Army Futures Command to highlight modernization efforts at 2019 AUSA

By Phillip B. Fountain, U.S. Army Futures CommandOctober 9, 2019

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AUSTIN, Texas -- Last year, the U.S. Army stood up the service's newest command to drive innovation. Since that time, Army Futures Command has become fully operationally capable and complements the other Army commands, Forces Command, Training and Doctrine, and Army Materiel Command, as the cornerstone of the Army's modernization efforts.

AFC has senior leaders from across the command scheduled to participate in several events throughout the Association of the U.S. Army's annual conference, which is scheduled to be held, Oct. 14-19, in Washington.

"The Army must modernize today or we could lose the next war," wrote the Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy, in his first letter to the force, dated Sept. 27, 2019. "We will remain focused on delivering the 31 signature systems our cross-functional teams are developing in support of the six modernization priorities and ensure we can employ them the day they show up."

The Army's six modernization priorities are: Long-Range Precision Fires; Next Generation Combat Vehicles; Future Vertical Lift; The Network; Air & Missile Defense; and Soldier Lethality. To achieve this, AFC leads the following eight cross-functional teams: Air and Missile Defense (Fort Sill, Oklahoma); Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing (Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama); Future Vertical Lift (Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama); Long-Range Precision Fires (Fort Sill, Oklahoma); Network (Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland); Next Generation Combat Vehicle (Detroit Arsenal, Warren, Michigan); Soldier Lethality (Fort Benning, Georgia); and Synthetic Training Environment (Orlando, Florida).

Gen. John M. Murray, AFC's commanding general, is slated to join Dr. Bruce Jette, the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology (ASA(ALT)), in an AUSA Contemporary Military Forum titled, Delivering Force Modernization. Jette and Murray are expected to discuss how the Army is becoming a continually modernizing organization and the ways AFC and ASA(ALT) are working together to foster change and embrace accountability in order to enable the accelerated fielding of technological capability to Soldiers in the field.

Since last year, the two organizations will be able to highlight major achievements, including the initial fielding 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 day/night capable heads-up display for the dismounted maneuver force. It is expected to increase lethality, situational awareness, and mobility required to defeat combat threats in any environment.

But this is not the only success to be touted. AFC has built momentum and is closely working with ASA(ALT) and other partners. These public and private partners include hundreds of colleges and universities, and nearly 1,500 companies, from four-person start-ups to major corporations.

Those attending will have an opportunity to hear it directly from Murray. He is expected to also discuss how the command got to full operational capability within the first year, as well as how AFC is leveraging the strength of academic and intellectual freedom to position Army modernization in a way to win the fight before an actual fight.

In addition the forum featuring Murray and Jette, AFC elements or personnel will be involved in the following activities:

Monday, Oct. 14

- Warrior's Corner (12:35-1:15pm): NGCV Modernization Priority, NGCV CFT

- Q&A with Gen. John M. Murray and Lt. Gen. Eric D. Wesley (1:00-1:30pm): Multi-Domain Operations and Army Modernization (AFC & FCC)

- Media Round Table (1:30-2:00pm): NGCV update on programs (NGCV CFT)

- Warrior's Corner (3:05-3:45pm): Artificial Intelligence (Army AI Task Force)

- Media Round Table (3:45-4:15pm): AI update (AI Task Force)

- Warrior's Corner (3:55-4:35pm): Long Range Precision Fires, LRPF CFT

- Media Round Table (4:35-5:05pm): LRPF accomplishments for past year (LRPF CFT)

Tuesday, Oct. 15

- C4ISRNET Breakfast Panel (7:30-9:00am): Brig. Gen. Matthew Easley (AI Task Force)

- Warrior's Corner (9:30-10:10am): Driving Capabilities to the War Fighter (AMD CFT)

- The Sergeant Major of the Army's Professional Development Forum to include AFC Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Crosby

- Warrior's Corner (10:20-11am): Revolutionizing Training through the Synthetic Training Environment (STE CFT)

- Media Round Table (10-30-11:00am): Driving Capabilities to the Warfighter (AMD CFT)

- Media Round Table (11:00-11:30am): Revolutionizing Training through the Synthetic Environment (STE CFT)

- Media Round Table (11:00-12:00pm): PEO C3T/Network (Network CFT)

- Warrior's Corner (11:10-11:50am): Solider Lethality (SL CFT)

- Media Round Table (3:00-3:30pm): LRPF -- Maj. Gen. Brian Cummings (PEO Ground Combat Systems)

- Media Round Table (3:00-3:30pm): Army modernization initiatives for close combat force in respect to Soldier lethality programs (SL CFT)

- Contemporary Military Forum #5 (3-5pm): Army Geospatial Enterprise Architecture: Aligning Operational Geospatial Requirements and the Synthetic Training Environment

- Contemporary Military Forum #6 (3-5pm): Left of Conflict: Near Peer Threats on the Horizon

- Presser (5:00-5:30pm): Left of Conflict: Near Peer Threats on the Horizon (FCC)

Wednesday, Oct. 16

- AUSA Fourth Region Breakfast (7-8:30am) featuring Gen. John M. Murray

- Small Business Panel (8:50-9:50am): Maj. Gen. Patrick Burden

- Media Round Table (10:15-10:45am): Army Tactical Space: How the Army is delivering Future Force Space Capabilities and Solutions to the Warfighter (APNT CFT)

- Contemporary Military Forum #7 (10-11:45am): Delivering Force Modernization

- Presser (12:00-12:30pm): Delivering Force Modernization (ASA/ALT) and AFC)

- Warrior's Corner (9:15-9:55am): Tactical Space: Delivering Future Force Space Capabilities (APNT CFT)

- Warrior's Corner (1:15-1:55pm): Delivering Network Capability Sets (Network CFT & PEO C3T)

- Warrior's Corner (2:05-2:45pm): Update on Future Vertical Lift Modernization Efforts (FVL CFT & PEO Aviation)

- Media Round Table (3:00-3:45pm): Future Vertical Lift update (FVL CFT)

Related Links:

U.S. Army Futures Command.mil

Association of the United States Army.com