Secretary of Defense: Army Transformation and Acquisition Reform

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

1000 DEFENSE PENTAGON

WASHINGTON, DC 20301 – 1000

MEMORANDUM FOR SENIOR PENTAGON LEADERSHIP

SUBJECT: Army Transformation and Acquisition Reform

APR 30 2025

As Secretary, my foremost responsibility is to ensure the lethality of our Army and the defense of our Nation, the United States, and its people.

The President gave us a clear mission: achieve Peace through Strength. To achieve this, the United States Army must prioritize defending our homeland and deterring China in the IndoPacific region. Deterring war, and if required, winning on the rapidly evolving battlefield requires Soldiers who are physically and mentally resilient, rigorously trained, and equipped with the best technology available.

To build a leaner, more lethal force, the Army must transform at an accelerated pace by divesting outdated, redundant, and inefficient programs, as well as restructuring headquarters and acquisition systems. Simultaneously, the Army must prioritize investments in accordance with the Administration’s strategy, ensuring existing resources are prioritized to improve long-range precision fires, air and missile defense including through the Golden Dome for America, cyber, electronic warfare, and counter-space capabilities.

I am directing the Secretary of the Army to implement a comprehensive transformation strategy, streamline its force structure, eliminate wasteful spending, reform the acquisition process, modernize inefficient defense contracts, and overcome parochial interests to rebuild our Army, restore the warrior ethos, and reestablish deterrence.

Transforming the Army Now for Future Warfare

To accelerate delivery of war winning capabilities, the Secretary of the Army is directed to:

• Field long-range missiles capable of striking moving land and maritime targets by 2027.
• Achieve electromagnetic and air-littoral dominance by 2027.
  • Field Unmanned Systems (UMS) and Ground/Air launched effects in every Division by the end of 2026.
  • Improve Counter-UAS mobility and affordability, integrating capabilities into maneuver platoons by 2026 and maneuver companies by 2027.
• Enable AI-driven command and control at Theater, Corps, and Division headquarters by 2027.
• Extend advanced manufacturing, including 3D printing and additive manufacturing, to operational units by 2026.
• Modernize the organic industrial base to generate the ammunition stockpiles necessary to sustain national defense during wartime by implementing 21st-century production capabilities, with full operational capability by 2028.
• Increase Army forward presence in the Inda-Pacific by expanding pre-positioned stocks, rotational deployments, and exercises with allies and partners to enhance strategic access, basing, and overflight.

Eliminating Wasteful Programs and Outdated Equipment

To maximize efficiency, accelerate modernization, and pay for the Army transformation within existing resources, the Secretary of the Army shall, in accordance with applicable law and policy:

• End procurement of obsolete systems, and cancel or scale back ineffective or redundant programs, including manned aircraft, excess ground vehicles (e.g., HMMWV), and outdated UAVs.
• Reduce spending on legacy sustainment, including outdated weapons systems and unnecessary climate-related initiatives.
• Eliminate wasteful contracts and excess travel funding.
• Reassess and optimize Army Prepositioned Stocks to align with strategic requirements.
• Modernize language training programs to improve mission effectiveness.

Force Structure and Workforce Optimization

To ensure strategic readiness, efficiency, and modernization, the Secretary of the Army shall:

Restructure Army Force Structure at Echelon

• Merge headquarters to generate combat power capable of synchronizing kinetic and non-kinetic fires, spaced-based capabilities, and unmanned systems.
• Reduce and restructure manned attack helicopter formations and augment with inexpensive drone swarms capable of overwhelming adversaries.
• Divest outdated formations, including select armor and aviation units across the Total Army (Active, Reserve, National Guard).
• Realign forces strategically to optimize deterrence and rapid deployment, above all to defend the American homeland and deter China in the Indo-Pacific.
• Downsize, consolidate, or close redundant headquarters:
  • Merge Army Futures Command (AFC) and Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) into one command.
  • Merge Forces Command, U.S. Army North, U.S. Army South into a single Headquarters focused on homeland defense and partnership with our Western Hemisphere allies.
  • Restructure the sustainment enterprise by consolidating and realigning headquarters and units within Army Materiel Command, including the integration of the Joint Munitions Command and Army Sustainment Command, to optimize operational efficiency and streamline support capabilities.
  • Review and consolidate operations across select depots, arsenals, and installations and look for leasing opportunities with commercial entities seeking to expand into the Defense Industrial Base.

Workforce Modernization and Reduction

• Optimize force structure to achieve maximum readiness.
• Prioritize merit and skills needed for today’s battlefield across the uniform and civilian workforce.
• Revise civilian hiring and firing policies to enable the Department’s ability to expertly manage talent.
• Reduce general officer positions to streamline command structures for the warfighter.

Acquisition Reform and Budget Optimization

To accelerate modernization and acquisition efficiency, the Secretary of the Army shall:

• Work with OSD Comptroller to consolidate Budget Lines and shift from programcentric funding to capability-based funding across critical portfolios (e.g., UAS, Counter UAS, and EW) to ensure rapid technology adaptation.
• Identify and propose contract modifications for right to repair provisions where intellectual property constraints limit the Army’s ability to conduct maintenance and access the appropriate maintenance tools, software, and technical data – while preserving the intellectual capital of American industry. Seek to include right to repair provisions in all existing contracts and also ensure these provisions are included in all new contracts.
• Expand the use of Other Transaction Authority agreements to enable faster prototyping and fielding of critical technologies; this includes software and software-defined hardware.
• Reform contracting processes to improve efficiency:
  • Implement performance-based contracting to reduce waste.
  • Expand multi-year procurement agreements when cost-effective.

As the Army prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, our Nation requires her Army to move further, faster, and fight harder than any other force on Earth. President Trump and I will not let this Nation down.