Back to the (Army’s) Future: A Conversation with Secretary of the Army Mark Esper

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Event Summary

On Thursday, Secretary of the Army Mark Esper joined AEI’s Jim Talent for a conversation about modernization and the larger Army renaissance.

During his remarks, Secretary Esper emphasized breaking with the “tyranny of the consensus” and encouraged those with competing ideas to voice their opinions. He described how Army leadership is scrupulously examining every program, cutting or condensing those that are no longer relevant. In addition, the Army is decreasing superfluous mandatory requirements and empowering innovative junior leaders by consolidating authority at lower levels of command.

The Army is set to grow modestly, until reaching at least 500,000 personnel in 2028. This steady growth will allow for effective implementation of multidomain operations doctrine, the Army’s new guiding concept. Army Futures Command enables efficient decision-making and cooperation with industry to get technologies to the field. Should funding decrease, Secretary Esper underlined his commitment to maintaining consistent modernization priorities.

In closing, the secretary addressed the importance of building a culture within the Army and Army families of taking care of each other. He spoke about the need for leaders to spend time getting to know their soldiers and making personnel policies more amenable to family life.

— Sara Morrell

Event Description

A renaissance is underway inside the United States Army, ushering in some of the most dramatic reforms since the 1970s in talent management, design of the force, and modernization. The “war” for talent is a growing priority as the Army seeks to bring aboard and train leaders capable of maintaining a competitive advantage against peer competitors and future enemies. Army leadership is also working to establish new concepts of operation that will better equip the force with relevant capabilities and equipment.

Please join AEI and former Sen. Jim Talent for a conversation with Mark Esper, the 23rd secretary of the Army, on the hoped-for Army renaissance.

Join the conversation on social media with @AEI on Twitter and Facebook.