As the annual Association of the United States Army (AUSA) conference picks up speed in the nation’s capital, the larger military’s years-long Pacific “pivot” looms in the background, drawing the eyes of Army leaders and the crosshairs of Army tech. The Lexington Institute’s Dan Goure argues in the commentary below, however, that America’s premier land forces can’t take their eye off the ball or the bear in Europe. (Follow Breaking Defense’s AUSA 2021 coverage here.) It has become almost an article of faith in the Department of Defense that China is rapidly becoming the threat of greatest concern to the US. The combination of China’s economic power, investments in advanced technology, large-scale military buildup and ability to operate in the so called “grey zone” of conflict raise concerns in the Pentagon regarding the ability of US and allied forces in the region to deter Chinese aggression both in the near and far terms. Some
AUSA: As the Army puts scores of cutting-edge technologies and capabilities through the ringer at its Project Convergence experiment the deserts of Arizona over the next four weeks, top Army officials are watching closely to see what survives and to get it into the hands of soldiers “as quickly as possible.” “If it works, we’re going to transition quickly,” Lt. Gen. James Richardson, deputy commander of Army Futures Command and Project Convergence director, told the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) conference. To do so, Richardson said the Army has greased the acquisition wheels in order to bridge the “valley of death,” where many a promising project has met its end. Among the steps taken, before the Project Convergence started in Arizona started this week, Richardson said the Army ensured that advanced capabilities tested at the experiment were already connected with programs of record at acquisition offices across the service, pav