Murray and his team are in charge of the Army’s innovation and modernization needs. Futures Command is entrusted with developing and acquiring the types of technology that the Army requires right now, as well as anticipating what will be required in ten years.
“If we try to expand up too quickly, we risk introducing some negative habits. Murray stated, “I’m not going to move too quickly.” “Finally, we’re attempting to solve difficulties for today’s soldiers in the field, and when we consider some of the research and development, we’re thinking about producing technology for the future soldier who is only in fourth grade right now.”
Since opening its command headquarters in Austin with a staff of about 40 people, the unit has been quietly but slowly growing its influence in Central Texas and around the world.
Futures Command now has four locations throughout the region, including space at the University of Texas, the Capital Factory in downtown Austin, and Austin Community College. It now employs almost 600 people in Austin and another 1,800 people indirectly. More than 28,000 individuals are assigned to the unit around the world, working on a variety of modernization concepts and technology.
Futures Command collaborates with local technology companies and colleges, such as the University of Texas and Texas A&M, to research and create technologies. This year, it also teamed up with Austin Community College to form a soldier-led software unit to aid in the training and development of soldiers. It’s also building a major testing center at Texas A&M’s RELLIS campus that will serve as the Army’s principal testing hub for future-of-war equipment.
What does Army Futures do?
Concerning the AFC. Army Futures Command is in charge of transforming Army modernization to offer future warfighters with the concepts, capabilities, and organizational structures they’ll need to dominate the battlefield of the future.
What is the Army Futures and Concepts Center’s location?
JMC is based in Fort Bliss, Texas, and is made up of NCO and Officer Professionals from all branches of the military.
Is the US Army Futures Command able to help the Army overcome its foes?
a. The Army Futures Command Concept for Maneuver in Multi-Domain Operations 2028 (AFC 71-20-1) explains how Army formations would execute maneuver in the future operational environment (OE) to defeat peer adversaries and regional competitors.
What is the number of Army cross-functional teams?
AUSTIN, Texas (KTRK) Last year, the United States Army established its newest command to promote innovation. Army Futures Command has now been fully operational, and it now serves as the cornerstone of the Army’s modernization operations, alongside Forces Command, Training and Doctrine, and Army Materiel Command.
Senior commanders from across the command are planned to attend various activities during the Association of the United States Army’s annual conference, which will be held in Washington from Oct. 14 to 19.
In his first letter to the Army, dated Sept. 27, 2019, Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy wrote, “The Army must modernize today or we could lose the next battle.” “We’ll stay focused on delivering the 31 signature systems our cross-functional teams are working on in support of the six modernization goals, and making sure we can put them to work the day they’re delivered.”
Long-Range Precision Fires, Next Generation Combat Vehicles, Future Vertical Lift, The Network, Air & Missile Defense, and Soldier Lethality are the Army’s six modernization objectives. AFC leads the following eight cross-functional teams to do this: Long-Range Precision Fires (Fort Sill, Oklahoma); Air and Missile Defense (Fort Sill, Oklahoma); Assured Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama); Future Vertical Lift (Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama); Network (Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland); Next Generation Combat Vehicle (Detroit Arsenal, Warren, Michigan); Soldier Lethality (Fort Benning, Georgia); and Synthetic Training Environment (Fort Benning (Orlando, Florida).
Gen. John M. Murray, the commanding general of the AFC, will participate in an AUSA Contemporary Military Forum titled, Delivering Force Modernization, with Dr. Bruce Jette, the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics, and technology (ASA(ALT)). Jette and Murray are anticipated to address how the Army is evolving into a constantly modernizing organization, as well as how the AFC and ASA(ALT) are collaborating to drive change and embrace accountability, allowing for the rapid deployment of technology capacity to Soldiers in the field.
Since last year, the two organizations have been able to showcase significant accomplishments, such as the first deployment of the Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular (ENVG-B) to Soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. The ENVG-B is the first dismounted maneuver force heads-up display with day/night capability. It is believed to boost lethality, situational awareness, and mobility, all of which are necessary to counter combat adversaries in any scenario.
But this isn’t the only triumph to be celebrated. AFC has gained traction and is collaborating closely with ASA(ALT) and other partners. Hundreds of colleges and universities, as well as almost 1,500 businesses ranging from four-person start-ups to huge enterprises, are among the public and private partners.
Those in attendance will be able to hear it firsthand from Murray. He’ll also talk about how the command achieved full operational capability in its first year, as well as how AFC is using academic and intellectual freedom to position Army modernization in a way that allows it to win the fight before it happens.
AFC elements or staff will be involved in the following activities in addition to the forum featuring Murray and Jette:
– Multi-Domain Operations and Army Modernization Q&A with Gen. John M. Murray and Lt. Gen. Eric D. Wesley (1:00-1:30pm) (AFC & FCC)
– Media Round Table (4:35-5:05pm): LRPF highlights from the previous year (LRPF CFT)
– Brig. Gen. Matthew Easley (7:30-9:00 a.m.) on the C4ISRNET Breakfast Panel (AI Task Force)
– Warrior’s Corner (9:30-10:10 a.m.): Developing Capabilities for Warfighters (AMD CFT)
– AFC Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Crosby will speak at the Army Sergeant Major’s Professional Development Forum.
– Warrior’s Corner (10:20-11am): Synthetic Training Environment Revolutionizes Training (STE CFT)
– Media Round Table (10:30-11:00 a.m.): Delivering Capabilities to Warfighters (AMD CFT)
– Media Round Table (11:00-11:30 a.m.): Revolutionizing Training in a Synthetic Environment (STE CFT)
LRPF Maj. Gen. Brian Cummings (3:00-3:30pm): Media Round Table (PEO Ground Combat Systems)
– Army Modernization Initiatives for Close Combat Forces in Relation to Soldier Lethality Programs (3:00-3:30pm) (SL CFT)
– Army Geospatial Enterprise Architecture: Aligning Operational Geospatial Requirements and the Synthetic Training Environment (3-5pm) – Contemporary Military Forum #5 (3-5pm)
– Contemporary Military Forum #6 (3-5pm): Near Peer Threats on the Horizon (Left of Conflict)
– Presser (5:00-5:30pm): Near Peer Threats on the Horizon (Left of Conflict) (FCC)
– Army Tactical Space: How the Army is Delivering Future Force Space Capabilities and Solutions to the Warfighter (10:15-10:45am) (APNT CFT)
– Tactical Space: Delivering Future Force Space Capabilities (9:15-9:55am) in Warrior’s Corner (APNT CFT)
– Warrior’s Corner (1:15-1:55 p.m.): Network Capability Set Delivery (Network CFT & PEO C3T)
– Warrior’s Corner (2:05-2:45pm): Update on Vertical Lift Modernization Efforts in the Future (FVL CFT & PEO Aviation)
What are the Army’s prospective cross-functional command teams?
Cross Functional Teams (CFTs) were formed to close existing capability gaps by creating capability documents based on experiments and technical demonstrations and submitting them to the Army Acquisition System as quickly as possible. The CFT’s activity is focused on the Army’s modernization priorities, which are required for future preparedness and multi-domain operations: (2) Next-Generation Combat Vehicles (1) Long-Range Precision Fires (4) Army Network (5) Air and Missile Defense (6) Soldier Lethality (3) Future Vertical Lift (4) Future Vertical Lift (4) Future Vertical Lift (4) Future Vertical Lift (4) Future Vertical Lift (4) Future Vertical Lift (4) Future Vertical Lift (4)
What is the budget of the Army Futures Command?
While bracing for potential budget cuts, the Army wrapped its arms around a set of 35 priority modernization programs, including long-range precision munitions, next-generation combat vehicles, the network, and future vertical lift.
It has also identified additional 30 systems that are not among the top priority programs, but are deemed critical enablers because the top modernization programs would not be able to achieve their full potential without them. The service has spent about $24 billion on critical enablers.
The Q-53 radar, for example, is required for the Army’s upcoming Extended Range Cannon Artillery system to see targets at a range of 70 kilometers. The ERCA system would be limited if it didn’t have a good radar. For the radar, the Army is asking for $88 million.
Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node ($83.3 million requested), Individual Family of Weapon Sights ($85.4 million), Vehicle Protection System ($104.5 million), Improved Turbine Engine Program ($29.5 million), Terrestrial Layer System ($18.4 million), and Cannon Delivered Area Effects Munition ($6.5 million) are among the other key enablers.
Other major enablers include Sentinel radar, the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, and Excalibur.
According to Pasquarette, 47 percent of the financing in the outfitting portfolio he oversees is dedicated to advancing the top 35 modernization goals as well as the 30 additional critical enablers. Everything else, or about 500 different programs, makes up the other 53%.
Priority initiatives will receive closer to 50% funding in the following five years, he noted.
While modernization goals are fully financed, the Army is asking for $1.3 billion less in research, development, test, and evaluation funding than was passed in FY21 a total of $12.8 billion in FY22.
The Army will spend roughly 74 percent of its scientific and technology dollars on its modernization priorities.
According to Pasquarette, the FVL budget request for FY22 is $1.12 billion, which includes a $270 million rise for the service’s future long-range attack aircraft, which are slated to enter service around 2030.
In FY22, $412 million will be allocated to the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon to fund live-fire tests as well as manufacture and assembly of the glide-body prototype.
In FY22, $328 million would be allocated to the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense capability, which will replace the current Patriot air and missile defense sensor.
If approved, the Army’s new medium-range capabilities missile would receive $286 million in FY22.
A total of $244 million would be allocated to the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office to advance development efforts in directed-energy, long-range precision fires, air and missile defense, cyber, artificial intelligence, signals intelligence, unmanned aircraft systems, and counter-UAS capabilities.
According to Pasquarette, the Army is now “down to the bone” in terms of reducing non-priority programs. He noted that if resources continue to shrink, the Army will have to start slashing the muscle of impregnable modernization initiatives.
The agency is requesting for $21.3 billion in procurement, which is $2.8 billion less than what was enacted in FY21. In FY22, the Army intends to purchase fewer aircraft and combat vehicles for the legacy fleet than initially projected.
The $2.8 billion aircraft purchase budget request is $1.3 billion less than the FY21 authorized funds.
After producing 42 UH-60M Black Hawk utility helicopters in FY21, the service will produce half as many in FY22, with only 24 expected to leave the factory.
For Army special operators, the Army will remanufacture 30 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and purchase six MH-47G Chinook helicopters.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville told reporters just ahead of the budget request release that the service is not requesting CH-47F Block II Chinooks for the active force after deciding not to purchase any several years ago, but it is including some of those aircraft in its unfunded requirements list, which has yet to be delivered to Congress. In the FY21 spending package, Congress restored funding to launch an initial purchase of CH-47F Block II aircraft.
In addition, the Army expects to update 187 Stryker combat vehicles, down from 254 in FY21, and only 70 Abrams M1 tanks, down from 102 last year. A total of 25 Paladin Integrated Management howitzers are included in the request. In FY21, the service was given funding for 31 days.
In FY22, only 37 short-range air defense systems will be purchased. In FY21, the Army will be able to purchase 59 SHORAD systems.
As procurement heats up for the projects as they begin fielding, the Precision Strike Missile, Integrated Visual Augmentation System, and Next-Generation Squad Weapon are all witnessing increases.
In FY22, funding for weapons and tracked combat vehicles is increased slightly: the request requests $3.8 billion, up from $3.6 billion granted in FY21.
The request also includes $287 million for the Army’s Mobile Protected Firepower capability to commence low-rate initial production.
As development ramps up, the Army is requesting an increase in funding for the Armored Multipurpose Vehicle: $105 million in FY22 compared to $63 million in FY21.
The Army’s funding for the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles has been reduced to $37 million from $181 million in FY21, while the budget for the Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles has grown to $64 million. The latter received $7 million in approved funding for FY21.
In addition, the service plans to spend $575 million in FY22 on Joint Light Tactical Vehicles. For the vehicles, the Army earned $884 million in FY21.
In comparison to $100 million in FY21, the Army National Guard’s Humvee modernization initiative will get no money in FY22.
After three years of “night court” budget deliberations, the Army has found less money to devote to modernization objectives each year. After terminating 93 programs in FY20 and 41 in FY21, the Army only plans to terminate seven programs in FY22.
Aviators Night Vision Imaging System and Hellfire Missile Launchers are among the programs being phased out. They will both transition to sustainment with existing capability and appropriate stockpiles.
The Joint Technology Center/Systems Integration program will be phased out and put on hold, and the 2.75-inch Hydra rocket launchers, as well as the Lightweight Counter Mortar System, will be scrapped. According to Army documentation, neither the launchers nor the mortar system require replacement capabilities. According to the documents, the Spider Networked Munition System is being phased out “in favor of a less expensive option.”
By canceling the Multi-Function Electronic Warfare system purchase, the Army will save $12.2 million in the budget. The research and development effort, however, will continue, according to Army officials, and the program will be able to “re-compete” for procurement cash in future years.
Army officials informed reporters ahead of the budget request publication that the service is also cutting money for another 37 programs.
Before the budget request was released, Whitley, the Army’s acting secretary, told reporters that it is becoming “progressively tougher to find lower-priority programs to realign” modernization objectives. In the last round of night court, the service identified around $9.1 billion in money to transfer across its FY22-26 five-year plan, compared to $22.4 billion in the FY20-24 plan and $13.5 billion in the FY21-25 plan.
Why did the Army Futures Command come into being?
However, the Army recognizes that it can’t conduct business as usual with big defense firms and expect to get the disruptive technology or out-of-the-box ideas it needs for its six modernization priorities: long-range precision fires, next-generation combat vehicles, future vertical lift, the network, air and missile defense, and soldier lethality.
The Army’s billions of dollars in scientific and technology development funding is a significant appeal for businesses that see finance as their lifeblood.
About a year and a half ago, the Army established Army Futures Command, or AFC, to overhaul how the service generates requirements and converts research and development initiatives into programs of record. In order to further modernization initiatives, the command was also tasked with doing a better job of collaborating with atypical companies, small businesses, startups, and universities.
The new four-star command was established in the heart of a metropolis to better connections with local communities and break down some of the old barriers. The Army chose Austin because of its thriving startup environment, inventiveness, and tight ties to the military.