Issue Briefs
Despite Pandemic, The U.S. Army Is In Its Best Shape In A Generation. Here’s Why.
Loren B. Thompson
September 10th, 2020
The U.S. Army was a mess when Donald Trump became president in January of 2017. Only two of its brigades were in a high state of readiness, its modernization plan was faltering, and the Army seemed trapped in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Today, four years later, the Army has been transformed. What happened? Five things stand out: a team at the top with good chemistry that agreed on what had to be done to fix the institution; more money better spent; fewer wars, better waged; steady progress on weapons modernization; and multifaceted efforts to improve soldier training. I have written a commentary for Forbes here.
The views and opinions expressed in this issue brief are those of the author.
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Loren B. Thompson is a Senior Adviser at GPI, Chief Operating Officer of the non-profit Lexington Institute and Chief Executive Officer of Source Associates, a for-profit consultancy. Prior to holding his present positions, he was Deputy Director of the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University and taught graduate-level courses in strategy, technology and media affairs at Georgetown. He has also taught at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Mr. Thompson holds doctoral and masters degrees in government from Georgetown University and a bachelor of science degree in political science from Northeastern University. |