Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered the Army to restructure itself in order to create a “leaner” force. An April 30 memo, titled “Army Transformation and Acquisition Reform,” calls for sweeping changes to the service, including consolidating commands, canceling several programs and putting more resources into utilizing and countering drones.
Some of the measures outlined, such as the expansion of drones and counter-drone systems into maneuver units and increased electronic warfare capabilities, draw on programs already underway. Others expand on wider military goals, including positioning the Army in the Indo-Pacific region to counter China.
“To build a leaner, more lethal force, the Army must transform at an accelerated pace by divesting outdated, redundant, and inefficient programs, as well as restructuring headquarters and acquisition systems,” the memo says.
The secretary’s memo lays out several goals the Army must meet in the name of “future warfare.” Those include expanding manufacturing capabilities, fielding new long-range missiles by 2027 and achieving “electronic air-littoral dominance by 2027,” predominantly through expanding the use of uncrewed aerial systems or drones.
Some of the most significant structural changes called for include a proposed merger of U.S. Army North and U.S. Army South into a single headquarters rather than two separate force commands. Separately, the memo calls for consolidating Army Futures Command, which focuses on developing new technologies and tactics for soldiers, and Training and Doctrine Command, into a single four-star command. That will be based out of Texas, Army Chief of Staff Randy George said in a separate statement. Overall, Hegseth calls for the closure or consolidation of what he called “redundant headquarters” and a reduction in the number of generals in the Army in the name of streamlining command chains.
Drone integration
A major part of the Army overhaul is the use of drones in the field. Soldiers in several units are already testing different types of uncrewed aerial systems for reconnaissance and offensive purposes, using lessons learned from the applicability of uncrewed aerial systems in the war between Ukraine and Russia. As part of that, every Army division will field drones in some capacity by the end of 2026, Hegseth directs.
The memo goes on to call for an expansion of counter-UAS measures as well. Specifically it demands that the Army find more affordable tools for that mission, with those elements integrated into maneuver platoons by 2026, and into maneuver companies by 2027.
The integration of more drone capabilities also comes as Hegseth orders a scaling down in other Army features, specifically the number of crewed attack helicopter formations. To augment those reductions, Hegseth also demands the addition of drone swarms that can serve in support of Army aircraft.
Right to repair
Another major part of the proposal calls for giving the Army the “right to repair.” Essentially, that would let the U.S. Army fix its own equipment. Currently, the military has the original manufacturer or other contractors conduct maintenance or heavy repairs on its tools and weapons. That can lead to high costs, often from having to transport the gear and machinery to other locations. The right to repair movement has often focused on civilian consumers, but the memo on the Army outlines how it could help military efficiency.
The secretary’s memo calls for the Army to “identify and propose contract modifications for right to repair provisions where intellectual property constraints limit the Army’s ability to conduct maintenance.”
An increased sustainment system
Beyond the technical integration and components laid out by the directive, the secretary’s memo also calls for shifts in manufacturing, acquisition and logistics. Key among the strategic deployments to the Pacific with planting stocks of ammunition and other equipment in locations in the region. In order to help build up those supplies, it also calls for growing American industrial capabilities to avoid running low on munitions and other equipment. The Army has already been working on that, in light of the war in Ukraine, but the directive calls for the industrial base to reach its “full operational capability” by 2028.
Another proposed merger calls for combining units within Army Material Command, with the goal of creating a more streamlined sustainment system, as well as expanding the use of 3D printing by units in the field, to help meet immediate needs.