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The Army’s most senior leaders looked ahead towards the future of the force in separate remarks last week.
Army Secretary Christine Wormuth shared her top six objectives for the service in remarks at the Center for a New American Security and in a letter to the force. And Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville addressed the Army’s way forward in remarks to the Heritage Foundation.
Both expanded on the Army’s priorities of people, readiness and modernization.
Wormuth’s letter, released last Tuesday, said the Army is emerging from two decades focused on counter-insurgency.
“We are navigating an unpredictable future, and our nation and our Army are at an inflection point,” she wrote.
Her first objective is to put the Army “on a sustainable strategic path amidst this uncertainty.”
“This means difficult choices must be made to sustain and strengthen U.S. deterrence with China as the pacing challenge and Russia as an acute threat we also confront,” Wormuth said.
Her other objectives include ensuring the Army becomes more data-centric and able to conduct operations in contested environments, continuing efforts to be resilient in the face of climate change, building positive command climates, reducing harmful behaviors in the Army, and strategically adapting the way the force recruits and retains talent.
In his remarks, McConville said modernization was the priority, even if it means fewer soldiers, according to Army Times.
Speaking of future vertical lift, electric vehicles and updated night-vision goggles, among other programs, McConville acknowledged the force missed its active-duty end strength goal and implied the Army may continue to cut end strength to better support modernization.
“We would like to have a big stick,” he said. “But if we cannot have a big stick, we will have a sharp stick.”
