Approach to the Army Transformation Utilizing Future Combat Systems

The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the cause, philosophy, timeline, goals, tools, and challenges the U.S. Army is addressing with regards to meeting the Army Transformation utilizing the Future Combat Systems (FCS). The U.S. Army has been faced with many challenges in the past, and has recently been given a mandate by the Chief of Staff of the Army to develop a lighter, more deployable and survivable combat system to meet the needs/challenges of the Army's Objective Force. The Objective Force is the product of the Army's Transformation Process. However, unlike past programs, the Army has taken a vastly different approach to meet this challenge. The Army is starting with a “clean sheet of paper” and intends to influence the design of the Future Combat Systems by harnessing the collective technology advancements in both the military and commercial worlds. By moving away from the traditional way of doing business, the U.S. Army will make a giant step with the Future Combat Systems in making the Army Transformation successful.