The future of the Army in an era of great power competition

From counterterrorism operations to preparing for the threat of great power conflict, the Army is facing a range of challenges in adjusting its force posture and strategic outlook in this era of great power competition. With six modernization priorities and ongoing concerns about its operational readiness, the Army has had to make substantial decisions on downsizing or eliminating significant legacy platforms in order to deliver on the vision laid out in the National Defense Strategy.

On March 14, Michael O’Hanlon—senior fellow and director of research for the Foreign Policy program at Brookings—engaged Undersecretary of the United States Army Ryan McCarthy in a discussion on the Army’s most recent budget request, its operational outlook, and the role it will play in future defense strategy.

Questions from the audience followed their conversation.