Army must modernize much faster, can't keep buying "VCRs" of warfare

State of play: The changes introduced May 1 — combining Army Futures and Training and Doctrine commands, shifting to mobile brigade combat teams, axing AH-64D Apaches and M10 Bookers and more — are colloquially known as "1.0."

• There's "going to be 2.0 and 3.0," George said, "and that's how we need to look at it."
• He did not say what each iteration might comprise or target. Officials have claimed ATI will save some $48 billion over the next five years.

Context: The goal is to produce a force that can shoot and kill more accurately from farther away while also being harder to detect, especially on the electromagnetic spectrum.

• "World events will tell you that we need to make adjustments," George said. (We spoke just days after Ukraine's surprise Spiderweb drone assault.)

• "We don't want to continue to buy VCRs just because that's what people are producing."

Between the lines: Expect the fruits of canceled programs to be applied elsewhere.

What we're watching: What ATI means for program executive offices and cross-functional teams.

• Where will portfolios mesh best, and how many will be left standing?

Go deeper: Army weapons shake-up backed by Hegseth and other Trump picks