On Its 242nd Birthday, The Army Is Training For ‘The New Character Of War’

This article comes from the Army Times.

By: Meghann Myers, June 13, 2017

The Army turns 242 years old on Wednesday, but this year, the service’s acting secretary is looking back to World War I for guidance.

The first World War brought forth much of the way the Army fights and functions today, and a century later, leaders are preparing for another sea change, acting Secretary Robert Speer told Army Times.

“I also think we’re on the cusp now — you hear [Chief of Staff] Gen. [Mark] Milley talk about it, the new character of war — so we’re at another point,” Speer said. “A hundred years later, to a point where you can see things significantly changing for the future.”

Today the Army faces yet another inflection point, but rather than making the shift from a small domestic defense force to a global player, the current Army is trying to find the balance between deterrence missions in Europe and Asia while preparing for combat operations in the Middle East.

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