On July 22, Congress’ in-house think tank, the Congressional Research Service, wrote that the Army Transformation Initiative (ATI), which seeks to make the U.S. Army a “leaner, more modern force,” may undermine its combat readiness.
The ATI includes a directive by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to transform the Army “at an accelerated pace by divesting outdated, redundant, and inefficient programs, as well as restructuring headquarters and acquisition systems.”
The plan specifically intends to modify Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCTs) to Mobile Brigade Combat Teams “to improve mobility and lethality in a leaner formation.” Assets perceived as excessively expensive and obsolete will be scrapped, such as some types of helicopters, ground vehicles, and drones, alongside Army Reserve helicopter units.
The report expressed concern at the gutting of medevac helicopters, which could be inimical to evacuation efforts and the survivability of injured or sick troops. As part of the ATI, the Army may remove four of six Security Force Assistance Brigades, “which primarily support Combatant Commander’s security force assistance efforts.”
Among those skeptical of the ATI was Republican Congressman Mike Rogers, who is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
Hegseth appears to be taking inspiration from the “creative destruction” of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). While it may work in the corporate world, “creative destruction” and ceaseless trimming has yet to produce positive results in the federal bureaucracy, and is unlikely to be much different in the military. Furthermore, in the age of great power competition, and therefore the increased likelihood of war between great powers that can field millions of enemy troops, one would think that larger unit formations would be necessary to countenance this threat.
