August 04, 2018

Commentary: Success, or failure, of new Army Command rests on Congress

By: Cole Stevens

In July, the U.S. Army announced that Austin will be the location for its new Futures Command headquarters. The command, intended to be the spearhead of the Army’s modernization effort, will direct the research and development of new military technologies and build partnerships with civilian innovators in academia and industry.

Futures Command has clear objectives, the authority of a four-star Army command, and an innovation-rich environment to work with in Austin. Rarely does a team — in any field or at any level — find itself in such a favorable position and with the power to see its projects through to execution.

Despite these conditions, Futures Command has a daunting mission ahead of it — one that it may not be able to achieve: The command is charged with nothing less than overhauling and modernizing the U.S. Army, one of the most cumbersome and bureaucratic organizations in the world.

Read the full op-ed in the Austin-American Statesman.

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