Future Focused: Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Details Army Autonomy Advancements

WASHINGTON - General Christopher LaNeve, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army and Acting Chief of Staff of the Army, has selected U.S. Army Futures and Concepts Command for redesignation as U.S. Army Futures and Autonomous Systems Command (FASCOM).

Gen. LaNeve's decision follows the release of Acting Secretary of the Army Adam Telle's Army Autonomous Initiatives memo on October 1. "This goes beyond drones," said Gen. LaNeve. "FASCOM will pioneer operational concepts that harness autonomous capabilities across all warfighting functions."

Led by a three-star general officer, FASCOM will consolidate, integrate and ultimately accelerate the work of the Combat Capabilities Development Command, Medical Research and Development Command, 75th Innovation Command, Joint Modernization Command and the Transformation Decision Analysis Center. This change unifies expertise that the new Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Autonomy will depend on to meet Acting Secretary Telle's directive to rapidly integrate autonomous technologies across the Army.

One of the first challenges Gen. LaNeve issued to FASCOM was to develop corps-level autonomous capabilities. Each of the Army's five corps will test equipment, evaluate tactics and make recommendations on accomplishing autonomous mission sets. This approach leverages experimentation to validate concepts that can then be scaled across the Army, according to Gen. LaNeve. As this top-down approach is pursued, the Vice Chief of Staff noted that he will continue "clearing the way for Soldiers to innovate and solve tactical problems with the tools they have on hand."

The Army's autonomous development plan includes the testing of an autonomous fires battery and autonomous watercraft company in I Corps, an autonomous armored reconnaissance company in III Corps, an autonomous breaching company in V Corps, autonomous aerial ISR and lift companies in XVIII Airborne Corps, and the pairing of manned and unmanned rotary wing aircraft in 8th Army. This last experiment, initially conceptualized at the Army Aviation Center in Fort Rucker, Alabama, gives attack aviation pilots direct control of UAS sensors to enable over-the-horizon targeting and synchronize manned-unmanned fires. "Fort Rucker is unique in that we can bring together warfighting experts and cutting-edge commercial capabilities to test technology the way we intend to fight it. To ensure that we move swiftly to achieve the Army's autonomy goals, as of today Fort Rucker will serve as our UAS Autonomy Center of Excellence," said Gen. LaNeve.

The Vice Chief of Staff's direction to FASCOM also includes the creation of capability-based formations centered on autonomous long-range fires, protection, tanks, logistics and obstacle breaching. These capabilities were specifically selected for their role in enabling operational maneuver and are aligned to the four elements of convergence, strike, close battle, and endurance outlined in the operational warfighting guidance released by the U.S. Army last week.

Notably, these experimental formations will receive some of the Army's first 390A Robotic Technicians. The move, first announced by Gen. LaNeve at the Maneuver Warfighter Conference in September, expands the assignment of trained autonomy and robotics specialists beyond special operations units to more swiftly proliferate expertise across the force.

"We've got to change our approach from bolting on technology to rethinking how we fight," declared Gen. LaNeve. "Acting Secretary Telle and I see things the same way. Technology doesn't fight; Soldiers do. Our job is to get them the best kit; theirs is to make it lethal. It's that magic between industry, leadership, and Soldiers that keeps our Army ahead of anyone looking to do America harm."