Modern warfare

US Army’s Futures Command sets groundwork for battlefield transformation

It’s the beginning of a new era in Army acquisition in which soldiers might not have to wait 10 years or longer to see a new weapon or capability in the field, but instead could get modern, new systems in their hands within just a few short years.
That’s at least what service leaders tasked to come up with new road maps for the Army’s top modernization priorities are thinking is possible.
The newly vigorous pace is fueled by the frustration created by years of painful acquisition blunders, sluggish bureaucratic processes and wasted dollars, all on top of the fact that near-peer adversaries like Russia haven’t waited to develop weapons systems that would create serious dilemmas for the U.S. Army and its Middle East-tuned equipment if it had to face off in a conflict.
The Army’s new Futures Command — designed to keep the service laser-focused on six major modernization priorities — hasn’t been officially established yet, but the leadership in charge of those priorities see for many cases creative ways to get capability into the hands of soldiers in the field in just a couple of years.