{"id":69693,"date":"2025-05-01T18:40:52","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T18:40:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2025\/05\/01\/secdef-wields-axe-to-brass-hqs-formations-to-fashion-leaner-army\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:22:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:22:29","slug":"secdef-wields-axe-to-brass-hqs-formations-to-fashion-leaner-army","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/land\/2025\/05\/01\/secdef-wields-axe-to-brass-hqs-formations-to-fashion-leaner-army\/","title":{"rendered":"SecDef wields axe to brass, HQs, formations to fashion leaner Army"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The secretary of defense has ordered the Army secretary to cut programs, reduce the number of general officers in the ranks and consolidate offices, commands and headquarters, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/land\/2022\/09\/06\/futures-command-faces-identity-crisis-as-army-shifts-mission\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/land\/2022\/09\/06\/futures-command-faces-identity-crisis-as-army-shifts-mission\/\">including a four-star command<\/a> formed in the previous Trump administration designed to reform its acquisition process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wants Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to \u201cimplement a comprehensive transformation strategy, streamline its force structure, eliminate wasteful spending, reform acquisition, modernize inefficient defense contracts, and overcome parochial interests to rebuild our Army, restore the warrior ethos and reestablish deterrence,\u201d he wrote in a memo published Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTo build a leaner, more lethal force, the Army must transform at an accelerated pace by divesting outdated, redundant, and inefficient programs, as well as restructuring headquarters and acquisition systems,\u201d Hegseth stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Army should prioritize long-range precision fires and air and missile defense, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/pentagon\/2025\/01\/29\/trumps-missile-shield-marks-shift-in-homeland-defense-strategy\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/pentagon\/2025\/01\/29\/trumps-missile-shield-marks-shift-in-homeland-defense-strategy\/\">Golden Dome<\/a> \u2014 Trump\u2019s planned architecture to defend the homeland from missile threats \u2014 as well as cyber, electronic warfare and counter-space capabilities, the memo lists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Chain-of-command changes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Much of the memo lays out initiatives already well underway, but the Army would carry them out under an altered chain-of-command structure with fewer general officers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The changes include the merging of Forces Command with U.S. Army North and U.S. Army South into a single headquarters dubbed \u201cthe Western Hemisphere Command.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the Army is consolidating Army Futures Command, which is in charge of developing requirements, into one command with Training and Doctrine Command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Army Futures Command was established in 2018 during President Donald Trump\u2019s first administration under then-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, whom President Trump has sought to disgrace since returning to office, including by having Milley\u2019s joint chiefs chairman portrait removed from the Pentagon hallway where it originally hung. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Milley proposed the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/ausa\/2019\/10\/16\/army-futures-command-is-leading-a-cultural-shift-much-to-the-delight-of-industry\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/ausa\/2019\/10\/16\/army-futures-command-is-leading-a-cultural-shift-much-to-the-delight-of-industry\/\">four-star command he dubbed Army Futures Command <\/a>as a new way forward, breaking free of the bureaucracy and silos that had hampered the Army\u2019s previous major modernization efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Working with other top service officials, Milley shifted billions of dollars into modernization programs including the top priority \u2014 long-range precision fires \u2014 and based the new command in Austin, Texas, an area known for its innovative, technology-focused workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AFC was formed to focus on requirements development within the modernization process. Prior to its formation, the requirements development process lived within TRADOC, where it competed for attention alongside training, recruitment and professional military education. The more focused organization was built to enable the Army to move faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hegseth\u2019s memo also directs the Army secretary to restructure sustainment by \u201cconsolidating and realigning\u201d headquarters and units within Army Materiel Command and integrating Joint Munitions Command and Army Sustainment Command \u201cto optimize efficiency and streamline support capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a letter to the force from Driscoll published Thursday, he announced the Army plans to cut 1,000 staff positions from its headquarters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Leaner, lethal formations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hegseth is also ordering changes to formations with plans to \u201cmerge headquarters to generate combat power capable of synchronizing kinetic and non-kinetic fires, space-based capabilities and unmanned systems,\u201d the memo states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Major changes include reducing and restructuring manned attack helicopter formations and building up \u201cinexpensive drone swarms capable of overwhelming adversaries,\u201d it reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Army in early 2024 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2024\/02\/08\/us-army-spent-billions-on-a-new-helicopter-that-now-will-never-fly\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2024\/02\/08\/us-army-spent-billions-on-a-new-helicopter-that-now-will-never-fly\/\">killed the program to build a Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft<\/a> after spending billions of dollars on it. Instead, the service decided to use drones for missions previously reserved for manned helicopters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Army plans to cancel its AH-65D production, its older model, in favor of a focus on the AH-64E version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The memo says the Army will reduce and restructure its manned attack helicopter formations \u201cand augment with inexpensive drone swarms capable of overwhelming adversaries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his letter, Driscoll stated the Army will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/land\/2024\/04\/25\/us-army-to-shift-aviation-force-structure-back-to-tailored-brigades\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/land\/2024\/04\/25\/us-army-to-shift-aviation-force-structure-back-to-tailored-brigades\/\">restructure aviation formations<\/a> by reducing one Aerial Cavalry Squadron per Combat Aviation Brigade in the active component.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the ground side, the Army will convert all Infantry Brigade Combat Teams to Mobile Brigade Combat Teams \u201cto improve mobility and lethality in a leaner formation,\u201d Driscoll writes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Army also plans to eliminate or \u201cscale back\u201d programs like manned aircraft, \u201coutdated\u201d UAVs and \u201cexcess\u201d ground vehicles, such as Humvees, Hegseth\u2019s memo states. Driscoll\u2019s letter singles out Gray Eagle, its largest UAV, as being on the chopping block.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By 2027, the Army plans to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/land\/2024\/11\/20\/us-army-fires-precision-strike-missile-in-salvo-shot-for-first-time\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/land\/2024\/11\/20\/us-army-fires-precision-strike-missile-in-salvo-shot-for-first-time\/\">bring online a long-range missile capable<\/a> of striking moving land and maritime targets. Last year, the Army fielded the first increment of the Precision Strike Missile that could potentially reach ranges well over 500 kilometers. The service is also already developing a seeker that will make the PrSM capable of striking ships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every Division will have UAS and ground and air launched effects by the end of 2026, the memo states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every maneuver platoon will have counter-UAS capability by 2026, and every maneuver company will get the capability by 2027. The Army, which is in charge of the Joint Counter-UAS Office, or JCO, has been pushing to expand C-UAS capability across formations for several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The memo also requires AI-driven command-and-control to be implemented at the Theater, Corps and Division headquarter levels by 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Operational units will get <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/land\/2024\/10\/14\/us-army-inches-closer-to-3d-printing-spare-parts-under-fire\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/land\/2024\/10\/14\/us-army-inches-closer-to-3d-printing-spare-parts-under-fire\/\">3D printing and additive manufacturing capabilities <\/a>by 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Already underway for several years is an effort to modernize the organic industrial base when it comes to ramping up munitions supply, triggered by the war in Ukraine where the U.S. has sent large numbers of ammunition to the country to help it fight back the Russian invasion. The memo states the modernization effort will be fully operationally capable by 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A focus on forward presence in the Indo-Pacific, the memo notes, will result in expanded pre-positioned stocks, rotational deployments and exercises with allies and partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Buy faster<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In early 2024, the service, including then-Army Secretary Christine Wormuth and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/defense-news-conference\/2024\/09\/06\/us-armys-next-budget-invests-heavily-in-drones-and-electronic-warfare\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/defense-news-conference\/2024\/09\/06\/us-armys-next-budget-invests-heavily-in-drones-and-electronic-warfare\/\">began talking about flexible funding to buy things like drones, counter-drone and electronic warfare capabilities<\/a> in order to get the most capable technology rapidly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The argument was that funding structures at the time resulted in slow acquisition of systems. By the time the service was ready to buy something, industry had already outpaced those capabilities with new technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hegseth\u2019s memo directs the service to consolidate budget lines and shift to capability-based funding across portfolios \u2014 specifically calling out unmanned aircraft systems, counter-UAS and EW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Army will also pursue obtaining the rights to repair its systems where industry intellectual property ownership currently prevents it. In addition, the service will ensure that right-to-repair provisions exist in all new contracts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The service will also \u201cexpand\u201d its use of Other Transaction Authority agreements, a mechanism provided by Congress to rapidly build prototypes. The Army has relied heavily on OTAs in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Driscoll, the Army\u2019s new \u201ctransformation initiative\u201d builds upon the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/land\/2024\/10\/14\/trial-by-fire-how-the-army-banks-on-frontline-units-to-test-new-gear\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/land\/2024\/10\/14\/trial-by-fire-how-the-army-banks-on-frontline-units-to-test-new-gear\/\">Army chief\u2019s Transformation in Contact initiative<\/a> he began over a year ago. The initiative focuses on moving programs through acquisition faster, including adding UAS into formations and speeding up the fielding of a modernized Abrams tanks and a Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft, among other programs like countering drones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is a first step,\u201d Driscoll writes. \u201cWe have already directed a second round of transformation efforts to be delivered in the coming months.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hegseth ordered the Army secretary to cut programs, reduce the number of general officers in the ranks and consolidate offices, commands and headquarters. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":72233,"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":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news"],"primary_category":"your-military"},"5":{"categories":["your-army","newsletters","daily-news-roundup","news"],"primary_category":"your-army"}}},"categories":[160,14,36,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3330],"class_list":["post-69693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-land","category-newsletters","category-pentagon"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"7IVUUIURYZCOPL7BMQRKBKN5ZQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/land\/2025\/05\/01\/secdef-wields-axe-to-brass-hqs-formations-to-fashion-leaner-army\/","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>SecDef wields axe to brass, HQs, formations to fashion leaner Army - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Hegseth ordered the Army secretary to cut programs, reduce the number of general officers in the ranks and consolidate offices, commands and headquarters.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SecDef wields axe to brass, HQs, formations to fashion leaner Army\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hegseth ordered the Army secretary to cut programs, reduce the number of general officers in the ranks and consolidate offices, commands and 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