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TO THE READER:
Today’s Army is operating at an unprecedented pace, with active deployments throughout the world. In the last several years, the Army has been called on with increasing frequency to defend U.S. interests across the globe while its overall resources have declined. The Army’s ability to put an American presence on the ground and to interact with the local populace make it an essential tool for U.S. policy now and in the future. In order to maintain the military capabilities that the nation demands and to modernize to meet future national security requirements, the Army is following a path to build both mental and physical agility. This path, the Force XXI process, is designed to spearhead the development of Army XXI, a product-improved force that will see the Army into the next century. Army XXI is primarily concerned with enhancing our current systems with information age technology. In addition, Force XXI is directing our explorations into the Army After Next (AAN). AAN is a future force designed specifically to meet the national security requirements of the 21st century. It will include organizations and systems that do not yet exist. The objective of Force XXI is to synchronize modern equipment, quality people, doctrine, force mix, training, and leader and soldier development–the six Army imperatives–ensuring that the U.S. Army can conduct a variety of missions in diverse environments, from today until well into the next century.

This handbook outlines the major programs that we are pursuing to equip the Army of the 21st century and should be used as a companion to the Army Development, Acquisition and Fielding Strategy. The Army Development, Acquisition and Fielding Strategy articulates how the Army plans, manages, and executes the development, acquisition, and fielding activities necessary to realize the materiel components of the force envisioned by Joint Vision 2010 (JV2010) and Army Vision 2010 (AV2010). The Army Development, Acquisition and Fielding Strategy is a capstone document that unites the Army Modernization Plan and the Army Science and Technology Master Plan with Acquisition Reform to provide a holistic process and framework for equipping the soldier with the requisite tools at an affordable price.

We hope that you find this book a valuable and informative reference source.

Paul J. Kern Lieutenant General, GS Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology)

Paul J. Hoeper Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology)