The emergence of strategic competition with close partners as a defining priority of US national security has forced the US military to rethink its roles and responsibilities in recent years. The competition requires strategies, approaches, and missions that differ from those developed for terrorism and counterinsurgency, which have been the focus of the past two decades. Many of the Army’s missions and capabilities are relevant here, but for the Army to succeed in near-peer competition, it must work in an integrated manner with the US Department of Defense (DoD) and other US government agencies. The purpose of this research was to identify how the Army can implement or influence procedural and/or organizational changes to help adapt DoD processes to competition and identify existing Army capabilities that can be more fully utilized and understood in competition.
The authors reviewed relevant literature, authorities, policies, and historical cases; interviewed experts; and conducted a systematic analysis of the match between the existing supply of Army capabilities and the requirements for competition below the threshold of armed conflict.
Among other things, the authors found that relevant Army organizations are not always incentivized to adjust their investments to support the broader DoD procurement activities. The Army’s best opportunities to contribute to competitive efforts, moreover, may not lie within its areas of historical focus or competence.
The research described in this report was sponsored by the United States Army Futures Command and conducted by the Strategy, Doctrine, and Resources Program with the RAND Arroyo Center.
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