![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/33_Day1.jpg.jpg\")
The big five has been replaced by the six modernization priorities, he explained, and the 21st century talent management system will no longer treat people like interchangeable parts. \u201cThey want us to recognize their talents,” he said. “In fact, we want to compete for their talents in the future so we can man the all-volunteer force.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The strategy will continue to evolve, McConville said. \u201cThe thing about strategy is some people will put together a pamphlet or glossy thing, but what you really want to do is take a look at where we\u2019re resourcing \u2026 we aligned our resources to support our priorities,\u201d he added. \u201cWe are doing some great things with materiel solutions, but the soldier will always remain the centerpiece of the Army. We equip people. We don\u2019t man equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Getting to 2035<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Army is planning to conduct multidomain operations as part of an integrated and joint force in a single theater by 2028, and be ready to operate across \u201can array of scenarios in multiple theaters by 2035,\u201d according to a Sept. 30 draft copy of the AMS obtained by Defense News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The draft, as of Sept. 30, was subject to change and had yet to receive the signatures it needed to be considered finalized as of Oct. 7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the strategy, the Army establishes three \u201cway points\u201d or targets to ensure it will meet its goal. From fiscal 2020 to fiscal 2022, the service will start \u201cinitial\u201d fielding of the cross-functional teams\u2019 signature systems. The systems will be evaluated through testing, experimentation and analysis to validate their utility in a multidomain operational environment, according to the draft document.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Army will start adjusting the global force posture beginning in FY22.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then in FY23 through FY25, the Army will begin adapting its formations and organizations to incorporate the modernized equipment needed for multidomain ops. Additionally, training will shift to a robust combination of live, synthetic and virtual environments, and the service will transform training centers to represent the future battlefield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Training and Doctrine Command will transform the MDO concept into doctrine, and facilities around the world will be modernized to prepare for a \u201ccalibrated force posture” required for multidomain ops, the draft document read. A calibrated force posture is \u201ca combination of forward presence, expeditionary capability, and access to joint, national, and partner capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n FY22 through FY25 \u201care critical windows for us as a force because a lot of these prototypes, if successful, will start transitioning to [low-rate initial production],\u201d Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told Defense News in an Oct. 7 interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s the service\u2019s ambition to follow a certain timeline, McCarthy noted, but \u201cI think we\u2019ve got to be able to perform, and these weapon systems have to deliver, and [we have to determine] whether or not they\u2019re scalable and then you start to buy LRIP tranches, so that\u2019s a key window for us along this journey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond FY25, the Army will undergo fundamental changes. Starting in FY26 and running through FY28, the Army will certify the first MDO force package. Force packages will consist of formations that are strategically positioned and will combine \u201cnetworked manned and unmanned platforms, fires, electronic warfare, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, engineers, sustainment, communications and protection capabilities at all echelons from squad to theater.\u201d And the Army has to \u201chave enough expeditionary capacity available to provide follow-on forces to reinforce the theater if needed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The service will use lessons learned from MDO task forces in the Indo-Pacific and European theaters to guide the development of the force packages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Training centers will be able to accept echelons from brigade through field army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Major systems that will be fielded include the optionally manned fighting vehicle \u2014 which will begin replacing Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles \u2014 and the future attack reconnaissance aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the final years leading up to 2035, the service will continue to make adjustments to ensure materiel, organization, force structure, training and personnel align to meet MDO requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The risks<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n With the Army acknowledging it can no longer squander modernization in favor of being prepared for a fight today, the service will assume some readiness risk as it devotes more resources to modernization priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, the Army must maintain a high level of readiness, according to the strategy. The Army will assume some risk in capability as it transitions from current systems to future ones. The transitions \u201cwill stress the Army\u2019s logistical system. They will also stress the training enterprise,\u201d the document read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Risk in capability also grows if modernization initiatives don\u2019t stay on schedule, as the systems are designed to be interdependent; a delay with one system could have a cascading effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Army will also experience budgetary risk if funding decisions are delayed. Industry is only willing to invest in programs and competitions if the service commits it own funding. The strategy assumes Army budgets will stay flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By FY22, the service will shift its focus from current fleet investment to much heavier investment in its modernization priorities as initial fieldings of solutions begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFunding is a key variable to our success,\u201d McCarthy said. \u201cSo we\u2019re watching that very closely beyond FY21. If you head down to the \u201922 to \u201926 time frame, the buying power of the Army reduces and we\u2019re in a flat environment \u2026 but we work very hard at creating the trade space in our balance sheet to finance our ambition.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With the Army acknowledging it can no longer squander modernization in favor of being prepared for a fight today, the service will assume some readiness risk as it devotes more resources to modernization priorities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":43966,"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":78,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"5":{"categories":["daily-news-roundup","newsletters","your-army","news"],"primary_category":"daily-news-roundup"}}},"categories":[78,160,29,162,14,36],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3330],"class_list":["post-58212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ausa-digital-show-dailies","category-daily-news-roundup","category-digital-show-dailies","category-digital-show-daily","category-land","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"MGBACEYALBFQNJ7CMGZIVJRRGY","arc_canonical_url":"\/digital-show-dailies\/ausa\/2019\/10\/14\/what-risks-is-the-us-army-taking-to-prep-for-future-warfare\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1_Day1_coverphoto.jpg.jpg\")