Army Vice Chief Says Department Ready to Meet Threats Worldwide

Every decision begins and ends with ensuring soldiers are ready to fight and win when called upon, said Army Gen. Christopher C. LaNeve, Army vice chief of staff, who, along with other service leaders, testified yesterday at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on joint force readiness.

Today, more than 108,000 soldiers are deployed or forward-postured across 160 countries, securing America’s interests in the Western Hemisphere, deterring aggression in the Indo-Pacific and responding to threats worldwide, he said.

Turning to regional specifics, he added, “In the Middle East, our soldiers are operating in a complex and dangerous environment, amid active conflict with Iran and its proxies. They’re defending U.S. forces and partners, intercepting missiles and drones, and protecting critical infrastructure.”

Supporting these efforts, sustainment formations are moving fuel, munitions and medical support across the theater, while command posts are integrating joint fires and intelligence to ensure rapid response to evolving threats in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, the general said.

“Brave Americans have been killed and wounded in the line of duty. Their loss is felt across our formations and in communities across this nation. To their families, we extend our deepest condolences and our enduring support,” he said.

Shifting back to organizational structure, the department consolidated Army North and South in the Western Hemisphere into a single, unified headquarters responsible for homeland defense, while retaining the capacity to generate and deploy forces globally in response to crisis, LaNeve said.

In the Indo-Pacific, the Army maintains 91,000 troops and has committed $1.3 billion to the Pacific deterrence initiative, he said.

At home, soldiers at training centers solve complex problems and test the latest systems, he said.

The Army has restructured its acquisition processes to reduce the time between field experience and program decisions from years to months, the general said, citing several ground and aviation prototypes.

“After 36 years, I’ve never seen a unit readiness determined by a depot or its equipment alone. What I have seen repeatedly is how we treat our soldiers shapes whether we retain the experienced ones and whether the force we’re building reflects the standards we claim to uphold,” LaNeve said, adding the service is surpassing recruiting goals.