AUSTIN, Texas — The Army Futures Command (AFC) released its modernization strategy for the branch earlier this year.

• Planning for a new technologically advanced Army by 2035
• Could changing how soldiers fight
• Research could also change what soldiers fight with

The command’s modernization strategy lays out how the Army will evolve over the next decade as the world’s technology advances. It focuses on changing how our soldiers fight, where they fight and what they fight with. The goal is to create a new and improved Army by 2035.

They do this by researching new ways to approach areas like personnel, training, and equipment. They’re also looking at new ways of fighting on and off the battlefield. The AFC’s Director of System’s Integration COL Geoffrey Norman said creating a comprehensive strategy for the entire branch wouldn’t have been possible before the command was founded in 2018.

“It allows us to have a single organization that can write the modernization strategy and come up with a plan that integrates all those functions that was previously spread across other commands,” Norman said.

The AFC wants the research it takes to make those advances to be done by people outside the Army base. AFC’s headquarters is in the middle of Downtown Austin in a University of Texas building so they can be close to innovators in tech and science. They hope building those relationships with experts and university partners across the country can help take the Army into the future.

“Now, because we’re located together, it’s a constant mashup that I think is going to be really powerful,” Norman said. “It’ll allow us to solve problems more effectively, probably quicker and certainly in a more innovative fashion.”