WASHINGTON — During a hearing with Congress members, the Army’s top leaders shared details on the Army Transformation Initiative, which calls for cutting spending on stagnant programs, upgrading equipment and restructuring forces.

In April, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called on Army leaders to prioritize building lethality and to eliminate unnecessary cost.

Following the success of Ukraine’s effective, low cost unmanned aerial systems attacks on Russia’s bomber fleet, Secretary of the Army Daniel P. Driscoll stated before lawmakers that the Army needs cheaper solutions to bolster U.S. Soldier lethality. Using more than 300 drones in a single swarm attack last week, Ukrainian forces dealt a catastrophic blow to the Russian military.

“At a cost of a mere tens of thousands of dollars, Ukraine inflicted billions in damage, potentially setting back Russia’s bomber capabilities for years,” Driscoll said Wednesday. “The world saw in near real time how readily available technology can disrupt established power dynamics. And drones are but one example of a broader shift. The Army needs to keep pace.”

As the service prepares to posture its Fiscal Year 2026 budget, Driscoll and Gen. Randy A. George, Army chief of staff, asked Congress for more “agile” or flexible funding to support unmanned aerial systems and counter-UAS initiatives that bolsters the force. The Army’s top officer said that the service cannot afford to be locked into a program of record but rather must purchase new technology when available.

“Technology is changing too rapidly,” George said. “We’ve got to be able to buy capabilities, not specific programs.”

To restructure the Army into a more efficient, combat ready force, George said that the service would cancel obsolete unnecessary programs that do not contribute to enhancing the lethality of Soldiers, including eliminating a budget request for more Humvees to be added to the service’s fleet of vehicles.

In May, the Army stopped funding to the M-10 Booker Tank, citing design flaws and concerns over its deployability. Instead of spending on programs like the M-10, Hegseth said the service will focus on drones and counter drones, “off the shelf” technology, and strengthening sensors and the Army’s network.

The service will also cut funding to the AH-64D Apache Attack Helicopters, removing Apache battalions from the active component. George said four Apache battalions will remain in the National Guard, which will eventually receive the AH-64 E model. He added that UH-60M Blackhawk, a medical evacuation aircraft, will replace the UH-60L and V models.

Driscoll also proposed giving the service more autonomy on repairing certain equipment immediately instead of waiting on defense manufacturers. Driscoll cited one example, where at one installation Soldiers could not use a piece of advanced technology for up to a year due to a missing piece. However, the Soldiers learned they could 3-D print the required part at a fraction of the manufacturer cost.

Army also plans to cut 1,000 positions from the Department of the Army staff and will move many Soldiers to more combat-related jobs, George said.

Upgrading Soldier training

For the first time, the Army Reserve partnered with active-duty Army units in the largest mass exercise of its scale, Mojave Falcon. Beginning May 28, over 9,000 reservists and active-duty Soldiers participated in the mass logistics training moving equipment and supplies across vast distances in northern and southern California.

“When not deployed, our units are conducting tough, realistic training at their home stations and at our combat training centers,” George said. “Our Army is a professional team that remains focused on its warfighting mission, and young Americans want to be a part of it. And this is evidenced by our strong recruiting numbers this year.”

The service announced it had met its recruiting goals early, welcoming more than 61,000 new Soldiers to its ranks, despite raising its recruiting goal by 10 percent from 2024.

The service recently began phase two of Transformation in Contact, or TiC, the service’s initiative where Soldiers rapidly train, equip and field new technology. The 2nd Cavalry Regiment from Rose Barracks, Vilseck, Germany and 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Stewart, Georgia will take part in TiC 2.0, which, expands the scale to two divisions and two Stryker brigade combat teams. The Soldiers will incorporate UAS and counter UAS.

In January, the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division from Fort Johnson, Louisiana, successfully completed a TiC training rotation as part of Combined Resolve, an annual exercise hosted by U.S. Army Europe and U.S. Army Africa.

One TiC brigade that trained in Europe improved to 300 percent more effective in lethal targeting, George said.

“This was a great proof of concept,” George said. “It confirmed that our formations are capable of rapidly improving their lethality.”

“Transformation in contact taught us some valuable lessons about what our Army should be buying and how we should be buying it, and we’re just getting started,” George added.

By Joe Lacdan, Army News Service

FORT DRUM, N.Y. — In May, Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI), participated in Mountain Peak 25-01, a brigade-level, large-scale combat operation training exercise designed to prepare the unit for an upcoming rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Johnson, Louisiana, later this summer.

The exercise began with a joint forcible entry operation, in which units from the 2nd BCT and 10th Combat Aviation Brigade inserted forces into contested terrain. After the initial objective was secured, brigade elements shifted into a force-on-force scenario, in which supporting units took on critical roles throughout the operation.

Throughout the training, units maneuvered across rugged terrain and executed coordinated assaults to secure key objectives.

“It’s pretty impressive, just the level of planning that has to go into making sure logistics, tactics, maneuvering — all of it — comes together,” said 1st Lt. Rex Jones, a platoon leader with 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment. “And making sure every section gets something out of this, not just one or two.”

The Multi-Functional Reconnaissance Company operated forward of friendly lines, providing commanders with battlefield intelligence throughout the operation. Teams conducted close reconnaissance while avoiding detection to collect information and report on enemy positions.

“We bring a lot of diverse experience to the table,” said Staff Sgt. Austin Tyson, senior team chief with MFRC. “That gives us the operational freedom to make autonomous decisions and exploit weaknesses in the enemy wherever we find them.”

The 10th Mountain Division’s G3 team managed exercise planning and control.

“Mountain Peak is the only force-on-force event of this scale that we do here on Fort Drum,” said senior G3 exercise coordinator Will McNutt. “It’s a heavy lift to support from an exercise control perspective. Nothing else approaches the size and scale of Mountain Peak — many posts don’t even run an event like this for their brigades.”

Units conducted air assaults, coordinated movements across complex terrain, and integrated with aviation, reconnaissance, and multinational support assets.

Drone operators from the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre supported the opposing force with unmanned aerial systems. Their integration added complexity to the training and increased the realism of simulated threats.

“The scope and scale of this exercise have been instrumental in enabling our drone teams to build skills, push system limits, and foster seamless integration between units,” said Capt. Wesley Morfoot, staff officer, Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre.

“Through trust, commanders and their teams have truly empowered them with the freedom to innovate in the field.”

Training emphasized mission command, unit-level coordination, and adaptation against a live opposing force.

The exercise allowed Soldiers to rehearse key tasks under realistic conditions while gaining experience across the brigade.

Mountain Peak allows Soldiers to put their skills to the test and hone in on their proficiency. This ensures every 10th Mountain Soldier maintains readiness and lethality, ultimately preparing these Soldiers for real-world operations.

By SGT Samuel Bonney