Army looking to cancel legacy systems, pursue dual-use capabilities

Soldiers from the 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) start up their Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) after it's dropped off via UH-60 Blackhawk at the Joint Regional Training Center (JRTC) at Ft. Johnson, LA as part of a large scale, long range air assault (L2A2) that the 101st launched from Ft. Campbell, KY to JRTC on the night of August 16, 2024. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua Joyner)

By Mark Pomerleau • May 03, 2025

The Army is planning to eliminate systems it deems obsolete for soldiers on the battlefield in the future, as senior leaders call for greater use of commercially available capabilities going forward.

The traditional acquisition system can take years from initial requirements to fielding meaning that by the time units received it, the capability could be outdated or didn’t work as intended.

“The American politicians over 30 years have harmed the American soldier, not necessarily intentionally in all instances, but they have let rational decision-making decay. They have a lot of calcified bureaucracy get in the way of doing what’s right,” Secretary Daniel Driscoll told reporters Thursday at the Pentagon.