For decades, America’s Army has been trapped in a cycle of spending billions of taxpayer dollars on outdated systems before they even reach the battlefield. While our soldiers stand ready to defend this country, they are often equipped with technology that belongs in a museum. The Army Transformation Initiative aims to break this cycle, ensuring that every dollar we spend protects the men and women who wear the uniform.
China and Russia have refined the art of leveraging inexpensive, disposable drones and AI-enabled weapons to overwhelm their adversaries. In Ukraine, small, cheap drones have decimated million-dollar vehicles and equipment. Homemade explosives costing just a few hundred dollars have rendered sophisticated armored convoys useless.
Ukraine’s military, with far fewer resources and no navy of its own, crippled and drove away Russia’s Black Sea fleet. All it took were drones that cost less than a single American missile. Our adversaries are learning from these tactics and rapidly adapting their strategies to field low-cost, high-impact systems.
The U.S. cannot afford to remain tethered to outdated systems and procurement processes that waste taxpayer dollars and put American lives at risk.
Last year, China spent $29.4 billion on drones. Ukraine, despite its wartime conditions, managed to produce four million units. The U.S., in contrast, manufactured only 50,000 drones. While our adversaries invest in cheap, rapidly deployable systems, we continue to spend millions on legacy aircraft and vehicles that cannot survive on today’s battlefield.
The Army Transformation Initiative is a necessary course correction. Under this initiative, the Army will cease the procurement of outdated aircraft, vehicles and weapon systems that no longer meet the demands of modern warfare. The focus will shift toward expanding the arsenal of long-range drones, AI-enabled surveillance systems, and counter-drone technology capable of neutralizing threats before they strike.
This transformation extends beyond equipment. The Army is streamlining its command structure to reduce unnecessary layers of bureaucracy that slow our ability to respond to emerging threats. Headquarters will be consolidated, and redundant staff positions will be eliminated, creating a more agile and effective force structure. This restructuring is not about saving money for the sake of it — it is about ensuring that our soldiers receive the best possible equipment as quickly as possible.
The Global War on Terror offers a cautionary tale of what happens when we fail to adapt. Insurgents routinely destroyed million-dollar vehicles with $20 worth of farm supplies repurposed into makeshift explosives. Today, our adversaries are using drones that cost a few thousand dollars to take out armored vehicles and radar systems worth millions. The lesson is clear: relying on expensive, exquisite systems to counter low-cost threats is a losing strategy.
The Army Transformation Initiative seeks to avoid repeating that mistake by investing in capabilities that deliver maximum impact for minimum cost. In the 1980s, the U.S. achieved strategic dominance by mass-producing inexpensive Stinger missiles and sending them to the Mujahideen in Afghanistan. Those missiles took down Soviet aircraft worth millions, effectively bankrupting our adversary. We bled the Soviet military dry by forcing them to spend millions to counter weapons we built for thousands.
Winning the economics of war means driving adversaries into insolvency before a shot is even fired. It means building weapons that scale faster, strike harder and cost less than the threats they neutralize. Today, that principle remains the same. We must prioritize systems that are lethal, cost-effective and capable of countering threats from low-cost drones to AI-driven cyberattacks.
The stakes could not be higher. A soldier whose vehicle is struck by a $100 explosive drone that should have been detected and neutralized will not care about the billions of dollars spent on legacy programs that failed to keep him safe. A pilot downed by an enemy with electronic warfare capabilities that we refused to upgrade against will not find solace in the fact that we saved money by keeping outdated aircraft in the fleet. The cost of inaction is measured not in dollars, but in lives.
The American people should care about this transformation because it is not just about defense budgets or military contracts — it is about protecting the men and women who put their lives on the line to defend this great nation.
The Army Transformation Initiative is a commitment to getting our soldiers what they need to fight and win in the battles of tomorrow, not the wars of the past. The objective is clear: invest in capabilities that matter, eliminate the ones that do not, and ensure that every American soldier is equipped to fight, win, and come home safe.
Pat Harrigan represents North Carolina’s 10th District and serves on the House Armed Services Committee. He is a West Point graduate, former Army Green Beret, and combat veteran who led Special Forces missions in Afghanistan.
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