US Army Is Scrutinizing Itself, Must Change Swiftly to Face China, Secretary Says – By Caitlin M. Kenney (Defense One) / Oct 11 2021
“The future is a lot closer than some of us think,” Christine Wormuth said at AUSA.
The U.S. Army is analyzing its force structure, infrastructure, modernization programs, and readiness in a bid to figure out how it can best focus its limited resources to deter or if necessary fight China, its toughest near-peer challenger since the Cold War, the service secretary said Monday.
“We’re going to have to look hard at everything we do and everything about how we do,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said during the opening ceremony of the Association of the United States Army’s 2021 annual meeting and exposition. “This work will not be easy, but it is needed. And given the challenges ahead, we may have to accept some risk now to avoid greater risk in the future.”
The data gathered during the analysis will help the Army figure out how it will fight and in what theatres, what capabilities to focus on, and also the performance of the new modernization programs, Wormuth said during a news conference Monday.
The service must also be more thoughtful about the types of warfare it could face and the biases it has about new ways of conducting its business, she said.
