Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has issued a sweeping directive to Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, a critical set of instructions that will fundamentally change the structure and re-prioritize the service. In a statement, Secretary Hegseth asked Driscoll to “implement a comprehensive transformation strategy, reform force structure, eliminate wasteful spending, reorganize acquisitions, modernize ineffective defense contracts, and rebuild our military by overcoming narrow-minded interests, revitalizing the fighting spirit, and restoring deterrence.”
Hegseth described the primary goal of this restructuring as “building a leaner, more lethal force,” and emphasized that the Army “must transform at an accelerated pace by purging outdated, redundant, and inefficient programs and restructuring headquarters and acquisition systems.”
Priorities Are Being Redefined: Long Range, Air Defense and New Technologies
The Defense Ministry’s directive also clearly lists the areas that the Land Forces should prioritize. Accordingly, the Army will focus on long-range precision fire systems, air and missile defense systems, and the “Golden Dome” project planned by the former Trump administration to protect against missile threats. In addition, the development of cyber warfare, electronic warfare, and anti-space capabilities are among the priority targets.
Radical Changes in the Chain of Command
A significant part of the memorandum is the restructuring of existing initiatives. However, these initiatives will be carried out under a modified chain of command structure, with fewer generals. Some of the important changes planned in this context are:
- Restructuring of the Forces Command: The Forces Command will be combined with US Army North and US Army South into a single headquarters called “Western Hemisphere Command.” This unification aims to increase command and control efficiency.
- Merger of Future Command and Training Doctrine Command: The Army Futures Command (AFC), responsible for developing the Army’s future needs, will be combined with Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) under a single command, expected to advance modernization efforts more harmoniously and rapidly.
It is recalled that the Army Futures Command was established in 2018 during the first administration of President Donald Trump at the suggestion of then-Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley. Milley saw this four-star command as a new way to get rid of the bureaucracy and silo structures that had hindered previous major modernization efforts of the Army. The new command center was located in Austin, Texas, known for its innovative and technology-focused workforce. The main purpose of the AFC was to focus more on requirements development within the modernization process. Before its establishment, this process was conducted within TRADOC and competed with other important areas such as training and recruiting.
Efficiency-Focused Restructuring in Support Units
Hegseth’s directive also instructs the Secretary of the Army to restructure the support unit by “combining and reorganizing” headquarters and units within the Army Materiel Command. It also calls for the integration of the Joint Munitions Command and the Army Support Command to “maximize efficiency and streamline support capabilities.” These steps aim to make logistics and support processes more efficient.
As the first concrete step in this restructuring effort, Secretary of the Army Driscoll wrote in a letter published Thursday that the Army's headquarters It plans to cut 1.000 staff positions This staff reduction is considered as part of the goal of creating a leaner management structure.
Transforming Combat Power: Drone Swarms and Helicopter Fleet Downsizing
The Defense Ministry’s directive also foresees significant changes in the structure of the combat force. The memorandum orders changes in formations that plan to “combine headquarters to create a combat force capable of synchronizing kinetic and non-kinetic fires, space-based capabilities and unmanned systems.”
One notable change is the reduction and restructuring of manned attack helicopter formations. The Army will reportedly prioritize building “affordable drone swarms capable of defeating adversaries.” The move parallels the Army’s decision to end its Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft program in early 2024 after spending billions of dollars to do so. Instead, the service has decided to use drones for missions previously reserved for manned helicopters. The Army also plans to cancel production of its older AH-64D model in favor of the AH-65E version. Driscoll’s letter notes that the Army will restructure its aviation formations by reducing one Air Cavalry Squadron per active-component Combat Aviation Brigade.
On the ground forces side, Driscoll said they will convert all Infantry Brigade Combat Teams to Mobile Brigade Combat Teams “to increase mobility and lethality in a leaner formation.”
Say Goodbye to “Excess” Tools and Systems
The Army also plans to eliminate or “scale down” programs such as manned aircraft, “obsolete” UAVs and “redundant” ground vehicles such as Humvees. Driscoll’s letter also notes that the Army’s largest UAV, the Gray Eagle, is on the chopping block. These steps are intended to redirect resources toward more modern and effective systems.
Investing in Long Range Strike Capability
The Army also places great importance on long-range strike capabilities, which will play a critical role in the future combat environment. In line with this, it plans to field a long-range missile capable of hitting moving land and sea targets by 2027. Last year, the Army fielded the first phase of the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), which can potentially reach ranges well beyond 500 kilometers. The service is also developing a seeker that will make the PrSM capable of hitting ships. The memorandum states that by the end of 2026, every division will have UAVs and ground- and air-launched systems. It also aims for every maneuver platoon to have counter-UAS (Anti-UAV) capability by 2026 and every maneuver company to have this capability by 2027. The Army has been pursuing efforts to expand C-UAS capabilities across formations through the Joint Counter-UAS Office (JCO) for several years.
Integration of Artificial Intelligence and 3D Printing
The memorandum also calls for the implementation of AI-supported command and control systems at the Theater, Corps and Division headquarters levels by 2027. This integration aims to accelerate decision-making processes and increase combat effectiveness. It is also aimed for operational units to gain 2026D printing and additive manufacturing capabilities by 3. In this way, the units will be able to produce the spare parts and equipment they need on-site and quickly.
Modernization in Ammunition Production
The effort to increase ammunition supplies, which has been ongoing for several years, has gained momentum, especially with the impact of the war in Ukraine. The massive U.S. ammunition shipments to Ukraine have highlighted the urgency of modernizing the organic industrial base. The memorandum states that this modernization effort will be fully operational by 2028.
Forward Presence Strategy in the Indo-Pacific
The memorandum also emphasizes the importance of focusing on a forward presence in the Indo-Pacific region. This strategy will be implemented through the expansion of pre-positioned stockpiles, rotational deployments, and joint exercises with allies and partners, thereby increasing the effectiveness and deterrence of the U.S. military presence in the region.
Acceleration of Purchasing Processes
In early 2024, the service, including then-Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth and Chief of the Army Gen. Randy George, began working on flexible funding models for areas such as drones, counter-drone and electronic warfare capabilities to rapidly acquire the most capable technology. Funding structures at the time allegedly led to slow acquisition of systems. By the time the service was ready to buy something, the industry had already outpaced those capabilities with new technology. Hegseth’s directive directs the service to consolidate budget lines and move to capability-based funding across portfolios, with a particular emphasis on unmanned aircraft systems, counter-drone defense and electronic warfare systems.
The Army will also look to acquire repair rights for its systems, which industry intellectual property currently blocks. The service will also ensure that right-to-repair provisions are included in all new contracts. The service will also “expand” its use of Other Transaction Authorization (OTA) agreements, a mechanism provided by Congress to rapidly build prototypes. The Army has relied heavily on OTAs in recent years.
Continuation of the “Contact Transformation” Initiative
According to Driscoll, the Army’s new “transformation initiative” builds on the “Transformation in Contact” initiative that the Army chief launched a year ago. That initiative focuses on advancing programs more quickly through acquisition and includes other programs such as adding UAS to formations and accelerating the fielding of modernized Abrams tanks and the Future Long-Range Attack Aircraft (FLRAA). “This is the first step,” Driscoll writes, “and we have already led a second round of transformation efforts that will be delivered in the coming months,” suggesting that this sweeping restructuring process will be a long one.
The Department of Defense’s sweeping directive initiates a fundamental restructuring of the U.S. Army to more effectively respond to future threats. The results of these steps, which aim to create a leaner, more lethal, and more technologically integrated military, will be closely monitored in the coming years.
