Military's Futures Command is working to simplify requirements during the ongoing process of acquisition reformation
The United States Army is undergoing a significant transformation, with a focus on rapid response and agility in meeting emerging needs. One of the key drivers of this change is the Army Futures Command (AFC), which is leaning more on directed requirements to respond quickly to evolving mission demands.
In August, AFC is set to host a virtual event called Workforce Reimagined, aimed at building a federal workforce that is skilled, resilient, and ready to meet these demands.
A key aspect of this transformation is the implementation of a process called Continuous Objectives Requirement Analysis (CORA). This process links each requirement to specific funding categories within the Army's equipping, sustaining, and training budget categories, allowing for a more efficient allocation of resources. The analytics tool associated with CORA helps identify redundancies and areas where resources can be reallocated, further streamlining the acquisition process.
The Army is also working to reduce the contract awarding process from nearly two years to less than six months. This is part of a broader effort to make acquisition more agile and responsive, reflecting the transformation priorities.
The Army is considering a broader restructuring of its acquisition enterprise, including a potential consolidation of its 12 Program Executive Offices (PEOs) to seven Capability Executive Offices (CEOs). However, this consolidation remains tentative with no final decisions yet, pending senior leader and Congressional engagements.
Regarding the acquisition process within AFC, the restructuring is part of an overall major shift that includes merging parts of the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) with AFC and realigning capabilities development and integration under AFC’s umbrella. The AFC is intended to be a global command focusing on disruptive technologies with the goal of enhancing synergy among research, development, and acquisition organizations.
AFC is adopting a new approach that moves away from overly prescriptive contract requirements to a more flexible approach that focuses on providing "characteristics of need" early during experimentation phases. This allows for the consideration of solutions from nontraditional vendors that may fall outside the service's existing requirements and acquisition categories.
To support this drive for streamlining, the Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC) held a 2025 training event aimed at streamlining contracting processes and closing capability gaps.
In summary, the Army's ongoing review reflects its effort to refine how it organizes its acquisition workforce to better deliver modernization outcomes aligned with AFC's innovative mission. The challenge of finding resources remains in the year of execution, but this approach allows for leveraging commercial tech that is available now and getting it in formations. AFC is actively updating how the Army defines and manages requirements, with a goal of identifying what can be invalidated to free up resources. The Army is considering a broader restructuring of its acquisition enterprise, including a potential consolidation of its PEOs, and AFC officials are ensuring the command's internal structures align with any changes to the Program Executive Office structure.
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- The Army Futures Command (AFC) is planning to host a virtual event called "Workforce Reimagined" in August, focusing on building a federal workforce that is prepared to meet evolving mission demands, particularly by leveraging technology.
- In line with the Army's transformation, AFC is shifting its acquisition approach, moving away from prescriptive contract requirements and instead providing "characteristics of need" during experimentation phases, with the intention of considering solutions from nontraditional vendors and integrating disruptive technologies into the federal workforce.
