Strategy NDS 725 in the shift from counterinsurgency COIN to competition with near peer powers 725 The evaluations from planners scenarios will be determining materiel and organization by late 2020 725 127 726 727 Futures Command is formulating multiyear Enterprise campaign plans in 2019 728 309 The planning process includes Army Test and Evaluation Command ATEC AFC s cross functional teams CFTs Futures and Concepts FCC Combat Capabilities Development Command CCDC and Army Reserve s Houston based 75th Innovation Command At this stage one goal is to formulate the plans in simple coherent language which nests within the national security strategic documents 728 729 730 244 731 732 By October 2022 Field Manual 3 0 could state that The Army Operating Concept was that Multi domain Operations are at the root of all Army operations 733 1 11 p 1 3 734 minute 28 09 to 36 00 Futures Edit AFC faces multiple futures 735 both as threat and opportunity The Army s warfighting directive viz to impose the nation s political will on its enemy Chief of Staff Milley is to be ready 40 for multiple near term futures 736 Under Secretary McCarthy notes that Gen Murray functions as the Army s Chief Investments Officer 171 more precisely its chief futures modernization investment officer 268 Section 4 Note 2 47 Funding for the top six priorities could mean that existing programs might be curtailed 737 269 In the top six priorities XM1113 extended range artillery round shown here at a range demonstration uses a rocket assist motor LRPF Long range precision fires q 738 739 Hypersonic materiel development 90 the Strategic long range cannon SLRC for a hypersonic projectile 740 741 is meant to have a range up to 1 000 nautical miles 742 An early ballistic test took place at Naval Support Facility Dahlgren as announced at AUSA in October 2019 742 141 ERCA development at Picatinny Arsenal evaluate several manufacturing technologies tied to the XM1113 munition 743 744 Targeting with thousand mile missiles 287 106 327 130 streamlining the sensor shooter link at every echelon BG 745 John Rafferty 106 in Integrated fire 746 747 748 NGCV Next generation combat vehicle 749 166 Much smaller and lighter ground combat vehicles optionally unmanned 321 Dedicated short range communications for robotic vehicles 750 Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport S MET candidate robotic mules for transporting infantry squad equipment 751 If robotic combat vehicles RCVs do not need to be manned neither would they need to be armored see Uran 9 use of sensors and batteries could replace the armor 752 753 Soldiers have learned to remotely operate the weapons on such RCVs in several days 752 the CCDC RCV Center and CFT are placing RCV prototypes and the Soldier s vehicle prototypes in company level scenarios in Europe in 2020 and forward 752 Modified Bradley Fighting Vehicles and M113s at Fort Carson went through unit level operations to gain experience with RCVs in July and August 2020 754 Future breaching operations will be affected in detail by the robotic breaching concept according to the panel at the AUSA October 2020 meeting 755 756 In October 2020 the Army s Chief of Staff reminded the force that The time is now to modernize for the future including how the Army develops the systems themselves 757 758 34 if a soldier can now use IVAS to shoot around corners and hit the target if soldiers and their units can use STE synthetic training environment to depict the mission s terrain and train for the mission before the conflict occurs if deploying robotic reconnaissance vehicles at the time of the mission can smoke out defenses before committing manned combat vehicles against those defenses then even light vehicles can transport soldiers in conflict and precision fires can neutralize threats against those soldiers in a conflict STE can depict these scenarios 757 min 14 01 759 760 Robotic warfare as a concept or capability at the Joint Corps echelon was demonstrated at the operational level using Joint Warfighting assessment JWA 18 1 in April 2018 JWA 19 April May 2019 I Corps at Joint base Lewis McChord is getting modernization training on the robotic complex breaching concept RCBC 761 and the command post computing environment CPCE 762 from Joint modernization command JMC training staff 763 Create decisive lethality 764 765 147 Robotic experiments 766 767 Jen Judson reports that Lt Gen Eric Wesley is proposing that the brigades begin to electrify their vehicles using hybrid 768 or all electric propulsion 514 769 v Smaller brigades and stronger division level maneuver with robotic aerial reconnaissance vehicles robotic combat vehicles RCVs and long range precision fires LRPFs are under consideration 777 237 Modified M2 Bradleys MET Ds and other RCVs operating at Fort Carson and in Europe have used robotic software to operate the vehicles for both logistics and also for combat maneuver 778 As of August 2020 the RCVs are able to perform limited waypoint navigation multiple vehicles can be controlled by one human operator 778 FVL 779 Our new approach is really to prototype as much as we can to help us identify requirements so our reach doesn t exceed our grasp A good example is Future Vertical Lift The prototyping has been exceptional Secretary of the Army Mark Esper 282 The Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft FARA scout helicopter prototypes are to be designed to fly along urban streets to survive air defenses 780 Five design vendors were selected with downselect to two for prototyping by February 2020 780 These aircraft are envisioned as platforms for utilizing sensor networks to control and enable weapons delivery as demonstrated in a 2019 experiment 781 782 In preparation for FVL platforms the FVL CFT demonstrated a 2020 Spike non line of sight missile launch from an Apache gunship at Yuma Proving Ground for extended range capability 783 a forward air launch of an unmanned sensor aircraft UAS from a helicopter was demonstrated at YPG as well 784 Mobile amp Expeditionary Network 724 MDO Multi domain operations 27 384 In the battlefield of the future where nowhere is safe for long you will miss opportunities to get to positions of advantage if you don t synthesize the data very quickly LTG Wesley AI for multi domain command and control MDC2 132 785 124 Finding and engaging high value relocatable ground systems within rapid timelines is the Air Force s operational objective in this JADC2 exercise December 2019 Eliahu Norwood Greg Grant and Tyler Lewis 786 ISR intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance k f needs to match the range of the upcoming LRPF Long range precision fires and thousand nautical mile missile standoff capability of the Army 787 Soldiers on the ground are now able to receive satellite ISR 505 788 Cybersecurity 789 790 791 792 RAND simulations show Blue losses 126 Cyber warfare 793 urban warfare 127 794 795 796 797 Underground warfare Multi domain combined maneuver 798 147 540 Robotic swarms are a tactic under consideration 799 311 800 124 Assured Positioning Navigation and Timing A PNT 81 801 802 Zephyr a solar powered drone successfully stayed aloft at Yuma Proving Ground for nearly 26 days at times descending to 55 000 feet to avoid adverse weather conditions while remaining well above the altitudes flown by commercial aircraft and landing per plan in the summer of 2018 to meet other testing commitments 803 A 2022 test of Zephyr S began on 15 June 2022 as of 22 July 2022 the drone was still flying at 70 000 feet in the stratosphere and has broken its previous non stop record 804 However on 19 August after 64 days Zephyr S lost 20 000 feet of altitude before suddenly plummeting at high speed in a presumed crash at YPG Zephyr yielded over 1500 hours of stratospheric data during the mission This surpasses Airbus goal of 60 days of unmanned service which included international flight from Arizona to Belize and back 805 Zephyr would have broken the world record for continuous flight had it lasted just a few more hours 806 807 808 In April 2021 a Vanilla UAS demonstrated 45 hour 23 minute unrefueled flight from Point Mugu to the Pacific Fleet s PACFLT UxS IBP 2021 exercise 809 810 An A PNT event is scheduled at WSMR for August 2019 52 pp220 3 h 811 Positioning Navigation and Timing Assessment Exercise PNTAX 812 52 pp220 1 h 813 445 Prototype jam resistant GPS kits are being fielded to 2nd Cavalry Regiment in US European Command EUCOM before year end 2019 283 More than 300 Strykers of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment are being fitted with the Mounted Assured Precision Navigation amp Timing System MAPS with thousands more planned for EUCOM 814 A Modular Open Systems Approach MOSA to Positioning Navigation and Timing PNT is under development 815 140 219 Low Earth orbit satellites for Assured Positioning Navigation and Timing When you look at the sheer number of satellites that go up and the reduced cost to do it it gives us an array of opportunities on how to solve the problems in A PNT 816 CCDC Army Research Laboratory ARL researchers have proposed and demonstrated a way for small ground based robots with mounted antennas to configure phased arrays a technique which usually takes a static laboratory to develop Instead the researchers used robots to covertly create and focus a highly directional parasitic array see Yagi antenna 817 CCDC Army Research Laboratory ARL ARL s Army Research Office is funding researchers at University of Texas at Austin and University of Lille who have built a new 5G component using hexagonal boron nitride which can switch at performant speeds while remaining 50 times more energy efficient than current materials the thinnest known insulator with a thickness of 0 33 nanometers 818 CCDC Army Research Laboratory ARL ARL s Army Research Office ARO is seeking diamond colloids microscopic spheres which can assemble bottom up into promising structures for laser action 819 Newly developed materials with nanoscale trusses could serve as armor or coatings 820 A demonstration of proof of concept allows Soldiers to communicate their position using a wearable tracking unit The technology allows soldiers or robots to prosecute a fight even indoors or underground even if GPS were lost during a NavWar 231 Air Missile Defense 739 130 695 is being reframed as more integrated 642 821 822 Integrated Air and Missile Battle Command System IBCS 823 award including next software build 824 130 238 million also funds initial prototypes of the command and control system for fielding in FY22 625 Hypersonic glide vehicle launch preparations 98 beginning in 2020 and continuing with launches every six months 93 At Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake an FVL CFT sponsored demonstration of interconnected sensors handed off the control of a glide munition which had been launched from a Grey Eagle unmanned aircraft system UAS During the flight of that munition another group of sensors picked up a higher priority target another operator at the Tactical Operations Center TOC redirected the glide munition to the higher priority target and destroyed it 781 825 548 See Air launched effects Indiscriminate use of thousands of offensive missiles against Ukraine shows we should expect these weapons to become a common feature of 21st century conflict unnamed DoD official 27 October 2022 826 827 828 Contested logistics are needed for Ukraine s Army in a time span of months as of April 2022 829 830 831 As a test of its assumptions on contested logistics the 2023 exercises for IndoPacom will test its prepositioned stocks 832 The CG of Army Materiel Command is taking the lead for contested logistics 833 Soldier lethality Sensor to shooter prototype for multi domain battle 2019 operational assessment Air Force RCO Army RCO Network CFT 144 145 146 Night vision goggles thermal polarimetric camera 834 Integrated Visual Augmentation System IVAS 835 836 837 838 576 839 840 841 842 The Synthetic Training Environment STE is available to some of the troops outfitted with IVAS 843 Christine Wormuth 25th Secretary of the Army has identified the Army s work on a Common operating picture COP as foundational for the operation of the Joint services 844 845 846 CCDC ARL researchers are developing a flexible waterproof lithium ion battery of any size and shape for soldiers to wear the electrolyte is water itself In 2020 the batteries were engineering prototypes by 2021 soldiers will wear the battery for themselves for the first time 847 CCDC ARL and DoE s PNNL are examining the solid electrolyte interphase SEI as it first forms during the initial charging of a Lithium ion battery They have found an inner SEI thin dense and inorganic most likely lithium oxide between the copper electrode and an outer SEI which is organic and permeable a finding which will be useful when building future batteries 848 CCDC ARL and MIT researchers are formulating atomically thin materials to be layered upon soldiers equipment and clothing for MDO information display and processing 849 Integrated wearable cabling for capabilities such as IVAS NGSW or Nett Warrior are under development 850 the potential exists to reduce 20 pounds of batteries to half that weight 851 CCDC ARL is undertaking an Essential research program ERP in the processes underlying additive manufacturing 3D printing which is applicable to munitions 852 Natick Soldier RDEC has awarded an Other Transaction Authority OTA contract to prototype soldier exoskeletons which augment human leg strength under harsh conditions 853 854 855 856 DEVCOM Chem Bio Center CBC is developing sensors to detect possible hazardous contamination 857 Plans for the Infantry Squad Vehicle ISV are underway 858 859 An ISV is meant to be airdropped for a squad of nine paratroopers 860 The GM design was selected first unit is expected at 1 82nd AB division in February 2021 861 862 Assured pointing navigation and tracking A PNT devices are being miniaturized with increased redundant positioning sources This aids wearability 812 52 pp220 3 h In September 2019 in the Maneuver CoE s Battle Lab at Fort Moore OneSAF simulations 863 of a platoon augmented by UAS drones ground robots and AI were able to dislodge a defending force 3 times larger repeatedly But by current doctrine a near battalion would have been required to accomplish that mission 863 Waypoint 2028 and the Army of 2030 EditIn 2022 to 2028 34 35 the Army defined a path for defining Corps level Large scale combat operations LSCO in multi domain operation 864 that the Corps be the Unit of Employment 865 the Division echelon to be the Unit of Action Brigades are Units for Close combat Divisions are purpose built designs 866 867 Joint forcible entry airborne and air assault 868 Standard heavy and light 869 and Heavy Reinforced formerly Penetration divisions 870 871 872 873 By 2022 the 25th Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth was able to announce the top six areas for the Army of 2030 874 875 minute 43 30 1 improved Intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance ISR 2 Coordination at greater speed d 3 Win the Fires fight 4 concealment 876 877 via improved mobility and reduced signature 5 talk often and quickly 729 i and 6 logistics 874 878 34 35 879 865 14 880 Army of 2040By October 2022 the 25th Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth could charge the 2nd commander of Futures Command with proponency a for the Army of 2040 881 875 minute 51 00 878 882 883 Futures Command hosted the inaugural Army Future Readiness Conference in Austin 13 15 December 2022 covering the design of the Army of 2040 884 The conference was a synchronization meeting for AFC AMC TRADOC FORSCOM and Headquarters Department of the Army The meeting was to support the Army Campaign Plan and to execute the ReARMM readiness model in future synchronization meetings 884 A series of working groups using the techniques of DOTMLPF to focus future meetings is underway 884 885 886 887 Headquarters HQ EditAFC s headquarters is based in Austin Texas where it spreads across three locations totaling 75 000 ft2 165 One location is a University of Texas System building at 210 W Seventh St in downtown Austin on the 15th and 19th floors the UT Regents were not going to charge rent to AFC until December 2019 888 889 The command began initial operations on 1 July 2018 890 Value stream Edit In a hearing before Congress House Armed Services Committee the AFC commander projected that materiel will result from the value stream below within a two year time frame 9 from concept to Soldier The commanding general is assisted by three deputy commanders The Futures and Concepts Center 305 is led by LTG Scott McKean 724 The first commander was AFC deputy commanding general LTG Ret Eric J Wesley 891 99 who sought 4 value streams for reducing the time invested to define a relevant requirement 356 48 49 Science and technology S amp T discovery collection of ideas with usable effects Note 3 892 Experiments Testing of a system to a known expectation of effects or else observation of that system in the absence of a specific expectation of effects Concepts development 47 Development of a relevant idea about that system 313 308 Requirements development Development of the terms and conditions for that system 31 Combat Development element 335 893 Army Futures Command 305 LTG Richard R Coffman is the deputy commander He assists the commander with efforts to assess and integrate the future operational environment emerging threats and technologies to develop and deliver concepts requirements and future force designs to posture the Army for the future The Capability development integration directorate CDID of each Center of Excellence CoE works with its CFT Note 1 and its research development and engineering center RDEC to develop operational experiments and prototypes to test The Battle Labs and The Research Analysis Center TRAC 307 313 prototype and analyze the concepts to test JMC is capable of providing live developmental experiments to test those concepts or capabilities scalable from company level to corps amid tough realistic multi domain operations 168 10 131 RDECOM becomes the Combat Capabilities Development Command CCDC or DEVCOM part of the Combat Development element on 3 February 2019 335 58 296 894 48 49 Futures Command s Thomas H Todd III Lt Gen USA is Deputy Commanding General of Acquisition and Systems in 2018 denoted Combat Systems w a Gen Robert Abrams has tasked III Corps with providing Soldier feedback for the Next Generation Combat Vehicles CFT XVIII Corps for the Soldier feedback on the Soldier lethality CFT the Network CFT as well as the Synthetic training CFT and I Corps for the Long Range Precision Fires CFT 899 Combat Systems refines engineers and produces the developed solutions from Combat Development 900 901 An analysis by AMSAA can then assess that concept or capability as a promising system for a materiel development decision 270 what I do think you will see is some of the capabilities the cross functional teams are working will be in production and being delivered and in the hands of soldiers in the next two years Gen John Mike Murray 2018 9 Army Chief of Staff Milley is looking for AFC to attain full operational capability FOC by August 2019 19 25 77 902 By 2022 the Army s unclassified Multi Domain Operations concept g which had been initially formulated by Futures Command was disclosed to the public 34 35 List of commanding generals Edit LTG James E Rainey assumes command of AFC from LTG James M Richardson on 4 October 2022 On 16 July 2018 Lieutenant General John M Murray was nominated for promotion and appointment as Army Futures Command s first commanding general 903 and his appointment was confirmed on 20 August 2018 904 and he assumed command during the official activation ceremony of AFC on 24 August 2018 in Austin Texas 165 Murray relinquished command of AFC on 3 December 2021 905 67 68 898 69 70 71 Lieutenant General James E Rainey later promoted to general on 7 October 2022 906 became AFC s second commanding general on 4 October 2022 a No Portrait Name and rank Took office Left office Term length1 GeneralJohn M Murray24 August 20183 December 20213 years 101 days Lieutenant GeneralJames M RichardsonActing3 December 20214 October 2022305 days2 GeneralJames E Rainey4 October 2022Incumbent237 daysSee also EditMilitary acquisition In the United States Military budget of the United States Command systems in the United States Army Air and Missile Defense Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center Soldier Lethality Manhattan Project Space Warfighting Analysis CenterNotes Edit a b c d e f g The CG AFC is responsible for Force design in the style of TRADOC s G357 907 but applied to Force modernization rather than training 61 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 908 The AROC serves as a discussion forum of these factors 61 The Army G 8 and G 3 5 7 sit on the Army Requirements Oversight Council AROC chaired by the Chief of Staff of the Army CSA 909 diagram on p 559 61 908 The relevant strategy is provided by the Army s leadership to guide Army staff 909 The resources are dictated by Congress 908 A DOTMLPF analysis models the factors necessary to change the Current force into a relevant Future force A JCIDS ACIDS 910 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 AR 5 22 pdf lists the Force modernization proponent for each Army branch which can be a CoE or Branch proponent leader Staff uses Synchronization meetings 911 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 909 p 3 1 A budget request is submitted to Congress Approved requests then await resource deliveries which then become available to the combatant commanders a b c Andrew Eversden 17 Dec 2021 Here s the Army s 24 programs in soldiers hands by 2023 Precision Strike Missile PrSM Extended Range Cannon Artillery ERCA Long Range Hypersonic Weapon LRHW Mid range capability MRC missile also called Strategic Mid Range Fires SMRF 250 Armored Multi Purpose Vehicle AMPV Robotic Combat Vehicle RCV Mobile Protective Firepower MPF Future Unmanned Aircraft Systems Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System FUAS FTUAS 251 252 Integrated Tactical Network ITN unified with echelons above brigade and the multi domain task forces Common Operating Environment Command Post Computing Environment 253 Mounted Computed Environment CPCE MCE See Common operational picture Command Post Integrated Infrastructure CPI2 Mounted Assured Positioning Navigation and Timing System MAPS 254 255 Dismounted Assured Positioning Navigation and Timing System DAPS 254 Maneuver Short Range Air Defense M SHORAD using high energy lasers Indirect Fires Protection Capability Iron Dome Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor LTAMDS 256 Patriot radar replacement Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense IBCS Directed Energy Maneuver Short Range Air Defense DE M SHORAD 257 High energy lasers Next Generation Squad Weapon NGSW Integrated Visual Augmentation System IVAS Enhanced Night Vision Goggle Binocular ENVG B Reconfigurable Virtual Collective Trainer RVCT Synthetic training environment IVAS Squad Immersive Virtual Trainer SiVT Synthetic training environment One World Terrain Training Management Tools Training Simulation Software OWT TMT TSS Synthetic training environment 258 248 249 259 260 a b c d In Future Vertical Lift FARA and FLRAA are projected to be prototyped by 2028 with fielding by 2030 224 261 The OMFV prototype is projected for 2025 262 a b c d e f g h 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 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 In standoff 29 adversaries attempt to project protected areas against each other 30 Within these protected areas friends are deemed safe but foes who attempt penetration are endangered by the capabilities of the allies arrayed against them Outside these protected areas adversaries compete for control by projecting their power a b c d e As informed by lessons learned in light of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine 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 55 a b c d e f g h i j ASA ALT 2018 Weapon Systems Handbook update Page 32 lists how the Weapon Systems Handbook is organized 440 pages By Modernization priority By Acquisition or Business System category ACAT or BSC The Weapon systems in each ACAT are sorted alphabetically by Weapon system name Each weapon system might also be in several variants Lettered a weapon system s variants might be severally and simultaneously in the following phases of its Life Cycle namely Materiel Solution Analysis Technology Maturation amp Risk Reduction Engineering amp Manufacturing Development Production amp Deployment Operations amp Support ACAT I II III IV are defined on page 404 51 24 53 54 29 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 a b c Echelons above brigade division corps and theater army engage in a continuum of conflict i d 84 minute 17 45 85 a b c 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 The 2020 xTechSearch top ten semifinalists who will each receive 120 000 are 228 Bounce Imaging for a tactical throwable camera self orienting pointable camera GeneCapture for deployable medical tests Inductive Ventures for magnetic braking of helicopters IoT AI for hardware IoT AI devices LynQ Technologies for a GPS beacon KeriCure for wound care MEI Micro for Micro Electronic Mechanical System Inertial Measurement Unit assured position navigation and timing A PNT Multiscale Systems for meta material Novaa for single aperture antennas multi band rather than 1 dedicated antenna per application Vita Inclinata stabilized anti spin hoisting for pulling injured people on a stretcher into a hovering helicopter 227 a b That s pretty important because that gives him Dunwoody the authority to do what needs to be done across the Army with the myriad responsibilities that he has Shoffner said Dunwoody becomes a direct report to the TRADOC commander Tribune staff 22 August 2019 Colonel named division artillery director Even with an increased 2022 defense budget to 782 billion deployment of Integrated Visual Augmentation System IVAS was put on hold in favor of drone countermeasures 363 By September 2022 the ASA ALT announced a final testing step for IVAS would take place in October 364 The Budget Control Act was to have restricted funds by 2020 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 20 21 374 375 376 but was overtaken by the events in Ukraine in 2022 377 378 259 379 380 381 excessive citations a b In January 2018 Lt Gen James H Dickinson broached the possibility of both strategic fires and air missile defense capabilities being in the same unit 429 430 In late FY2023 18 ERCA prototypes will undergo a one year operational assessment at Fort Bliss 432 a b c d Munitions such as PrSM will need to fire and then move at targets on the move 449 450 HIMARS is used to destroy critical communications nodes command posts airfields and important logistics facilities Mick Ryerson Major General Australian Army retired 442 Strykers upgraded with autonomous operation would need more control by wire in order to experiment with autonomy 521 The Senate Appropriations Committee is cutting an Army component of the FY23 Presidential Budget Request which funds a CS 23 network capability 605 The DoD Close Combat Lethality Task Force is hosting the Artificial Intelligence for Small Unit Maneuver working group in order to foment relationships with OUSD R amp E the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office CDAO and the Army Marines and Special Operations cells for close combat 710 Perhaps using other mobile power plants 2020 using TRISO fuel 770 2022 Idaho National Laboratory will assemble a Project Pele transportable nuclear reactor and test it for up to three years 771 if test performance warrants it this type of reactor will generate a nominal 2 MWe 1 to 5 MWe megaWatts electrical for up to 3 years for isolated areas such as the Arctic or for an island 772 the reactor will be gas cooled 773 774 775 the fuel will be high assay low enriched uranium HALEU 776 experiments for handling the nuclear fuel will be performed at Idaho National Labs Transient Reactor Test Facility TREAT or the Hot Fuel Examination Facility HFEF during the three year test period 775 Mobile Microreactor startup testing at the Materials and Fuels Complex MFC or at the Critical Infrastructure Test Range Complex CITRC 775 Assembling operating and disassembling and transporting the Mobile Microreactor at the MFC or at the CITRC 775 Transporting the disassembled mobile microreactor to temporary storage at the Radioactive Scrap and Waste Facility RSWF or at the Outdoor Radioactive Storage Area ORSA 775 Potentially conducting mobile microreactor and spent nuclear fuel post irradiation examination PIE and disposition at Idaho National Lab 775 Produce reliable electrical power on a CITRC electrical grid that is separate from the public utility grid at Idaho National Lab 775 The Combat Systems Directorate 893 was to be led by the ASA ALT s Principal Military Deputy 895 896 Principal Military Deputy PMILDEP to the ASA ALT 268 AD2018 15 6b PMILDEP will additionally be AFC director Combat Systems 280 who will produce those developed solutions and seek feedback 51 897 In 2022 AD2018 15 was rescinded by Army Directive AD2022 07 63 which in turn is subject to rescission 180 days after passage of FY2023 NDAA 68 898 a b c d e f g h i The capabilities as prioritized by the Chief of Staff will use subject matter experts SMEs in the realms of requirements acquisition science and technology test resourcing costing and sustainment using 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 Geoffrey Norman 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 BG Jeth Rey 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 Larry Q Burris Jr PEO Soldier Synthetic Training Environment Orlando Florida Lead BG William Glaser PEO Simulation Training amp Instrumentation STRI Above dotted line relationship i e coordination is denoted by a a b c d e f g Sydney J Freedberg Jr Army Applications Lab 23 October 2018 Army Futures Command Wants YOU To Innovate Adam Jay Harrison s list for types of Funding Authority As an example any number of effects can be weaponized see p 1 The New York Times 2 September 2018 Invisible strikes may be cause of envoy s ills describing the Microwave auditory effect or else countered Hypersonic vehicles are a countermeasure to ballistic missiles 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 September 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message a b c Sean Kimmons Army News Service 6 December 2018 Futures Command reveals new insignia as it forges ahead last accessed 3 February 2019 Joe Lacdan Army News Service 27 August 2018 Establishment of Army Futures Command marks a culture shift About U S Army Futures Command U S Army Retrieved 3 December 2021 Army Futures Command Meet Our Leadership Archived 20 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine a b c Army Futures Command Meet Our Leadership Carlson Kara Modernizing is key Austin based Army Futures Command continues to grow adapt Austin American Statesman 11 May 2021 Retrieved 18 March 2022 a b MG Cedric T Wins 09 10 2019 CCDC S road map to modernizing the Army air and missile defense DVIDS release 10 September 2019 Same CCDC text but with 3 more images Fifth in a series Phillip B Fountain U S Army Futures Command 8 October 2019 Army Futures Command to highlight modernization efforts at 2019 AUSA Archived 7 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine a b c d e Matthew Cox 14 Sep 2018 Head of Army Futures Command Fields Tough Questions From Congress a b c d Gen David G Perkins U S Army Nov Dec 2017 Multi Domain Battle The Advent of Twenty First Century War a b c d Andrew Feickert Specialist in Military Ground Forces Congressional Research Service CRS 31 May 2022 The Army s Multi Domain Task Force MDTF report IF11797 a b Christine Wormuth 10 11 2021 AUSA 2021 a b c Colin Demarest 21 Oct 2022 Project Convergence shows JADC2 alignment leaders from 3 services say Interoperations show the services are aligned and not disjointed a b Jen Judson 29 Mar 2023 US Army has a gigantic problem with logistics in the Indo Pacific AMC is lead AFC sets requirements Gilbert F Decker Louis C Wagner co chairs et al Jan 2011 Army Strong Equipped Trained and Ready Final Report of the 2010 Army Acquisition Review C Todd Lopez 25 July 2011 Army to implement 63 Decker Wagner acquisition recommendations a b Scott Maucione 19 July 2019 Army Futures Command fully operational dinged by GAO on announcement a b c d e f g h Sean Kimmons Army News Service 11 July 2019 Embracing a new culture at Army Futures Command www army mil Retrieved 25 December 2021 a b c d e f g h i Army Futures Command Press Conference DVIDS Retrieved 25 December 2021 a b c Devon L Suits Army News Service Army 26 February 2019 FY20 budget proposal realigns 30 billion a b Sydney J Freedberg Jr 29 May 2019 Army Big 6 Gets 10B More Over 2021 2025 Michael A Grinston James C McConville and Ryan McCarthy 2019 2019 Army Modernization Strategy revision 7 CFTs 31 signature efforts a b Sydney J Freedberg Jr 19 September 2019 Can Army Control Costs Of Its New Weapons Currently the Army has 692 programs of record a b c d Sydney J Freedberg Jr 14 March 2019 Army Big Six Ramp Up in 2021 Learning From FCS a b Sydney J Freedberg Jr 11 January 2019 12 Moments Of Truth For Army Modernization In 2019 a b MDO Challenge 15 May 2019 Start here MDO 101 General explanation of multi domain operations MDO for the layman a b c d 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 The U S Army Modernization Strategy APG News 13 June 2018 Retrieved 15 December 2021 a b c d Kerensa Crum CCDC Aviation amp Missile Center Public Affairs 14 August 2019 Leader updates Army s modernization priorities Standoff a b c d Yasmin Tadjdeh 10 10 2018 Army to Focus on Defeating Enemies Standoff Capabilities Summary of standoff a b CRS Insight IN11019 17 January 2019 The U S Army and Multi Domain Operations Congressional Research Service CRS Todd South 11 August 2019 This 3 star Army general explains what multi domain operations mean for you think assess and employ all domains when necessary General Wesley Sydney Freedberg Jr 14 January 2020 Army Chief Seeks Minimally Manned Vehicles Joint C2 LRPF ITN IBCS FARA FLRAA and We need a joint command and control system Army Chief of Staff James C McConville Sydney Freedberg Jr 2021 Army Chief To Navy Air Force We ve Got Speed amp Range The future is all about range and speed Gen McConville a b c d e f Chief of Staff paper 1 Headquarters Department of the Army 16 March 2021 Army Multi Domain Transformation Ready to Win in Competition and Conflict Unclassified version by 40th Chief of Staff of the Army Gen James C McConville a b c d e Chief of Staff paper 2 1 March 2021 The Army in Military Competition Sean Kimmons In first year Futures Command grows from 12 to 24 000 personnel Army News Service 19 July 2019 Freedberg Jr Sydney J 13 September 2018 Futures Command Won t Hurt Oversight Army Tells Congress Breakingdefense com Source Organization United States Army For detail see AR10 87 a b Army Commands Army Service Component Commands and Direct Reporting Units ARN2541 AR10 87 WEB Final pdf section 20 2a p 27 a b c d e Arpi Dilanian and Matthew Howard 1 April 2019 The number one priority An interview with Gen Mark Milley Readiness both current and future a b Sebastien Roblin 11 Oct 2019 China s stealth drones and hypersonic missiles surpass and threaten the U S Binkov 11 Oct 2019 New game changing weapons shown at Chinese military parade October 2019 Binkov explains and animates Hypersonic glide trajectories for under the radar operation Binkov estimates which weapons displays are mockups Compares and contrasts Chinese Russian and US capabilities 75th Innovation Command Page About Us US Army Reserve Retrieved 12 February 2021 US Army 2020 AMERICA S ARMY READY NOW INVESTING IN THE FUTURE FY19 21 accomplishments and investment plan Andrew Smith 9 Apr 2020 Convergence within SOCOM A Bottom Up Approach to Multi Domain Operations Todd South 17 Jun 2021 Even generals must learn new skills in tech dominated special operations future a b c d Sydney Freedberg Jr 26 March 2018 Army Outlines Futures Command Org Chart In Flux a b c d e Sydney J Freedberg Jr 25 October 2017 Can The Pentagon Protect Young Innovators Fixing the up or out culture which favors generalists a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Lt Col Thomas Bull Holland PhD U S Army 15 January 2019 Proposed Army Futures Command Process Tenets Scientific research is a fundamentally different activity than technology development Incorporate scientific research into Appendix C Functional Concepts and specify pathways for technology development Buy into the fail fast mentality 6 3 funded projects to produce knowledge technical data that can be consumed by requirements developers as opposed to PMs Use evidence based requirements process early hypothesis testing with citations for evidence All projects will be executed in no less than two increments No new requirements once an increment is started Summary advances on the battlefield requires comprehensive coordinated changes in the entire acquisition system a b c d e f g h i j k The RAND Corporation 2000 Discovery and Innovation Federal Research and Development in the Fifty States District of Columbia and Puerto Rico RAND MR1194 Appendix B Government Wide and DOD Definitions of R amp D Archived 6 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine See Appendix B p 615 for DOD Financial Management Regulation Volume 2B Chapter 5 Neil Hollenbeck and Benjamin Jensen 6 December 2017 Why the Army needs a Futures Command Enable a culture of experimentation and develop concepts and technology together a b c d Sydney J Freedberg Jr 13 Sep 2018 Futures Command Won t Hurt Oversight Army Tells Congress a b c d e f g h i j k l m ASA ALT Weapon Systems Handbook 2018 update a b c d e f g Gary Sheftick Army News Service 3 April 2019 Army Shark Tank enabling quick prototyping of new systems a b Sean Kimmons Army News Service 18 July 2019 Futures Command showcases efforts ahead of upcoming FOC Jen Judson 23 Mar 2022 Multidomain operations concept will become doctrine this summer a b c Sydney J Freedberg Jr 7 May 2018 Permanent Evolution SecArmy Esper On Futures Command a b c d JP 1 Archived 26 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine p xxi has the definition of operational control OPCON Note that command authority may not be delegated COCOM being command authority p xxii has the definition of administrative control ADCON one application being coordinating authority see also C Berry 3 May 2010 Understanding OPCON COCOM is the legal authority of a combatant commander CCDR OPCON on the other hand is derived from the authorities of COCOM and delineated in JP 1 a b c d e f g h Army R amp D Chief I Don t Think We Went Far Enough But Futures Command Can a b Scott Maucione 14 Sep 2018 Army leaders ask for trust in lieu of metrics for Futures Command a b c d US Army 6 Oct 2017 Army Directive 2017 24 Cross Functional Team Pilot In Support of Materiel Development a b c d 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 Research Development and Acquisition AR 71 9 2009 Warfighting Capabilities Determination Aug 15 2019 update a b HQDA 3 May 2022 Army Directive 2022 07 Army Modernization Roles and Responsibilities AD2022 07 is 6 pages Research Development and Acquisition 22 Jul 2011 Army Acquisition Policy Archived 22 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine AR 70 1 Jared Serbu 11 Mar 2016 Army puts its chief of staff at the center of acquisition decisions USAASC Army ALT Magazine Best Practices 16 February 2018 A Model and Process for Transitioning Urgent Acquisition USAASC United States Army Acquisition Corps a b Jen Judson 6 Sep 2022 Futures Command faces identity crisis as Army shifts mission a b c Andrew Eversden 24 Jun 2022 House lawmakers ask Army Who s in charge of massive modernization program 180 day timer after FY2023 NDAA takes effect could trigger rescission of AD2022 07 To find an Army document enter the pub form identifier such as ar 71 9 in the menu ARMY PUBLISHING INDEX a b Jen Judson 6 Sep 2022 Army s next Futures Command leader could come in short order a b Andrew Eversden 7 Sep 2022 After months of delay Army nominates new commander for Futures Command a b Stripes 8 Sep 2022 Army announces new Futures Command leader as Texas senator calls for clarity on innovating force David Vergun Army News Service 13 October 2017 Cross functional teams to spearhead modernization says McCarthy allocated money in Program Objective Memorandum POM to protect resources a b Arpi Dilanian and Matthew Howard 31 August 2018 Modernizing at the speed of relevance An interview with Under Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy a b c d Freedberg Jr Sydney 14 August 2018 Inside Army Futures Command CFT Chiefs Take Charge Breaking Defense Retrieved 15 December 2021 a b Sydney Freedberg 29 August 2018 Army Futures Command 100M 500 Staff amp Access To Top Leaders David Vergun 22 April 2018 New Army Futures Command success hinges on relationship building Ryan McCarthy a b United States Government Accountability Office GAO Report GAO 19 132 23 Jan 2019 ARMY MODERNIZATION Steps Needed to Ensure Army Futures Command Fully Applies Leading Practices United States Government Accountability Office GAO Feb 2019 AUSA synopsis United States Government Accountability Office GAO Defense Management DOD Needs to Implement Statutory Requirements and Identify Resources for Its Cross Functional Reform Teams GAO 19 165 accessdate 2021 09 24 Search for GAO 19 165 but the 35th deputy secretary of defense addressed the issue of DoD wide CFT continuity in 2021 by establishing the RDER fund Sydney J Freedberg Jr 21 Jun 2021 Hicks Seeks To Unify Service Experiments With New Raider Fund Jen Judson 6 Mar 2023 Army weighs changes to Futures Command modernization teams possible CFTs for contested logistics deep sensing adapting soldier lethality to focus more on formation based lethality and even human and machine integration Gen Rainey Office of the Chief of Public Affairs US Army 10 16 2019 2019 AUSA Warriors Corner TacticalSpace Delivering Future Force Space Capabilities a b c Office of the Chief of Public Affairs 10 16 2019 2019 AUSA Warriors Corner TacticalSpace Delivering Future Force Space Capabilities Assured Positioning Navigation and Timing Tactical Space SDA is structuring a multi layer satellite system Backbone layer for data transport downward to the long range precision fires Custody layer for missiles trajectories whether friendly or threat Tracking layer for hypersonic glide vehicles which represent threats to the multi layer satellite system Space situational awareness for cis lunar trajectories NavWar a b c Sydney J Freedberg Jr 5 August 2020 Army Tests New All Domain Kill Chain From Space To AI Initially satellites feed data to TITAN Prometheus which is AI software combs through the data for potential threats and targets SHOT which is also software tracks each target on a custody list correlating each target s current location signature and threat assessment with a list of candidate fires countermeasures ranked by capability range to the target kill radius etc SHOT then computes the optimal match of weapons to targets and passes the list to AFATDS Human commanders choose whether to fire or not from the list of fires assets Nelson notes that ERCA and Grey Eagle drones are to be added to the list of fires assets currently M777 howitzers and MLRS 270 rocket launchers in the upcoming tests August 2020 satellites perform Battle damage assessment to update the list of threats and targets 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 Office of the Chief of Public Affairs US Army 10 16 2019 2019 AUSA Warriors Corner TacticalSpace Delivering Future Force Space Capabilities The Army is the largest user of Space Assured Positioning Navigation and Timing Tactical Space SDA is structuring a multi layer satellite system Backbone layer for data transport downward to the long range precision fires Custody layer for missiles trajectories whether friendly or threat Tracking layer for hypersonic glide vehicles which represent threats to the multi layer satellite system Space situational awareness for cis lunar trajectories NavWar Lt Gen Eric J Wesley U S Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jon Bates U S Army May Jun 2020 To Change an Army Winning Tomorrow The MDO concept TRADOC pamphlet 525 3 1 a b c d Army aligning modernization programs with other services www army mil Retrieved 15 December 2021 David Vergun Defense gov 21 February 2020 Military leaders discuss hypersonics supply chain vulnerabilities In for example Waverider hypersonic weapons delivery China has flown a Mach 5 5 vehicle for 400 seconds at 30 km altitude demonstrating large angle deviations from a ballistic trajectory as well as recovery of the payload See 3 August 2018 China tests hypersonic aircraft Starry Sky 2 Xingkong 2 Starry sky 2 first flight China successfully tests first hypersonic aircraft that can Youtube clip XingKong 2 hypersonic aircraft Starry Sky 2 USSTRATCOM John Hyten statement 05 03 8 August 2018 UTC 15 Jun 2018 Lockheed Martin Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon HCSW Missile for US Air Force Chris Martin 17 Dec 2019 Lockheed awards 81 5M contract for hypersonic missile motor to Rocketdyne for HCSW 81 5M ARRW NPR 23 October 2018 Nations Rush Ahead With Hypersonic Weapons Amid Arms Race Fear DOV S ZAKHEIM OPINION CONTRIBUTOR 08 26 19 Putin built a hypersonic arsenal while the Pentagon slept Colin Clark 19 June 2019 Raytheon Northrop Will Soon Fly Hypersonic Cruise Missile Paris Air Show new additive process materials to build the combustor of a scramjet potential integration among members of an intercommunicating swarm of hypersonics systems Current test targets such as Zombie Pathfinder are not hypersonic ET 2 is a economical test replacement Jason Cutshaw SMDC 13 Feb 2023 Army SMDC team launches economical target for missile tests Rand Corporation 28 September 2017 Hypersonic Missile Nonproliferation estimates there is less than a decade to prevent Hypersonic Missile proliferation Stephen Carlson 14 Nov 2018 DARPA issues contract proposition for hypersonic missile defense Stephen Carlson 13 Nov 2018 Space lasers hypersonic missiles rank high for U S missile defense research a b c Sydney J Freedberg Jr 22 August 2018 Army Warhead Is Key To Joint Hypersonics a b Paul McLeary 31 January 2020 SecNav Tells Fleet Hypersonic Competition Demands Sputnik Moment Glide Body Test Set Hypersonic Glide Body test for 2020 a b Jason Cutshaw 19 September 2018 Secretary of the Navy visits AMC SMDC memorandum of agreement in June to co develop a hypersonic vehicle a b c d e f Sean Kimmons Army News Service Joint hypersonic weapon tests to start next year www army mil Retrieved 15 December 2021 a b c d Clark Colin 2019 05 24 Army Moves Out On Lasers Hypersonics Lt Gen Thurgood a b c Sydney J Freedberg Jr 28 Feb 2020 Army Ramps Up Funding For Laser Shield Hypersonic Sword In FY2021 HELs funding is up 209 percent LRHW funding is up 86 percent RCCTO spending is 1 billion in 2021 a b The Army joins the Air Force Navy in attempt to develop hypersonic weaponry www army mil Retrieved 15 December 2021 a b Kelley M Sayler Analyst in Advanced Technology and Global Security Congressional Research Service R45811 11 July 2019 Hypersonic Weapons Background and Issues for Congress Lists names for hypersonics programs a b c d e f g Sydney J Freedberg Jr 30 August 2019 Hypersonics Army Awards 699M To Build First Missiles For A Combat Unit prototypes Dynetics Common hypersonic glide body C HGB Lockheed Long range hypersonic weapon LRHW Nancy Jones Bonbrest U S Army RCCTO 30 August 2019 Army awards hypersonic weapon system contracts a b c US Army 15 August 2018 Army Futures Command aims to tap into innovative culture in Austin and beyond a b Long range precision fires modernization a joint effort Army tech leader says www army mil Retrieved 15 December 2021 Aaron Gregg 2 August 2019 In conversations with investors defense firms double down on hypersonic weapons As of August 2019 Lockheed reports 3 5 billion in hypersonics work while Raytheon reports 1 6 billion Boeing declined to give the value of its hypersonics awards Insinna Valerie Kahwaji Riad 1 March 2018 DoD Boosts Hypersonics 136 In 2019 DARPA Breaking Defense Retrieved 15 December 2021 a b Jon Harper 4 March 2020 JUST IN Pentagon to Spend Billions Mass Producing Hypersonic Weapons Aero shells that provide thermal protection for the high speed platforms will be a key component of the systems a b c Sydney J Freedberg Jr 20 Mar 2020 Hypersonics Army Navy Test Common Glide Body The U S Navy and U S Army jointly executed the launch of a common hypersonic glide body C HGB which flew at hypersonic speed to a designated impact point DoD 20 March 2020 Department of Defense tests hypersonic glide body The C HGB when fully fielded will comprise the weapon s conventional warhead guidance system cabling and thermal protection shield Also comments from LTG L Neill Thurgood RCCTO By 14 August 2019 The Army is getting a new 130 million hypersonics playground in Texas Task amp Purpose Retrieved 15 December 2021 a b c d e Sydney J Freedberg Jr 11 September 2018 Aiming The Army s Thousand Mile Missiles Multi domain Ft Sill a b c Jen Judson 20 August 2019 US Missile Defense Agency boss reveals his goals challenges on the job Increase the discrimination of the radars and other sensors Use Large aperture sensors Use Space based missile sensors An SM 3 Block IIA missile test against ICBM is scheduled for 2020 Plan out the detection control and engagement the sensors the command and control the fire control and the weapons the kill vehicles Theresa Hitchens 9 October 2020 SDA Missile Tracking A Strategic Win For L3Harris SpaceX Center for Strategic amp International Studies 7 Feb 2022 Complex Air Defense Countering the Hypersonic Missile Threat Dr Tom Karako Director of the CSIS Missile Defense Project Ms Kelley Sayler CRS Dr Gillian Bussey Director of the Joint Hypersonics Transition Office Dr Mark Lewis Executive Director of NDIA s Emerging Technologies Institute Mr Stan Stafira Chief Architect at the Missile Defense Agency MDA a b c John L Dolan Richard K Gallagher amp David L Mann 23 April 2019 Hypersonic Weapons A Threat to National Security Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor HBTSS Kris Osborn 16 December 2019 Pentagon Advances New Technology to Destroy Hypersonic Missile Attacks HBTSS will establish a continuous track on approaching hypersonic missiles Melanie Marlowe 8 April 2020 Three obstacles are slowing space sensors for hypersonic threats Continuous tracking is needed to maintain custody of a hypersonic threat before its disposition David Brennan 27 Jan 2021 Pentagon Orders Hypersonic Missile Trackers Amid Russia China Arms Race HBTSS awards to L3Harris Northrop Grumman Theresa Hitchens 24 February 2020 2021 Budget Will Finally Fully Fund Next Gen OPIR Says Roper Space Based Infrared System SBIRS replacement three satellites in Geosynchronous Orbit GEO and two satellites in a polar orbit Theresa Hitchens 17 May 2021 New SBIRS Sat Creates Bridge To Next Gen Missile Warning SBIRS GEO 5 Theresa Hitchens 1 Aug 2022 Space Force plans launch this week for final SBIRS missile warning sat GEO 6 Theresa Hitchens 22 Mar 2021 DoD Needs To Sharpen Hypersonics Oversight GAO Nathan Strout 5 Oct 2020 SpaceX L3 to provide hypersonic tracking satellites for Space Development Agency SDA s National Defense Space Architecture NDSA Paul McLeary 18 Dec 2019 MDA Kickstarts New Way To Kill Hypersonic Missiles HBTSS is Space sensor layer a b c Jen Judson 13 Aug 2021 Missile Defense Agency dials up the speed in quest for hypersonic interceptor Theresa Hitchens 19 Nov 2021 Raytheon Northrop Lockheed to compete for hypersonic interceptor Jen Judson 20 Nov 2021 Here are the three companies selected to design hypersonic missile interceptors for MDA a b Jen Judson 24 Jun 2022 Raytheon Northrop advance in competition to develop hypersonic weapons interceptor Theresa Hitchens 12 Aug 2021 Next Budget Will Limit Glide Phase Interceptor Contractors MDA Head 2028 target date is being accelerated FY2022 decisions on GPI Ground Based Interceptor GBI replacement the Next generation interceptor NGI will be made by Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks Naval Technology 27 Jun 2022 US MDA awards contracts to continue developing Glide Phase Interceptor The GPI deliverable is a System Requirements Review Prototype by Raytheon Northrop Grumman in Feb 2023 a b c d Anthony Small Futures Command Deputy Commanding General talks the U S Army s Future at South by Southwest US Army 13 March 2019 a b c d e Todd South 13 September 2019 Massive simulation shows the need for speed in multi domain ops 400 participants working with 55 formations 64 concepts and 150 capabilities Sydney J Freedberg Jr Army Multi Domain Update New HQs Grey Zones amp The Art of The Unfeasible Breaking Defense 7 December 2018 Retrieved 15 December 2021 a b c Sydney J Freedberg Jr 7 March 2019 US Gets Its Ass Handed To It In Wargames Here s A 24 Billion Fix Army prepositioned stocks APS vulnerability a b c d e Readiness for the 21st Century An interview with retired Gen David McKiernan www army mil Retrieved 14 December 2021 a b Matthew Cox 28 April 2018 How Future Combat Systems Failed Army Futures Command 28 February 2020 Joint All Domain Command and Control AFC is the functional lead representing the Army in JADC2 s development a b c d Army News Service I Corps has I2CEWS Battalion or Intelligence Information Cyber Electronic Warfare and Space Battalion Joe Lacdan http dead link fortblissbugle com 2019 06june 062019 pdf 062019part1b pdf 6 19 2019 Army leaders say service must shore up its space defense Jason Cutshaw SMDC ARSTRAT 21 February 2019 SMDC supports the development of I2CEWS battalions for multi domain operations Sydney J Freedberg Jr 24 Jan 2019 Hack Jam Sense amp Shoot Army Creates 1st Multi Domain Unit an MDO BN for Targeting I Corps a b US Army 4 Sep 2018 U S Army Pacific Commander Gen Robert Brown State of the Pacific a b Freedberg Jr Sydney 30 November 2018 Forget The Terminator For Future Army AI LTG Wesley Breaking Defense Retrieved 15 December 2021 AUSA Aviation Hot Topic 2018 PANEL 1 Multi Domain Maneuver retrieved 15 December 2021 a b Jason Cutshaw USASMDC 8 August 2019 Leader gives space and missile defense update at SMD Symposium Integrated fires across domains Stephen Clark 8 August 2019 Atlas 5 launch adds to U S military s secure communications satellite network Air Force s fifth AEHF Advanced Extremely High Frequency communications satellite Office of the Chief of Public Affairs 10 16 2019 2019 AUSA Warriors Corner TacticalSpace Delivering Future Force Space Capabilities Loren Thompson 30 Jul 2019 Defense Against Hypersonic Attack Is Becoming The Biggest Military Challenge Of The Trump Era Paul McLeary 18 December 2019 MDA Kickstarts New Way To Kill Hypersonic Missiles MDA s Hypersonic Defense Weapon System 4 Interceptors a b Kathryn Bailey PEO C3T Public Affairs 26 November 2019 The Army gathers industry to inspire network modernization Network Cross Functional Team N CFT and PEO C3T hosted 670 industry partners at the Technical Exchange Meeting TEM 4 Capability Set CS 23 www army mil a b c Mezher Chyrine How To Wage Global Cyber War Nakasone Norton amp Deasy Breaking Defense 15 May 2019 Retrieved 15 December 2021 a b Theresa Hitchens and Sydney J Freedberg Jr 7 August 2019 Army Seeks Small Satellites To Support Ground Troops 3 programs Gunsmoke Lonestar and Polaris Theresa Hitchens 12 October 2020 SMDC Pushes For New PNT Tracking Sat Payloads In addition to the 3 LEO satellite programs mentioned above SMDC s technical center is working on project TITAN Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node a common mobile ground station for the Army s tactical needs a b c Jen Judson 14 Oct 2019 Strategic long range cannon preps to jump its first tech hurdle 2019 AUSA targets 2023 prototype a b Judson Jen 5 June 2019 Coming soon to the US Army Combat capable hypersonic and laser weapons C4ISRNet Retrieved 15 December 2021 a b Army accelerates delivery of directed energy hypersonic weapon prototypes www army mil Retrieved 15 December 2021 a b Claire Heininger 9 August 2018 Army Air Force team on sensor to shooter prototype for multi domain battle a b c Mark Pomerleau 11 April 2018 In the move to multi domain operations what gets lost The space cyber and information domains transcend geographic AoRs a b Dan Goure 2 August 2019 Army Futures Command s Report Card After Its First Year Need MDO doctrine in DoD Two theater operation at island amp continent augment BCTs with higher echelon capability a b c d e f Army mil Robotic combat vehicles could change way Army looks fights www army mil Retrieved 15 December 2021 a b Aviation Industry Days Army Aviation aims for more lethal Multi Domain Operations capability www army mil Retrieved 25 December 2021 Theresa Hitchens 2 December 2019 Hey SDA AFRL Boosts Space Based Internet Tests Joseph Lacdan Army News Service 21 October 2019 AFC deputy Combined capabilities make military might more lethal Sydney J Freedberg Jr 16 July 2020 Army Says Long Range Missiles Will Help Air Force Not Compete a b Army to build on results from first Project Convergence exercise www army mil Retrieved 15 December 2021 a b Sydney J Freedberg Jr 25 Sep 2020 Longer Range Missiles amp More AI Project Convergence 2021 PrSM AFATDS to F 35 Patrick Tucker 24 Sep 2020 Inside the Army s Fearless Messy Networked Warfare Experiment Murray Army software factory will start contributing Army Air Force form partnership lay foundation for CJADC2 interoperability www army mil Retrieved 15 December 2021 Sydney J Freedberg Jr 20 Apr 2021 New Army Lab Tests Joint Tech Project Convergence Joint Systems Integration Laboratory Aberdeen Proving Ground Joseph Lacdan 17 Apr 2021 Service leaders prioritize integration in joint effort to achieve overmatch JSIL Aberdeen Preparation of data fabric for Project Convergence ABMS JADC2 and Project Overmatch Army Air Force Navy Colin Demarest 23 Sep 2022 Siemens 29 others added to Air Force s 950 million JADC2 contract a b c Jaspreet Gill 11 Jul 2022 Army acquisition exec pushes for joint JADC2 office large scale exercise Colin Demarest 11 Jul 2022 Pentagon s secret JADC2 plan evolving official says as lawmakers seek audit The oversight will inform future support and is not meant to be punitive Valerie Insinna 17 Jul 2022 Air Force s sixth gen fighter downselect not all that far away says Kendall Air Force s Next Generation Air Dominance NGAD will have a private company as prime contractor but the US government will probably be the prime contractor for integrating efforts involving collaborative combat aircraft drones NGAD and AIM 260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile USAF Secretary Frank Kendall Travis Sharp CSBA 20 Oct 2022 JADC2 spending is sprawling DoD should keep watch but Let It Go Planning Programming Budgeting amp Execution Process PPBE 2 2 billion to 2 6 billion in FY2023 for 30 initiatives in JADC2 Jen Judson 15 Jul 2022 Army Test and Evaluation Command pushes to reduce live fire tests a b c Jacqueline M Hames and Margaret C Roth 14 January 2019 Virtual battlefield represents future of training Training as a service more content at scale needed a b c Sean Kimmons Army Futures Command aims to tap into innovative culture in Austin and beyond Army News Service 15 August 2018 a b SARA ARL 29 Jun 2021 Army program introduces new software for robot autonomy AIMM ERP Artificial Intelligence for Maneuver and Mobility Essential Research Program Lamothe Dan 14 July 2018 Why the Army decided to put its new high tech Futures Command in Texas Washington Post a b c Lea Maj Brett 5 September 2018 Army establishes Futures Command U S Army JMC at Fort Bliss is operational arm Fort Bliss Bugle a b Army AI task force Army Directive 2018 18 Army Artificial Intelligence Task Force in Support of the Department of Defense Joint Artificial Intelligence Center 2 October 2018 Kelley M Sayler CRS 10 Nov 2020 Artificial Intelligence and National Security R45178 a b Lauren C Williams 14 Sep 2018 Army Futures Command to set up DIU like innovation lab Archived 17 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine Ronald Sega CTO for AFC Starts 1 July 2019 Ronald Ron Michael Sega Ronald M Sega a b C5ISR Army leaders get firsthand look at C5ISR Center research development projects www army mil Retrieved 15 December 2021 David Vergun Army News Service 10 October 2018 Army Futures Command to become global command says its leader Allies to join Army Futures Command www army mil Retrieved 15 December 2021 a b Nathan Strout 29 Apr 2022 Army Futures Command learning from Russia s invasion of Ukraine Satellite sensors also need to be better integrated with Army systems to the point that satellite data can be downlinked directly to the battlefield Willie Nelson Deputy Asst Sec Army Andrew Eversden 28 Jun 2022 Army moves ahead with Palantir and Raytheon for next phase of TITAN The TITAN program is a tactical ground station that will process data from across space and land based sensors using artificial intelligence and ship it off to the right shooter such as one of the new Army long range precision fires missiles Courtney Albon 28 Jun 2022 US Army awards 72 million for new phase in next gen ground system effort DIU and Northrop will field a prototype TITAN in the interim Sydney J Freedberg Jr 9 Feb 2023 DoD s clarified AI policy flashes green light for robotic weapons Experts The revised DoD Directive 3000 09 refines an obscure review process adding broad AI ethics principles but still not actually forbidding development or deployment of would be killer robots Brad Williams 30 Sep 2021 Researchers Warn Of Dangerous Artificial Intelligence Generated Disinformation At Scale Theresa Hitchens 7 Apr 2022 How US intel worked with commercial satellite firms to reveal Ukraine info using RF geolocation a b Defense gov 12 February 2019 SUMMARY OF THE 2018 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE STRATEGY Ashton Carter 2012 11 21 Autonomy in Weapon Systems Most recent DoD guideline 2012 Terri Moon Cronk Artificial intelligence experts address getting capabilities to warfighters army mil 13 December 2018 Carnegie Mellon University 1 February 2019 Carnegie Mellon Hosts Activation of U S Army AI Task Force Brigadier General Matt Easley is Director of Army Artificial Intelligence task force A AI TF Gary Sheftick 13 August 2019 AI Task Force taking giant leaps forward Coordinating with NREC Talent management task force the CFTs and DOD s Joint AI Center Douglas Scott 6 August 2019 New wearable authentication more than a token gesture Tactical Identity and Access Management TIDAM see Army AI task force A AI TF U S Army CCDC Army Research Laboratory Public Affairs 27 February 2020 Army researchers enhance AI critical to Soldier machine teamwork Explainability amp tellability coalition situational understanding CSU amp human agent knowledge fusion HAKF Alun Preece Dave Braines Federico Cerutti Tien Pham 16 Oct 2019 Explainable AI for Intelligence Augmentation in Multi Domain Operations RDECOM Research Laboratory Public Affairs 18 December 2018 Black Hawk helicopter pilot interns with Army researchers Sydney J Freedberg Jr 11 September 2020 JAIC Wants AI Victory Gardens Across DoD Theresa Hitchens 25 September 2019 IC Must Embrace Public Data to Use AI Effectively Sue Gordon IC is the Intelligence Community Sydney J Freedberg Jr 12 August 2019 Big Data For Big Wars JEDI vs China amp Russia Sydney J Freedberg Jr 22 November 2019 SecArmy s Multi Domain Kill Chain Space Cloud AI Army Multi Domain Operations Concept December 2018 slide from TRADOC pam 525 3 1 DAISHI ABE and RIEKO MIKI 14 Aug 2020 Japan wants de facto Six Eyes intelligence status defense chief MASAYA KATO 13 Aug 2020 Japan s deeper ties with Five Eyes hinge on how it keeps secrets Andrew Eversden 7 August 2020 A human F 16 pilot will fight against AI in an upcoming contest Theresa Hitchens 20 August 2020 AI Slays Top F 16 Pilot In DARPA Dogfight Simulation The AI systems are eventually to serve as wingmen for human commanders Eric Tegler 20 August 2020 AI Just Won A Series Of Simulated Dogfights Against A Human F 16 Pilot 5 0 What Does That Mean DARPAtv 20 August 2020 AlphaDogfight Trials Final Event 5 hour live stream Sydney J Freedberg Jr 12 August 2020 Deloitte Wins 106M JAIC Contract To Build AI Toolkit Aaron Mehta 23 Sep 2020 Hyten to issue new joint requirements on handling data by using JROC specified Capabilities stated in high level natural language rather than relying on traditional item by item Requirements documents Sydney J Freedberg Jr 3 Sep 2020 AI s Data Hunger Will Drive Intelligence Collection Army s Chief data officer In the Future every Soldier is a Chief data officer Sydney J Freedberg Jr 10 Sep 2020 China Is Not Ahead Of US On AI JAIC Chief amp Gen Hyten Kelsey Atherton 14 August 2020 DARPA Trains AI To Understand Humans In Minecraft a b Andrew Eversden 28 May 2021 Pentagon wants to spend big on joint war fighting systems Andrew Eversden 12 Aug 2021 Army Futures Command outlines next five years of AI needs Kaylan Hutchison DAC Strategic Communications 22 Jun 2022 Collaborative agreement propels Army analysis of artificial intelligence Sydney J Freedberg Jr 14 Apr 2023 EXCLUSIVE Pentagon aims to own the technical baseline for AI tech R amp D official says Anil Ananthaswamy 13 Apr 2023 A New Approach to Computation Reimagines Artificial Intelligence hyperdimensional computing using large numbers of parameters each parameter itself representing a dimension of the sample space a b Eversden Andrew Army Software Factory experiments with a new culture to unleash coders in its ranks C4ISRNet 14 April 2021 Retrieved 15 December 2021 a b Army Futures Command STAND TO www army mil Retrieved 15 December 2021 Army Software Factory Katie Davis Skelley DEVCOM Aviation amp Missile Center Public Affairs 27 May 2022 Software Factory helps transform Army from industrial to information age 16 week boot camp Four different tracks platform engineer software developer product manager and designer Anyone soldier or Army civilian can submit a problem to the Factory A team interviews the problem performs an initial scoping and then decides whether to accept the problem to work on Lindsay Grant 25 May 2022 New Army application enhances equipment readiness PMCS app developed by first cohort in ASF allows soldiers to gain access to field manuals without a CAC card using only a cell phone USAF Assistant Secretary of Acquisition Chief Software Office 19 Dec 2019 SpaceCAMP USAF Software Factory AI TF Artificial Intelligence Task Force Archived 24 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine US Army Army Artificial Intelligence Task Force 31 August 2020 AFC Growing an AI ready workforce U S ARMY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TASK FORCE Nov 2019 U S ARMY FUTURES COMMAND AREAS OF INTEREST Archived 18 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine Colin Clark 8 Aug 2021 Wormuth Hints At Cuts To 35 Core Army Modernization Programs Jaspreet Gill 31 Mar 2023 Duckworth introduces bill to build out imperative tech skills in military Jaspreet Gill 10 March 2023 Marines teaming with Army on 3 year software factory pilot technical accelerator 3 year pilot is to build applications at least 50 Marines 8 to enter the technical accelerator every 6 months each of them in a program to accelerate modernization as product managers designers or software developers The teams will learn baseline skillsets using pair programming for one on one mentoring and utilization Technology Review 19 December 2016 The Pentagon s Innovation Experiment Devon L Suits 11 December 2018 Army secretary approves new Intellectual Property Management Policy Sydney J Freedberg Jr 15 March 2019 IP Rights For Robot Tanks NGCV To Test Drive New Policy a b David Vergun 29 March 2018 Army network modernization efforts spearheaded by new Cross Functional Teams The Army conducts a network demonstration at Fort Bliss Texas The Army is pursuing network modernization through Cross Functional Teams US Army 27 June 2018 U S Army to host tactical Cloud computing industry forum army mil a b Nathan Strout 30 Nov 2019 Can hundreds of unrelated satellites create a GPS backup Sean Kimmons Army News Service 3 August 2018 Army leveraging industry ideas to modernize network a b Sydney J Freedberg Jr 21 June 2019 Army Wrestles With Testers Over Network Upgrades breakingdefense com Colin Clark 11 Aug 2021 Army Command Posts Getting Mobile Dispersed Quieter Division Exercise In October a b c Sydney J Freedberg Jr 17 Oct 2022 Army 2030 Disperse or die network and live a b c Jen Judson 4 April 2019 US Army plans to field a future long range assault helicopter by 2030 FLRAA RFI posted on the Federal Business Opportunities 4 April Contract award fourth quarter of FY21 preliminary design review PDR second quarter of FY23 first flight in the third quarter of FY24 critical design review CDR in the fourth quarter of FY24 fielding to first unit in second quarter of FY30 a b c Sydney J Freedberg Jr 21 January 2020 Army Fully Committed To Replacing The Bradley Gen McConville Bradley fighting vehicle replacement is still a project Sydney J Freedberg Jr 23 January 2020 Bradley Replacement Did Army Ask For Unobtainium U S Army Public Affairs 16 January 2020 Army decides to cancel current OMFV solicitation U S Army Public Affairs 7 February 2020 Army aggressively moves forward on OMFV seeks industry input on path forward We are not releasing a prescribed set of requirements we are describing the problem set and giving industry the freedom to be creative and innovative in their approach Gen John Mike Murray Sydney J Freedberg Jr 26 February 2020 OMFV Army Seeks Industry Advice On Bradley Replacement JASPREET GILL and ANDREW EVERSDEN 24 Aug 2022 Army undersecretary reviewing network modernization portfolio wants big bets a b Futures Command 2022 xTechSearch The Army s ongoing search for capabilities Sydney J Freedberg Jr 20 March 2020 xTechSearch Army Picks Top 10 Tech Innovators breakingdefense com Sydney J Freedberg Jr 13 April 2020 COVID 19 Army Tries Prizes To Get Ventilator Tech ASAP breakingdefense com a b U S Army CCDC Army Research Laboratory Public Affairs 13 April 2020 Redditors revive interest in 1960s Army emergency ventilator invention a b Michael Howard 11 September 2020 Technology Providing Navigation in GPS Denied Environment wins Grand Prize in xTechSearch Competition a b Andrew Eversden 2 May 2022 Army stretches little wings with desert mini drone swarm tests Brenden Devereaux 22 Apr 2022 LOITERING MUNITIONS IN UKRAINE AND BEYOND a b Ben Watson 6 May 2022 Defense One Radio Ep 99 The role of drones in Russia s Ukraine invasion Ashley Rocque 19 May 2023 At Edge 23 the US Army and international partners break down data sharing barriers a b Andrew Eversden 24 Aug 2022 Army s robotic vehicle slipped behind enemy lines in European exercise a b Spc Garrison Waites 12 Jun 2022 Soldiers get hands on experience with new tech during Combined Resolve Using RCVs with Javelins and CROWS a b Andrew Eversden 21 Oct 2022 Lightning in a bottle Inside the Origin of the Army s future robotic fleet a b c d Sydney J Freedberg Jr 19 Mar 2021 Army Outlines Ambitious Schedule For Robots Armor Andrew Eversden 22 Nov 2021 Robotic vehicles drones coordinate recon at Army s Project Convergence 21 Defense One staff 9 Sep 2022 The Army s top officer discusses the future of the force and how the six month old Ukraine invasion is evolving LTG Scott McKean Army Futures Command 19 Sep 2022 Project Convergence 2022 to demonstrate futuristic joint multinational warfighting technologies inaugural PC22 Technology Gateway Joe Lacdan Army News Service 21 Sep 2022 Army to test robotic vehicles on land and sea during PC 22 AFC s McKean JADC2 experiment to reach from continental US to Pacific 1 establish an IAMD 2 use Joint offensive fires 3 examine which authorities and policies hinder the mission a b span, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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