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The AUSA 2025 theme underscores the core strategic questions any firm in the Army market must face. For more than thirty years, Army acquisition has lurched between ambitious modernization and abrupt cancellation, producing repeated boom-and-bust cycles. Program failures, including Future Combat System, Comanche, Crusader, FARA, and OMFV, are the norm. Even programs that reach production gates, such as Booker and JLTV, can be terminated by sudden reprioritization. Momentum does not equal permanence.
Adaptation lies beneath this cycle. During this period, the Army has undergone at least three mission shifts: peacekeeping, counterinsurgency, and now great-power competition. Each required a different Army—force structure, equipment, skills, and concepts—yet none of the previous missions disappeared. Leaders must balance competing demands simultaneously, forcing hard choices that reverberate through acquisition. The central question for industry is not only where the Army is going, but what it is willing to give up—and how near-, mid-, and long-term investments will be shaped by the policy, budget, and bureaucratic forces leading or following in this transition.
Lethality is a constant requirement, but its meaning is unsettled. Where do DoD and Army leaders want the Army to be lethal? What role will it play in Golden Dome? A China fight requires a different Army than a Russia fight. What role will the Army have in Europe, particularly as NATO allies invest heavily in defense modernization? Which lessons from Ukraine endure, and which fade? How will BCT conversion and Next-Generation C2 shape the Army’s vision of modern lethality? Industry must also navigate joint realities: joint warfare has evolved into joint procurement, with systems like Patriot adapted for use across services. Success requires clarity on how the Army defines and funds decisive force, as well as how it aligns with other services to avoid redundancy and maximize impact.
Agility is the new coin of the realm. The Army Transformation Initiative and changes to JCIDS aim to build a more agile acquisition process but also introduce new uncertainty. “Agile funding” for RDT&E—particularly in UAS, C-UAS, EW, directed energy, and common-launcher concepts—raises questions about how and when firms gain entry. Understanding how these mechanisms will unfold enables companies to place high-payoff bets and foresee risks during this time of transition.
Yet structural issues persist. The Army’s acquisition enterprise often seems detached from operational priorities, with warfighters holding limited sway in the PPBS process. Leadership commitment—from the Sec Def, Sec Army, and Army CoS—will be critical to remaking the acquisition culture, tightening alignment between operational needs and acquisition priorities, and exploring joint development approaches that stabilize funding and accelerate delivery.
BCE will be at AUSA, bringing a unique blend of operational insight and business expertise. We help firms decode the Army’s adaptation, agility, and lethality—and identify the decision makers and influencers shaping this environment—so they can compete and win in the market. Engage with us at AUSA to explore how we can advance your strategy, as demonstrated through work such as our CISA and European vehicle studies.