REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (WHNT) — Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll visited Redstone Arsenal for the first time Monday.
After a tour, the secretary told reporters he wants the nation’s war fighter to be more efficient, and he believes Redstone will play a role in that process.
Under the direction of the Department of Defense, Driscoll is implementing the Army Transformation Initiative. The program, like others created under the Trump administration, prioritizes cutting programs and positions deemed “obsolete,” while bringing in the private sector to “innovate.”
“We do not do a good job with our requirements and our funding, and we know that,” Driscoll said. “We are trying to get better.”
Driscoll said improvement will come from more communication with other agencies, like the partnerships that exist on the Arsenal between the Army, FBI and ATF. He told News 19 that a push for fast solutions could also mean opportunities for new defense contractors.
“Small and medium businesses around the country are going to be able to create things for the United States Army, and if it is the best, we’re going to put it on to our new platforms going forward,” Driscoll said. “Things like open AI and these other big tech companies that are in the news every single day, we are not quite ready at scale to be a customer of theirs, but we think in the next six to 12 months, we will be in that because a lot of the work that’s happening down here.”
The secretary said he wants to take the best practices from the commercial sector, particularly in areas like transportation and logistics.
“We just don’t do things all that quickly,” Driscoll said. “If you look at modern warfare with what’s going on in Ukraine with drones and cyber and just this data layer that’s being overlaid on to warfare, we knew that we needed to be able to move faster.”
On Monday, Driscoll said he met with the Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) on the Arsenal, which is responsible for making sure critical combat materials are delivered quickly.
“I’m even more optimistic after learning about it,” Driscoll said. “I think a lot of the things that they’re touching today will start to hit the war fighter in six to 12 months.”
During his visit, Driscoll said Redstone Arsenal has talent and resources that could lead to growth in the area down the line.
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