The McAleese annual defense forum in California featured Army Chief of Staff Randy George discussing new measures to acquire technology, including a cross-functional team focusing on identifying and targeting enemy formations at long range. General Jim Rainey will announce more details at the Global Force Symposium in Huntsville in late March. The Army is testing deep sensing systems like the High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System and spy balloons at Project Convergence in California. The 101st Airborne Division’s second brigade will test new gear at Louisiana’s Joint Readiness Training Center.
To rapidly field new technology, the Army plans to use new buying models, moving away from traditional acquisition methods to acquire data subscriptions and services instead of hardware. This shift is intended to provide soldiers with the right technology quickly and have the flexibility to upgrade to meet evolving threats. Army Under Secretary Gabe Camarillo highlighted the as-a-service model for acquiring technologies like satellite data and commercial software, signaling a new approach to procurement.
