The Army’s bold plan needs to watch out for these three pitfalls
John Ferrari examines potential challenges to come from the Army's new Transformation in Contact plan.
By John Ferrari
on May 09, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Gen. Randy George, Chief of Staff of the Army, discusses next generation command and control (C2) system capabilities with a 1st Infantry Division Soldier during a human machine Integration demonstration at Project Convergence – Capstone 4. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Brahim Douglas)
As the Army prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, it appears poised for major changes, bolder than the Marine Corps Force Design effort. And as with the Marine’s Force Design push, the Army is almost certain to see some dissent from those who stand to lose from the new paradigm.
As the service tries to move fast, change its organizational structure, and rapidly acquire and integrate drones and other advanced technology-enabled weapons, leadership will have to withstand that pressure and hold firm.
Change of this scope is only possible because of the alignment of power and money. Internally, the Army’s entire leadership team is uniquely aligned in a way they have not been since the late 1970s. Much of the plan was clearly under development by Gen. Randy George before the arrival of Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, but the two have so far appeared in lockstep, and having the plan officially rolled out by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gives them top cover support for changes.
Perhaps most importantly, Congress has voiced limited objections to these changes, such as the potential reduction to the Blackhawk and some ground vehicles, and within the $150B reconciliation package, Congress is providing broad and flexible funding that is essential to carry out the procurement, at scale, of drones, network technologies, and AI infrastructure.
https://breakingdefense.com/2025/05/the-armys-bold-plan-needs-to-watch-out-for-these-three-pitfalls/
