Schill, French Army head, discusses modernization plans and lessons learned from Ukraine conflict

and the sensors on the battlefield. Our information will be more reliable, more accurate and more secure in the service of decision-makers, and it connects us with other combat instruments like the Rafale, the naval group, the submarine force and ITERA (the Air Force’s future air combat system).The first feedbacks are very encouraging: the programs are on track; and the troops, after the required level of training, appreciate the new equipment, which increases their protection and their efficiency. We have to face some challenges, though. The battlespace visualization capacities and the synchronization of actions are increased and will require new ways of working together.There is still a significant effort to provide training in information technologies to troop leaders. As for the logistics chain, it is being adapted to support these high-technology combat systems.The Army is also adapting its command structures, in particular by setting up divisional command posts that are lighter, more deployable, more secure and more efficient. These changes result mainly from the qualitative leap in terms of services and information systems, which make it possible to integrate information from assets, the last link of the information chain that the officer in the field needs.During the Army’s transformation process, the Scorpion program and the initiative to design and deploy future unmanned systems are important milestones. Will these initiatives extend the relevance of tank and infantry forces or replace them?The renewal of the armored capabilities through Scorpion’s programs reinforces the Army’s power to intervene on the ground. It ensures a gradual capacity upgrade and promises adaptiveness to new operational scenarios. The combat is mainly urban and amphibious; the fighters with the greatest reach and the highest engagement capacity directly benefit the actions of the tank and infantry forces.Moreover, the fight is also robotic; it is about dominating the spectrum of autonomous systems — ground robots, unmanned aerial vehicles and perhaps directed energy weapons. This spectrum of solutions will provide robust, agile and participative interaction — and will require on both sides a high level of design for optimal performance, agility and speed.Today, the human interface in control and decision-making is an operational stake: the human sees, understands and decides. The Army is focusing its effort on understanding the specifics of the human and robot interaction, which is crucial to ensure the chain of command and the moral ropes of the deployed soldier.An armored vehicle from France is shown during a military parade in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on Jan. 6, 2019. (Jure Makovec/AFP via Getty Images) The Army is engaged in the transformation sought by the 2019 Military Programming Law. What are the key elements of this reform, and what are the challenges still to be met over the coming years in bringing this military tool that you lead to an optimal fighting level?The Military Programming Law 2019-2025 that promised to raise defense spending to 2% of the gross domestic product in 2025 is a critical tool for delivering the resources expected by the Army to modernize the forces. Many studies have been made that address the Army’s new capabilities for combined arms and joint operations.With the law, the armed forces seek the right balance between tanks to tanks — in other times “naval war” to “armored war” — and to maintain the cohesion of the combat systems at all levels of engagement. The Army has earmarked resources to complete the latest brigade transformation — creating a future conflict management capability over the 2020-2040 period.These resources cover the armored frontline capabilities, the design and production of operational goods, the evolution of organizational models for future brigades, the construction of a renewed command chain — in particular at the divisional and sub-brigade levels — and the establishment of a robust and secure communication network.Our effort is focused on maintaining an operational convergence between all combatants from the front liners to fighters, demanders, supporters or leaders. The Army is moving towards a model-based approach; it must now master the new communication and data management systems in order to manage these models properly, overcome the silos of information, improve the quality of decision-making and quickly operationalize its equipment.