AUSA Urges Swift Passage of Funding to Support Army

mtan-admin — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 19:23:53 +0000

AUSA Urges Swift Passage of Funding to Support Army mtan-admin Fri, 04/19/2024 - 14:23

The Association of the U.S. Army is urging Congress to swiftly pass the national security supplemental to support the Army while investing in America’s defense industrial base.

“Legislation that provides critical funding to support the Army and our soldiers—while improving readiness and force protection and providing much needed investments in America’s defense industrial base—is required,” said retired Gen. Bob Brown, AUSA president and CEO. “Congress should work quickly and in a bipartisan way to meet the moment during this time of conflict.”

The national security supplemental package includes funding for Israel, Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific, as well as costs incurred by the U.S. military as it conducts operations in support of allies and partners.

U.S. Army leaders have publicly urged lawmakers to pass supplemental funding to support its operations around the world. The Army has “cash-flowed about $800 million” to support operations in Ukraine and the Middle East, and it is “planning on the supplemental to come through,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said April 10 during testimony before the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.

The money would be critical to replenishing the equipment the Army has sent to Ukraine and funding investments in munitions production, particularly 155 mm shells, Wormuth said.

Without the supplemental funding, the Army will not have enough funding by the end of May to redeploy units currently deployed to Europe or transport their replacements, Wormuth said. It also will not be able to support certain exercises or activities, she said.

“There are some real problems for us that are going to come out if we don’t have that supplemental,” Wormuth said.

On April 3, Army Undersecretary Gabe Camarillo warned the Army would face “devastating” effects without supplemental funding. “We have been cash-flowing a lot of those costs with our own internal Army funding,” Camarillo said during a breakfast hosted by AUSA. “We need that supplemental to reimburse us, because that’s essentially operations funds that we cannot use for other things like exercises that we had planned in Europe and the Pacific.”

In the $26.4 billion bill to support Israel, $1 billion would be used to enhance the production and development of artillery and critical munitions, $2.4 billion for current U.S. military operations in the region in response to recent attacks, $4.4 billion to replenish defense articles and services provided to Israel and $9 billion for worldwide humanitarian aid.

More than $48 billion of a $60.8 billion bill for Ukraine would be used to fund the U.S. defense industrial base and replenish U.S. stocks, while $7.3 billion would pay for U.S. military operations in the region.

An $8.1 billion bill would support efforts to counter Chinese aggression and increase deterrence in the region, including $542 million to strengthen U.S. military capabilities in the region and $133 million to enhance production of artillery and critical munitions.

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Bills Pending Before Congress Would Support Army Operations, Replenish US Stocks

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Paper: US Balancing Key Amid Morocco-Algeria Cold War

jlieberher — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 12:24:55 +0000

Paper: US Balancing Key Amid Morocco-Algeria Cold War jlieberher Fri, 04/19/2024 - 07:24

Careful balancing by the United States can deescalate a cold war between Morocco, a U.S. ally, and Algeria, its anti-Western counterpart, according to the author of a new paper published by the Association of the U.S. Army.

“Morocco finds itself at ever increasing odds with its longtime neighbor and rival, Algeria,” author Lt. Col. Jay Figurski writes. “In today’s dynamic global security environment, this rivalry may not make headlines. However, these two African heavyweights are stuck in a de facto cold war that could put U.S. diplomacy to the test.”

In “Cold War in Africa: Morocco and Algeria,” Figurski, a Middle East foreign area officer who is retiring from the Army and most recently served as the Israel desk officer for the Joint Staff strategy, plans and policy directorate, J5, discusses how the U.S. could balance its commitment to Morocco with increased cooperation with Algeria.

The paper is available here.

Beyond being an ally, Morocco’s military is inspired by the U.S. military, its equipment and its structure.

“Since it gained independence from France, Morocco has developed a special relationship with the United States,” Figurski writes. “Morocco has embarked on a military modernization program known as Vision 2030, with the goal of becoming interoperable with the United States and NATO.”

In kind, Algeria has met Morocco’s cooperation with the U.S. with alliances with Russia and China.

“In response to Morocco’s military modernization with the United States, Algeria signed a large contract with Russia in 2022 for submarines, Su-57 (Sukhoi) stealth aircraft, Su-34 bombers and Su-30 fighters,” Figurski writes. “Algeria is also an important part of China’s Mediterranean strategy as part of its Belt and Road Initiative [where] Chinese investment will expand from traditional sectors … to emerging areas.”

Algeria’s likely attempts to reframe and reform the Western Sahara landscape could push Morocco over the edge, Figurski writes.

“As Morocco and Algeria disagree more vocally on the international stage, both sides will continue to back up their diplomatic talk by projecting strength,” he writes. “Neither country wants war, nor would they benefit from it. … But escalation will be unavoidable if any further incidents lead to deaths on either side.”

As the tension escalates between Algeria and Morocco, the U.S. will be “in a precarious position,” according to Figurski.

“Although the Morocco-Algeria ‘cold war’ poses no direct military threat to the United States, it continues to slow the economic development of two of Africa’s most important countries—while threatening to derail U.S. diplomatic initiatives elsewhere,” he writes. “Keeping a lid on the Morocco-Algeria tensions without incurring consequences to U.S. interests will take continued strategic balance and skilled diplomacy.”

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Tensions Between Longtime African Rivals Strain US Interests, Diplomacy

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Flynn ‘Encouraged’ by Army’s Indo-Pacific Progress

jlieberher — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 12:14:14 +0000

Flynn ‘Encouraged’ by Army’s Indo-Pacific Progress jlieberher Thu, 04/18/2024 - 07:14

The Army is in a full-court press to prevent conflict in the Indo-Pacific, the commander of U.S. Army Pacific said.

“We already have a limited regional war going on in Europe. We’ve got a limited regional war going on in the Middle East. The last thing that we can afford is to have another war out here in the Pacific,” Gen. Charles Flynn said recently during Defense One’s 2024 State of Defense series. “And we’re doing everything we can to prevent that from happening.”

The Army has made “pretty substantial” progress in the region between 2020 and 2024, Flynn said. The service has made several moves to increase its Indo-Pacific presence, including activating in 2022 a third multidomain task force that is aligned to the region; activating two mid-range capability batteries to support joint efforts; and standing up its first composite watercraft company at Yokohama, Japan.

The first battery will deploy into the region this year, Flynn confirmed.

As the war in Ukraine continues, lessons about suppressing enemy capabilities and training apply to potential future conflict in the Indo-Pacific, Flynn said.

“We’re … redefining what the close fight is,” he said. “The distances that we’re seeing, and the effects that we’re seeing from land-based forces, … and the ranges that [we’re seeing from] loitering munitions … to either conduct reconnaissance, to do targeting or to actually conduct an offensive operation in real-time in Ukraine are absolutely transferable out here.”

The Army also is shifting toward “scalable” and “mobile” command posts in the region to avoid detection. “Being able to take a big piece of terrain and set up a big command post, those days are long over,” Flynn said. “We need to be able to hide within the clutter because it's very difficult to find ground formations that are on the move or are able to mask their signatures.”

In 2024 and beyond, the Army will focus on its initiatives and preventing war in the Indo-Pacific.

“It’s … becoming more and more apparent that defense remains the strongest form of warfare,” Flynn said. “I’m really encouraged by a number of initiatives that are underway at both Headquarters Department of the Army and the major commands. … We do have to take a long view on this and focus our energy and efforts on preventing a war from happening here.”

Flynn and leaders from the U.S. Army and armies across the Indo-Pacific will delve more deeply into the challenges facing land forces in the region during the Association of the U.S. Army’s LANPAC Symposium and Exposition May 14–16 in Honolulu. For more information or to register, click here.

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Service Continues Push to Prevent Conflict in Critical Region

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Wormuth: Army on Track to Meet Recruiting Goals

jlieberher — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 12:17:34 +0000

Wormuth: Army on Track to Meet Recruiting Goals jlieberher Wed, 04/17/2024 - 07:17

With about six months to go, the Army is on pace to meet its recruiting goals for the fiscal year, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said.

“While I don’t want to be overconfident because we have six more months in the fiscal year, if we continue to perform as we have, there’s an excellent chance we’ll meet our recruiting goal this year of 55,000 soldiers and 5,000 in the delayed entry program,” Wormuth told the House Armed Services Committee.

Wormuth and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George testified April 16 before the committee to discuss the service’s $185.9 billion budget request for fiscal 2025.

The Army has missed its recruiting goals the past two years—falling short by about 15,000 in fiscal 2022 and 10,000 in fiscal 2023. In response, the service offered promotion and bonus incentives for soldiers who refer recruits who make it through basic training, and in turn offered recruits incentives such as quick-ship bonuses, duty station of choice and bonuses for critical MOSs.

It revived its iconic “Be All You Can Be” marketing slogan and is investing in targeted marketing and advertising campaigns.

The Army also stood up the Future Soldier Preparatory Course, designed to help recruits meet the service’s academic or physical fitness standards, and announced several initiatives to transform the recruiting workforce, including the creation of recruiting warrant officers.

The first cohort of those warrant officers, who will bring specialized expertise to the recruiting force, will be trained and out in the field by the end of summer, Wormuth said.

“The things the Army’s been doing in the last year and a half, I think, are beginning to work,” Wormuth said.

As the Army continues to confront its recruiting challenges, the service is restructuring and would like to grow, Wormuth said. Regular Army troop strength is 452,000, she said, and plans call for that number to grow to 470,000 by fiscal 2029.

“We would like to grow, absolutely,” she said. “We’re committed to increasing the size of the Army, particularly the active-duty force.”

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SMA: Disciplined, Cohesive Teams are Army’s ‘Bedrock’

jlieberher — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 12:23:21 +0000

SMA: Disciplined, Cohesive Teams are Army’s ‘Bedrock’ jlieberher Tue, 04/16/2024 - 07:23

Instilling discipline among soldiers requires personal drive and standards that are clearly articulated by the Army, said Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer.

Driving home this message, which he spelled out in a September letter to the force at the outset of his tenure as the Army’s senior enlisted soldier, Weimer emphasized the need to be “brilliant at the basics.” This includes mastering the Army’s core competencies as well as the tasks and skills of an MOS.

“The first thing we have to do … is clearly ensure that the standards are known and that there’s the least amount of ambiguity possible,” Weimer said in a recent conversation with Lt. Col. Joe Byerly on his “From the Green Notebook” podcast.

Weimer said he’s learned from soldiers as he travels around the Army that there is “confusion and ambiguity” about standards. He acknowledged that it’s hard to be the leader who shows up every day and is the model standard bearer, but he pointed out that if discipline isn’t instilled and there is “some gray space and some ambiguity,” young soldiers will slack off.

“That has nothing to do with this generation. It was that way in the 1990s and 1980s, too,” Weimer said. “The discipline comes from following the standards’ reps and sets over time. When you build personal discipline, it equals team cohesive discipline, it equals warfighting.”

Weimer said he’s been “really hard on this” because a squad is only as strong as its weakest link. That’s why he also pushes hard on the need to excel at the basics and be accountable, because teams will need to “handle the complex multidomain operations, near-peer adversaries and the complexity of large-scale combat operations,” he said. “That’s why I think it’s a bedrock.”

By instilling these fundamental tenets of cohesive teams, Weimer said, he is promoting Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George’s focus on strengthening the Army profession. “It’s all connected,” he said.

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Weimer Says Service Must Ensure Standards are Clear, Focused

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US, Indo-Pacific Army Leaders to Speak at LANPAC

jlieberher — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 17:29:00 +0000

US, Indo-Pacific Army Leaders to Speak at LANPAC jlieberher Mon, 04/15/2024 - 12:29

Commanders from U.S. Army Pacific, U.S. Army Futures Command and the Japanese, South Korean and Australian armies are among the leaders scheduled to speak at the Association of the U.S. Army’s LANPAC Symposium and Exposition in Hawaii.

An international symposium dedicated to land forces in the Indo-Pacific, the three-day event is May 14–16 at the Sheraton Waikiki in Honolulu. It is expected to draw military leaders from more than 26 countries, including at least 15 army chiefs.

This year’s theme is “Campaigning with Landpower.” Topics that will be discussed include creating and maintaining joint interior lines, the evolving role of NCOs in the region, and multidomain operations for the Army, the joint force and industry.

There also will be almost 70 exhibits and a Leadership Forum for a select group of about 120 soldiers conducted by AUSA’s Center for Leadership.

To register for LANPAC or for more information, click here.

Army updates from the symposium will be available here. You can join the conversation with this year’s hashtag #LANPAC2024.

LANPAC opens May 14 with a keynote from Gen. Charles Flynn, commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific, followed by a panel discussion on integrating all domains for the coalition and joint campaign. Panelists include Lt. Gen. Xavier Brunson, commanding general of I Corps; Lt. Gen. David Hodne, director of Army Futures Command’s Futures and Concepts Center; and Marcia Holmes, principal deputy assistant defense secretary for mission capabilities.

In the afternoon, there will be a panel on the evolving role of the NCO in the region, featuring senior enlisted leaders from U.S. Forces Korea, the Marine Corps and the armies of New Zealand, Singapore and Australia.

Brig. Gen. Onisivoro Covunisaqa, commander of the Fiji Military Forces’ Land Force Command, will provide a keynote, and there will be a panel on the adversary approach to multidomain operations.

Mario Diaz, deputy undersecretary of the Army, opens Day 2 of LANPAC with a keynote address. Flynn will then lead a panel on forward positioning and tactical defense, featuring Gen. Yasunori Morishita, chief of staff of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, Gen. An Su Park, chief of staff of the Republic of Korea Army, and Lt. Gen. Simon Stuart, chief of the Australian Army.

Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler, commanding general of the 11th Airborne Division, and Air Force Lt. Gen. David Nahom, commander of Alaskan Command at U.S. Northern Command, will talk about the challenges of operating in the range of environments in the Indo-Pacific.

In the afternoon, Stuart will provide a keynote presentation, followed by a panel discussion on the importance of multinational training and exercises led by Lt. Gen. James Jarrard, deputy commanding general of Army Pacific.

The third and final day of LANPAC will begin with a keynote by Young Bang, principal deputy assistant Army secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology. Maj. Gen. Jered Helwig, commanding general of the 8th Theater Sustainment Command, will then lead a discussion on sustainment in competition, crisis and conflict.

The U.S. Army plays a key role in the Indo-Pacific, home to more than half of the world’s population, several of the world’s largest militaries and two of the three largest economies. Between 2020 and 2024, the Army has made “pretty substantial” progress in building partnerships with allies, increasing U.S. presence in the region and working to deter countries such as China, Flynn said recently.

“We already have a limited regional war going on in Europe. We’ve got a limited regional war going on in the Middle East. The last thing that we can afford is to have another war out here in the Pacific,” Flynn said. “And we’re doing everything we can to prevent that from happening.”

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Data, Integration Key to Army Logistics Readiness

jlieberher — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 12:25:41 +0000

Data, Integration Key to Army Logistics Readiness jlieberher Mon, 04/15/2024 - 07:25

The Army must sharpen its ability to use data in more targeted ways as it works to build—and protect—its contested logistics capabilities, a panel of experts said at a Hot Topic forum sponsored by the Association of the U.S. Army.

“What can the total Army do now to keep those supply lines open in the future, knowing that most likely cyber and information attacks are going to degrade operations?” said Col. Kristine Henry, who works on cyber and information operations special projects for the Maryland National Guard.

One way to do that will involve using data in more targeted ways, said Christina Manning, director of strategy for global sustainment and modernization at Northrop Grumman.

“Transforming readiness decision-making has a lot to do with data, but we have so much data … that we have to be very smart and figure out how we … [leverage it] to make sure that we get the right information down to the right echelon at the right time,” she said.

Increasing opportunities for the Army to work alongside the private sector also could support the service’s readiness, Manning said. U.S. code currently allows up to 50% of military department annual depot maintenance funding to be used for work done by private-sector contractors.

Changing this rule could help ease the burden on Army depots, Manning said. “I think the 50-50 rule is one of the biggest constraints I face in being able to support [the Army],” she said.

Looking ahead, the Army will continue to grapple with finding the best way to protect its logistics enterprise. “There's no easy answer to how we protect the … logistics enterprise, but I think … trying to come up with an actual sort of strategic effect … and then nesting the technology within those strategic lines of effort [is key],” Henry said.

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Experts Emphasize Importance of Protecting Supply Lines

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Army Prepares 1st Arctic-Focused Doctrine in 50 Years

jlieberher — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 12:16:48 +0000

Army Prepares 1st Arctic-Focused Doctrine in 50 Years jlieberher Fri, 04/12/2024 - 07:16

For the first time in more than 50 years, the Army is developing Arctic-focused doctrine to help soldiers contend with and operate in the harsh but increasingly competitive region.

Army Techniques Publication (ATP) 3-90.96, Arctic and Extreme Cold Weather Operations, will give soldiers information “to overcome the Arctic environment and succeed in temperatures as cold as -40 degrees Fahrenheit,” according to the Mission Command Center of Excellence. It is slated to be released in mid-2024.

The Arctic is becoming an “increasingly active security environment” as Russia upgrades its “large-scale, credible Arctic military capabilities” and China grows its “economic and scientific activities in the region,” according to a recent report from the Rand Corp on the U.S. military’s Arctic capabilities.

The upcoming Army Techniques Publication is the culmination of over a year of Arctic and extreme cold weather operations research by the Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate. It takes into account training at the Northern Warfare Training Center in Alaska, historical records and consultations with other Arctic nations, including Canada, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark. The directorate also worked closely with the 11th Airborne Division, which is stationed in Alaska, to develop the doctrine.

“Arctic and extreme cold weather operations are about more than being able to survive, you have to be able to thrive,” said Capt. Edward Garibay, the lead doctrine author. “As the Arctic warms from climate change, it’s going to become more and more accessible in the coming decades and take on new importance.”

The doctrine will have a tactical focus, and it will help soldiers adapt the concepts and experience they know for the Arctic and the subarctic.

“We have a lot of localized knowledge that isn’t easily shared across the Army,” Garibay said. “We have pockets of individuals and units that are experts, but their knowledge is only available in local [standard operating procedures] and only passed down from one command to the next. We’re consolidating all that knowledge in one place and providing a foundation for everyone to build on.”

Unique aspects of the region that may affect soldiers’ operations also will be incorporated into the doctrine. For example, solar storms in the Arctic can affect GPS capabilities, metals and plastics are more brittle and batteries do not last as long, according to the Mission Command Center of Excellence.

This winter, the doctrine will be put to the test during the 11th Airborne Division’s Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center rotation. The exercise, which will replicate large-scale combat conditions, will validate doctrine concepts and provide essential feedback to the Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate.

Maintaining Arctic dominance is essential to the Army’s readiness.

“The U.S. Army has to be ready to fight and win in extreme cold and mountainous environments in order to deter conflict, and the 11th Airborne Division is the foundation of that capability,” said Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler, the division commander. “To build sustained Arctic readiness, we need to [be] … sharing best practices and lessons learned.”

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New Extreme Cold-Weather Operations Publication Coming in Mid-2024

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Army Women Honored for Their Service

jlieberher — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 18:25:55 +0000

Army Women Honored for Their Service jlieberher Thu, 04/11/2024 - 13:25

Nine women, including several Association of the U.S. Army members, were inducted into the Army Women’s Foundation Hall of Fame during a March 21 ceremony at the Military Women’s Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.

The AUSA member inductees include retired Lt. Gen. Kathleen Gainey, Maj. Gen. Janeen Birckhead, retired Maj. Gen. Tammy Smith, retired Brig. Gen. Maureen LeBoeuf, retired Brig. Gen. Belinda Pinckney, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Yolondria Dixon-Carter and retired Command Sgt. Maj. Donna Brock.

Also inducted were retired Lt. Col. Patricia Jackson-Kelley and Army veteran Lucy Del Gaudio.

“Women have played vital roles in our Army since the Revolutionary War. Today, this ceremony will honor some of those women,” said Maj. Gen. Hope Rampy, the event’s guest speaker and director of military personnel management in the office of the deputy Army chief of staff, G-1.

Since the 2009 creation of the Army Women’s Foundation Hall of Fame, the awards are presented each March in the Washington, D.C., area, according to the organization’s website. Women who have served in the Army and contributed extraordinary service are eligible for induction.

In accepting the award, Gainey said she wouldn’t change a thing about her military service. “I am so thankful for all of the opportunities the Army gave me,” she said.

“I want to thank the soldiers and the NCOs who taught me how to listen. They taught me the power of giving them a voice. … If officers don’t listen, then we have failed our soldiers and the Army,” Gainey said.

Birckhead, who is the adjutant general of Maryland, said she was accepting the honor on behalf of her fellow sisters in arms. “The only reason we continue to have soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines is because of women,” she said.

“I am humbled by the remarkable company I now keep,” said Smith, who in 2012 became the first openly LGBT person to attain general or flag officer rank. “The women of my generation broke glass ceilings because of the women before us who cracked that glass a little bit.”

She encouraged women who are still serving to “go after what you want with all your heart.”

Speaking to the other award recipients, LeBoeuf said that she was “proud to be a part of your cohort.”

This is a moment that matters, she said. “I am humbled to be recognized today … but the reality is, we are powerful and accomplished women. At the end of the day, when we were alone, we were the ones wearing that heavy mantle of leadership.”

“I thank God for all he has done; he continues to do great things, as we’re witnessing here today,” said Pinckney, the first women to attain general officer rank in the Army Finance Corps.

She thanked her colleagues and subordinates during her time in service for their contributions to her career and the Army, saying, “I love being a leader, but I was smart enough to know that my job was to be a resource for those who worked with me and for me.”

Dixon-Carter, the first woman to serve as senior warrant officer adviser to the Army chief of staff, attributed her success to those who came before her. “I am the image of the unseen, the abandoned, the rejected, but I overcame. I am the image of women who were told they couldn’t make it, but they did,” she said.

“I am the image of a soldier who had no clue what she wanted to be, but I was told, ‘In the Army, you can be whatever you want to be,’ ” Dixon-Carter said in accepting the award. “To God I give all the glory; had it not been for him I would not be here today.”

Brock echoed those sentiments. “I’m here because of all the soldiers and civilians who have come before me and who have crossed my path,” she said.

“My mantra is ‘It’s all about people.’ I live it, I breathe it and I believe it,” Brock said, encouraging the audience to “live a good life on purpose, and with a sense of purpose.”

This year’s inductees are part of the Army story, Rampy said. “We draw strength and inspiration from those who came before us,” she said, pointing to milestones such as when the first women entered the regular Army in 1948, and 2016, when women became eligible to serve in every combat role.

“Reflect on the women that have come before you,” Rampy said. “I am proud to serve in an institution where I can be anything I want to be.”

For more on the Class of 2024, click here.

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Foundation Welcomes Class of 2024 into its Hall of Fame

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Wormuth: Army Budget Supports ‘Profound Transformation’

jlieberher — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 12:22:40 +0000

Wormuth: Army Budget Supports ‘Profound Transformation’ jlieberher Thu, 04/11/2024 - 07:22

In today’s complex and volatile world, the Army must transform—and transform quickly, the service’s top leaders testified April 10 on Capitol Hill.

“The world is more volatile today than I have seen it in my 36-year career,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George said. “A spark in any region can have global impacts. Meanwhile, the character of war is changing rapidly. Our Army is as important as ever to the joint force. We must deter war everywhere and be ready to respond anywhere.”

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said the Army is in a period of “profound transformation.”

Wormuth and George testified before the House Appropriations defense subcommittee during a hearing on the Army’s fiscal 2025 budget request.

They also urged lawmakers to pass the $95 billion supplemental bill that’s pending before Congress. The Army has “cash flowed about $800 million” to support operations in Ukraine and the Middle East, and it is “planning on the supplemental to come through,” Wormuth said.

The money will be critical to replenishing the equipment the Army has sent to Ukraine and funding investments in munitions production, particularly 155 mm shells, Wormuth said.

“There are some real problems for us that are going to come out if we don’t have that supplemental,” Wormuth said.

For fiscal 2025, the Army has requested a budget of $185.9 billion, a 0.2% increase from the fiscal 2024 request.

“This year, like last year, the Army’s fiscal 2025 budget continues to support the most ambitious modernization program the Army has undertaken in the last 40 years,” Wormuth said. The Army has seen “tremendous progress” by “staying consistent with our goals,” she said.

The Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System, Mid-Range Capability, Next-Generation Squad Weapon and Precision Strike Missile are some examples of the “critical new systems” the Army has recently delivered to the force, Wormuth said.

But the Army’s transformation doesn’t stop at capabilities or next-generation equipment, the leaders said. It also includes transforming the service’s force structure and recruiting enterprise while delivering ready combat formations and taking care of soldiers, Army civilians and their families.

When it comes to force structure, the Army is reducing about 32,000 spaces in its formation while adding 7,500 new ones to accommodate new units and capabilities, such as the multidomain task forces, while eliminating excess positions. “We’re shrinking excess force structure so the units we have are manned and ready,” Wormuth said.

The Army also is “fundamentally transforming” its recruiting enterprise, she said. While the service ended fiscal 2023 with 102% of its retention mission, it continues to face challenges recruiting.

“We’re working around the clock to overcome our recruiting challenges,” Wormuth said, adding that the Army has made “solid” progress.

Taking care of soldiers and their families are another priority. “As we pursue this transformation, we must also take care of our people,” Wormuth said. The Army is planning to invest an average of $2.1 billion a year in improving its barracks, expand the Holistic Health and Fitness program to improve soldier well-being and improve child development centers and on-post housing, among other initiatives.

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Leaders Also Warn of Deployment, Exercise Impacts Without Supplemental Funding

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