WASHINGTON - The United States Army has consistently transformed to meet the needs of its people, equipment, tactics and strategy over the past 250 years. The year 2025 was no different. Army senior leaders demonstrated this year that no challenge is too great to overcome if new ways of thinking are applied to find solutions. The Army addressed quality-of-life concerns integral to Soldier morale, identified "out-of-the-box" methods to meet evolving requirements, and implemented advanced systems to gain a competitive edge over our adversaries.

SOLDIER IMPROVEMENTS

Soldiers need purpose, direction and motivation. Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll has swiftly implemented guidance to the force to be more agile and transform rapidly; thus, the Transformation and Training Command was established in October. Acting as the senior command to Recruiting Command, Combined Arms Command and the Futures and Concepts Command, T2COM enhances the Army by unifying recruitment, training and combat development under one organization.

Morale can go a long way in changing the way Soldiers react on the battlefield; little motivates Soldiers more than good, healthy food. The Army Materiel Command awarded a contract to a concessions group in August to create brand new campus-style dining venues at the five major installations responsible for most Army contingency operations. Enhancing the Soldier experience will result in better preparation and motivation on the battlefield.

When Soldiers return home to rest and recuperate, the Army is modernizing facilities. Fort Irwin is home to one of the most austere and challenging training environments in the nation, which has often resulted in decreased Soldier readiness due in large part to lower-quality housing. The U.S. Army, alongside the Michaels Organization, broke ground on state-of-the-art privatized apartment buildings in September, aiming for a completion date of April 2028.

TRANSFORMING SYSTEMS

Army Senior Leaders announced in May the creation of the Army Transformation Initiative, a major step forward for the Army. ATI focuses on prioritizing initiatives and systems that contribute to lethality and empowering leaders, while streamlining the processes that hinder progress. The initiative has already ceased procurement of outdated systems, shifting toward highly-mobile combat gear, and revitalized training opportunities, including partnerships with the Army Reserve.

Augmenting this strategy, Secretary Driscoll announced the Army's flagship innovation engine named FUZE. This platform integrates four programs aimed at accelerating advanced capabilities, strengthening industry and increasing the relevance of Army systems and processes. FUZE will now operate as the engine to take innovative ideas from concept to combat-ready.

This year led to major reforms in the Army Acquisition Program. Legacy complicated processes for recognizing deficiencies and implementing improvements have been streamlined into consolidated Portfolio Acquisition Executives. These PAEs will now oversee development and procurement for six critical Army functions: Fires; Maneuver Ground; Maneuver Air; Command and Control and Counter Command and Control; Agile Sustainment and Ammo; and Layered Protection and CBRND. They will report directly to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology.

Command and control has always been the bedrock of Army operations. How do Soldiers know, at any level, which orders to follow and how to execute them in any environment? Project Convergence advanced the Army's Next Generation Command and Control capabilities in March at Fort. Irwin, California, when Soldiers from historic units came together to experiment with advanced technologies, cutting time between orders given and mission execution.

This work was further advanced by the 4th Infantry Division's Ivy Sting exercise, with multiple iterations through 2025. Utilizing lessons learned from Project Convergence Capstone 5, 4ID drastically eliminated lag time in combat-simulated operations. Feedback from this large-scale combat operations exercise is being incorporated into the culminating event of Project Convergence Capstone 6 next summer, which will drive more advanced battlefield technology and systems, increasing lethality across global operations.

EQUIPPING THE MODERN SOLDIER

Transforming systems and processes has already led to advances in equipment and ready-to-use combat power. Transformation in Contact 2.0 takes the lessons learned from the first phase of TiC and implements even more advanced testing and experimentation on the battlefield. TiC encourages unit leaders to assess the most cost-effective and easily implemented equipment based on feedback provided at the lowest level -the Soldiers using it daily. Leaders can then make recommendations and either purchase commercially off the shelf, through contracted official channels, or to craft prototype gear capable of achieving desired effects.

TiC 2.0 has already led to on-ground creation of new counter-Unmanned Aerial System technology. Project Flytrap 4.0, a multi-national exercise tested new c-UAS capabilities across Allied forces in Europe in late-July. Results from this exercise are informing how joint forces operate simultaneously to achieve swift effects against adversary capabilities.

In conjunction with Project Flytrap's lessons learned, and under direction from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the Joint Interagency Task Force 401 was created earlier this year. JIATF 401 is the Department of War's lead agency for all things c-UAS, rapidly delivering joint capabilities to defend the homeland, protect U.S. and allied forces, defend critical infrastructure and assist federal agencies. Through several interagency symposiums, U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, JIATF 401 Director, has led the initiative to increase effectiveness and efficiency of all c-UAS operations.

Army Materiel Command made strong contributions to the UAS effort, as they launched the pilot program SkyFoundry to quickly develop UAS solutions for Army units. The initiative integrates military and civilian-produced technology, and rapidly develops, tests and produces small drones using innovative manufacturing methods.

The Army also continued to focus on strengthening traditional weapons production, completing major efforts toward realizing its 15-year Organic Industrial Base modernization plan. Over $100 million has been invested, including completion of a new Multi-Purpose Load Facility at the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, which has already increased production capacity by 400% for Army munitions. Several additional munitions plants and vehicle repair facilities have opened, ensuring weapons and transportation will no longer be subject to endless wait times for contracted repairs.

Looking to the sky, the Army announced the designation of the MV-75 as the mission design series for its Future Long Range Assault Aircraft in May. The FLRAA is a brand-new rotorcraft, designed to fly farther, faster and with more advanced technology and accuracy on target than ever before. Integrating lessons learned from TiC, NGC2 and OIB advancements, the FLRAA is destined to become the gold standard in speed, range and survivability in contested environments.

Finally, in order to deliver secure, resilient and reliable energy in support of national defense installations and critical missions, the Army has embraced the next generation of nuclear power, announcing nine installation sites being considered for future microreactor power plants. From Alaska to Alabama, the possible sites of these Janus Program microreactors were chosen to align with the Department of War's goal of accelerating the pace of deploying on-site nuclear generation nationwide, according to the Honorable W. Jordan Gillis, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment.

This article is part of a series celebrating the best of the Army throughout 2025. Make sure to check out the other two stories with updates to the Army's people and warfighting efforts.