"We are building an agile, disciplined warrior team that is dominant across the spectrum of 21st Century conflict."
--GEN George W. Casey Jr., Chief of Staff of the Army
In October, GEN Casey published an article in the Army Green book entitled The Army of the 21st Century. He describes the trends affecting the strategic environment and the requirement for the Army to continuously change in order to remain dominant across the full spectrum of conflict. He writes about the need to build versatility into our Army, not only in the operational force, but also in the generating force and the institutions.
With versatility in mind, it is very fitting that I announce a change within the Research, Development, and Acquisition element of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command / Army Forces Strategic Command.
The Army is changing to respond to challenges within the strategic environment. It became clear that USASMDC/ARSTRAT needed to adjust how it develops the technologies required to provide the dominant capabilities within Space, Missile Defense, and the new emerging domain of Cyberspace. The old organization had outlived its usefulness and it was time to better align with new and emerging Army missions. Additionally, we wanted to make sure those outside the organization knew who to contact in order to engage us on different technologies.
This change postures the command for the future by organizing the directorates to more closely align with functions and customers, most importantly - the Warfighter. The Technical Interoperability and Matrix Center has been renamed and reorganized into the, Test and Warfighter Solutions Center, and has consolidated the test functions under one directorate, as well as elevated the U.S. Kwajalein Atoll/Reagan Test Site (USAKA/RTS) higher in the command structure - signaling its importance to the nation's test structure and processes.
We believe we will also gain synergy by aligning Space and Cyber functions in one division and Directed Energy and Missile Defense in another division all under the Technology Center. The new RDA organization balances the leadership and management execution; increases focus on Warfighter, Space, and Cyber Efforts; better aligns functions with customers; provides better synergy between technical solutions and Missile Defense; combines directed energy activities; and provides balanced personnel and budget portfolios.
While this reorganization is taking place, we are not sitting on our hands. We know there is an overwhelming need for persistent Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, and Communications capability for our Warfighters - no matter where they are, no matter what their mission. We also know they need to be able to control and operate these systems, reducing or even cutting out the middle man that our traditional Space systems bring to the fight.
Our Technology Center is taking the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle concept and applying it to small tactical satellites. We are working to demonstrate how very small satellites can be a force multiplier to help close those gaps for our Warfighters.
So far, we've built eight nanosatellites - we have the first satellite manifested for launch this fiscal year, and we're seeking opportunities to launch the other seven. We are excited about the possibilities the nanosatellites may bring to the Warfighter.
This is just one example of what our dedicated Soldiers, Civilians, and contractors are doing to support our primary customer - the Warfighter.
In an interview published in National Defense Magazine, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army GEN Peter W. Chiarelli discusses the importance for speeding up the procurement process.
"We have to be better at being able to reach out, harness technology and get it into the hands of our Soldiers quickly ... we have to find a way, with technologies changing so quickly, to speed up our procurement process, to be more nimble," states GEN Chiarelli.
USASMDC/ARSTRAT's intent for reorganizing RDA was to develop a structure that is responsive, effective, improves the acquisition process, and provides new options for our Warfighters.
Reorganizations of any size are difficult at best and cannot be accomplished without the support of many people and organizations. This truly has been a team effort by the leadership, the union, our employees, contractors and those we support. My heartfelt thanks go out to those who provided the reorganization team feedback and support. I look forward to the innovative solutions that will be developed for the current fight and the future fight.
"SECURE THE HIGH GROUND"
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