Army to Stay Course on Modernization Priorities, Official Says

The Army's modernization priorities will remain unchanged amid the turn of a new administration, according to the service's top modernization official.

Army Futures Command Commander John Murray, a past Potomac Officers Club event speaker and two-time Wash100 awardee, said the Army will push through with its network modernization initiatives slated for 2021, FedScoop reported Monday.

Murray said the Army will also maintain its long-term modernization plan despite his expectations of a struggle for money in the coming years.

“We just cannot afford to pass up this opportunity” to continue the work that has already been started, Murray said during an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 

AFC currently has six modernization priorities: long-range precision fires, next-generation combat vehicles, future vertical lift, network, air and missile defense and soldier lethality. 

FedScoop previously reported that newly appointed Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has made no major announcements about his plan on modernization. 

Despite not having extensive experience in technology, Austin said he is aware of the DOD's recent focus on related programs. 

“We will have to employ the use of space-based platforms, we have to use artificial intelligence. This is not a choice, in my view,” he said during his confirmation hearing. 

The Army, for its part, is focused on realizing the Pentagon's long-term plan of establishing a network of networks known as the Joint All Domain Command and Control system.

The service's most prominent contribution is Project Convergence, a multi-platform initiative created to merge joint force capabilities and help the service keep page with technological advancements.