{"id":17560,"date":"2019-08-22T11:45:20","date_gmt":"2019-08-22T11:45:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/08\/22\/avoiding-past-mistakes-are-the-armys-modernization-plans-on-the-right-course\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:40:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:40:13","slug":"avoiding-past-mistakes-are-the-armys-modernization-plans-on-the-right-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/land\/2019\/08\/22\/avoiding-past-mistakes-are-the-armys-modernization-plans-on-the-right-course\/","title":{"rendered":"Avoiding past mistakes: Are the Army\u2019s modernization plans on the right course?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 To avoid past mistakes that have all but crippled the Army\u2019s ability to procure new equipment, the service should ensure its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/land\/2018\/08\/28\/can-austin-make-the-army-weird\/\" target=\"_blank\">top modernization priorities<\/a> are aligned with its emerging warfighting doctrine, which could mean rearranging some of its top efforts, conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation is arguing in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heritage.org\/defense\/report\/rebuilding-americas-military-project-the-united-states-army\" target=\"_blank\">a new report<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The assessment comes at a time when the Army is preparing to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/global-force-symposium\/2019\/03\/26\/expanded-army-modernization-strategy-due-out-in-april\/\" target=_blank>release a new modernization strategy<\/a> in short order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFrom 2002 to 2014, for a variety of reasons, nearly every major modernization program was terminated,\u201d the report\u2019s author Thomas Spoehr writes. Spoehr is the director of the Center of National Defense at Heritage. His former Army career was partly spent helping to develop the service\u2019s future year financial plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/ausa-digital-show-dailies\/2018\/10\/08\/a-new-way-to-modernize-army-works-to-close-gap-between-concept-and-capability\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AUSA-modernization-cover-1-web.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">A new way to modernize: Army works to close gap between concept and capability<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Army is making revolutionary and fundamental changes in the way it envisions operating against adversaries in the future.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spoehr acknowledges that with the advent of a new four-star command \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/land\/2019\/07\/17\/army-futures-command-is-ready-for-prime-time\/\" target=\"_blank\">Army Futures Command<\/a> \u2014 the programs envisioned to modernize the Army \u201care well-conceived,\u201d but urges the services to look through a lens of how its priorities measure up in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/ausa\/2018\/10\/09\/from-multi-domain-battle-to-multi-domain-operations-army-evolves-its-guiding-concept\/\" target=\"_blank\">Multi-Domain Operations<\/a> \u2014 a concept under development that will grow into its key warfighting doctrine.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/land\/2018\/08\/28\/multidomain-operations-task-force-cuts-teeth-in-pacific\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ArmyRIMPAC.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Multidomain Operations Task Force cuts teeth in Pacific<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Recent exercises in the Pacific have given the Army&#039;s new Multidomain Operations Task Force Pilot Program a wealth of opportunity to refine its doctrine.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spoehr also warns the Army\u2019s leaders that there needs to be a balance \u201cof the lure of technology with the necessity&#8221; to buy new equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The service is steadfastly marching down a path to modernize and develop its capability in Long-Range Precision Fires, Next-Generation Combat Vehicle, Future Vertical Lift, the network, air-and-missile defense and soldier lethality, in order of importance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Spoehr is proposing to drop<a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/land\/2019\/03\/29\/armys-request-for-proposals-to-build-next-gen-combat-vehicle-prototypes-drops\/\" target=_blank> NGCV<\/a> and FVL to the bottom of the list because they would serve less effective roles when carrying out operations in an environment where territory is well defended against enemies like Russia and China.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/land\/2019\/06\/10\/major-combat-vehicle-player-wont-participate-in-us-armys-optionally-manned-fighting-vehicle-competition\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"174\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/original.jpg_7ae8f2.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Major combat vehicle player won\u2019t play in US Army\u2019s optionally manned fighting vehicle race<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle competition will heat up later this year, but there&#039;s one major player in combat vehicles who won&#039;t be jumping into the game.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe need for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/global-force-symposium\/2019\/03\/26\/army-to-prioritize-long-range-missile-capability-to-go-after-maritime-targets\/\" target=\"_blank\">long-range precision fires<\/a> and a precision-strike missile with a range of 310 km, for example, is grounded in the need to strip away Russian surface-to-air missile batteries and gain access,\u201d Spoehr writes. \u201cThe linkages of other programs and initiatives are not as obvious and would benefit from an Army effort to make the connections either more explicit or reconsider requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spoehr points out that it\u2019s not clear, for example, how a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/land\/2019\/07\/17\/armys-future-long-range-assault-aircraft-passes-through-key-requirements-gauntlet\/\" target=\"_blank\">Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft <\/a>and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/aaaa\/2019\/04\/23\/us-army-picks-5-teams-to-design-new-us-army-attack-recon-helicopter\/\" target=\"_blank\">Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft <\/a>\u201cmight survive against near-peer sophisticated integrated air defense capabilities like the Russian\u2019s capable Pantsir-S1 SA-22 system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEven if the aircraft\u2019s speed is doubled or tripled, it will not outrun the Pantsir\u2019s 9M335 missile,\u201d he writes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNowhere in the MDO concept is a compelling case made for the use of Army aviation, combined with a relative youth of Army aviation fleets,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, Spoehr said, the priorities \u201cshould be based on an evaluation of current versus required capabilities, assessed against the capability\u2019s overall criticality to success, and all tied to a future aim point-2030, by a force employing MDO doctrine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This means, he argues, that the Army\u2019s network should be prioritized just below LRPF, followed by AMD and soldier lethality. Ranked at number five and six would be NGCV and FVL, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Spoehr, \u201cnothing has come forward to suggest that there is a technological advancement that will make a next generation of combat vehicles significantly better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additionally, the Army should not try to force the key requirement of making <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/ausa\/2018\/10\/08\/replacing-the-bradley-is-the-top-priority-for-the-armys-next-gen-combat-vehicle-modernization-team\/\" target=\"_blank\">its Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle replacement<\/a> \u2014 the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle \u2014 robotically operated or autonomous until the network matures to support the capability, the report notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/land\/2019\/05\/10\/dirty-work-robots-take-on-complex-breach-as-army-evaluates-potential\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4035.JPG.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Dirty work: Robots take on complex obstacles in US Army exercise<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Learning by doing, the Army is assessing how robots can be an asset on the battlefield.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Army needs a network \u201cthat is simple, reliable and less fragile than its current systems,\u201d Spoehr says. \u201cThese capabilities may need to come at the expense of capacity,\u201d which the Army appears to be doing, he notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spoehr also suggests that the Army invest less in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/land\/2019\/06\/05\/coming-soon-to-the-us-army-combat-capable-hypersonic-and-laser-weapons\/\" target=\"_blank\">hypersonic offensive <\/a>capability and more in defensive capability.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/smd\/2019\/08\/07\/final-hypersonic-missile-contract-awards-imminent-as-army-preps-to-shoot-one-in-fy21\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"239\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/NavyHypersonicTest2002.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Final hypersonic missile contract awards imminent as US Army preps to shoot one in FY21<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Contracts for a hypersonics launcher and for glide body production are expected to be awarded in less than three weeks.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But ensuring effective modernization of the force and avoiding past failures is just as much a management challenge as it is overcoming technological and cost hurdles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the phenomena Spoehr observed during his time serving in the military, particularly at the Pentagon, is what he calls \u201cgroupthink,\u201d where those who spend time together begin to think alike and make decisions without those around them questioning actions. Additionally, subordinates tend to avoid disagreeing with those in charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Groupthink has been the culprit when it comes to major failure in development and acquisition programs in the past, so the Army should \u201czealously promote critical thinking and avoid groupthink,\u201d Spoehr writes. The service should \u201cpromote a free and open dialogue in journals and forums\u201d and \u201cexercise caution when senior leaders endorse specific system attributes or requirements to avoid closing down discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report acknowledges that the Army \u201cis making a concerted effort to change to meet the future,\u201d such as standing up AFC and aligning its future doctrine with materiel solutions more closely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s important the Army keep sight of what it\u2019s actually trying to do with its future capability, the report warns. \u201cRather than seeking to match and exceed each of our adversary\u2019s investments, the Army must focus on enabling its own operational concepts and seeking answers to tough operational and tactical problems,\u201d it states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Elsewhere in the overarching analysis, Spoehr recommends growing the force, as well ensuring its effective modernization to include roughly 50 Brigade Combat Teams and an end-strength of at least 540,000 active soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He suggests reducing investment in infantry brigade combat teams in favor of armored BCTs, but also to keep capability to fight in a counter-insurgency environment as well, such as keeping the Security Force Assistance Brigades. The third such formation is preparing to deploy to Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/land\/2019\/03\/06\/major-army-force-structure-changes-afoot\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AbramsJWA.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">The US Army is preparing for major changes to force structure<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">There are major changes expected &#8212; within the near future &#8212; when it comes to how the Army&#039;s force structure is organized, according to the Army&#039;s Futures and Concepts Center director.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Army also needs to grow faster and must find ways to resolve recent problems with recruiting, Spoehr said, recommending that the service grow at a rate faster than 2,000 regular Army soldiers per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And force allocation should also be reconsidered, Spoehr argues, recommending that the Army should create a new field headquarters in Europe and, when appropriate, do so in the Indo-Pacific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, \u201cthe task for the Army is no less than to develop a force capable of deterring and defeating aggression by China and Russia, while also remaining prepared to deal with other regional adversaries (Iraq and North Korea), violent extremist organizations, and other unforeseen challenges,\u201d Spoehr said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What\u2019s hard for the Army is that it lacks \u201cthe certainty of a single principal competitor\u201d \u2014 the Soviet Union in 1980s, during the last buildup, for example, he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because of the complicated global environment, Spoehr advocates for the Army to shift from thinking about a 20-year lead time for new, transformative capabilities and instead take a constant iterative and evolutionary approach to building the force. Under AFC, the Army is attempting to do just that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Army can\u2019t wait \u201cuntil the future is clear before acting,\u201d he adds. \u201cWhen dealing with a 1-million-person organization, equipping, training, and leader development typically takes at least a decade to make any substantive change,\u201d Spoehr said. \u201cThe Army must therefore make bets now to remain a preeminent land power.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Heritage Foundation is urging the Army ensure its top modernization priorities align with its emerging doctrine, which could mean rearranging them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":29332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":14,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[160,14,36],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3330],"class_list":["post-17560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-land","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"U3BAPBE6FBFVNGUGPR6DEK4OGQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/land\/2019\/08\/22\/avoiding-past-mistakes-are-the-armys-modernization-plans-on-the-right-course\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Avoiding past mistakes: Are the Army\u2019s modernization plans on the right course? - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Heritage Foundation is urging the Army ensure its top modernization priorities align with its emerging doctrine, which could mean rearranging them.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/land\/2019\/08\/22\/avoiding-past-mistakes-are-the-armys-modernization-plans-on-the-right-course\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Avoiding past mistakes: Are the Army\u2019s modernization plans on the right course?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Heritage Foundation is urging the Army ensure its top modernization priorities align with its emerging doctrine, which could mean rearranging them.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/land\/2019\/08\/22\/avoiding-past-mistakes-are-the-armys-modernization-plans-on-the-right-course\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-08-22T11:45:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T21:40:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jen Judson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jen Judson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" 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