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The United States Army Futures Command (AFC) is a U.S. Army Command (ACOM) focused on Army modernization. Established in 2018, the AFC is the largest Army reorganization effort since the 1973 disestablishment of the Continental Army Command and Combat Development Command, whose functions were redistributed between two new commands— the U.S. Army Forces Command and U.S. Army Training & Doctrine Command. The AFC is headquartered in Austin, Texas and employs over 26,000 personnel worldwide. The AFC is led by Commanding General John M. Murray, a role he has held since the AFC's establishment.
The AFC works toward Army modernization by forming collaborative relationships and projects with entrepreneurs, scientists, and businesses. Much of this work is carried out through four subordinate, supporting commands that operate through partnerships in both the industrial and academic worlds. The four subordinate commands to the AFC are:
- Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) —Headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, DEVCOM is the Army's organic research and development capability. DEVCOM's primary focus is achieving modernization through science, technology and engineering means. It was established as a subcommand of the AFC on February 3, 2019.
- Futures and Concepts Center—The Futures and Concepts Center's primary focus is to assess threats and future operational environment, as well as develop concepts and an integrated modernization path to increase the lethality of the U.S. Army.
- Medical Research and Development Command—Headquartered at Fort Detrick in Maryland, the Medical Research and Development Command oversees and implements research in five basic areas: military infectious diseases, combat casualty care, military operational medicine, chemical biological defense, and clinical and rehabilitative medicine.
- The Army Software Factory—Located in Austin, Texas, the Army Software Factory is an integrated software development initiative that teaches, develops, and employs talent from all ranks within both the military and civilian workforce. The Army Software Factory works out of Austin Community College's Rio Grande Campus with the goal of increasing digital proficiency within the U.S. Army, and works frequently with cloud technology and other modern software.
Additionally, the AFC leads eight Cross Functional Teams (CFTs) that are focused on thirty-one modernization lines of efforts (LOE). CFTs managed by the AFC include: Long Range Precision Fire; Next Generation Combat Vehicle; Future Vertical Lift; Network; Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing; Air and Missile Defense; Soldier Lethality; and Synthetic Training Environment.
The AFC was officially established in 2018 in Austin, Texas. Originally having a staff of only a dozen, the AFC grew its staff to 24,000 around the world within its first year, achieving full-operational capability on July 31, 2019. In 2020, the AFC launched several initiatives: the Future Operating Environment (FOE), Future Study Program (FSP), and Team Ignite. That same year also saw the AFC launch Project Convergence, a campaign focused on the pursuit of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning-enabled battlefield management system.
For FY2022, the Army has requested $11.251 billion in funding for the AFC and its eight Cross Functional Teams (CFTs). The FY22 budget request represents an 18.6% increase over FY2021 enacted levels of $9.489 billion. Funding is broken down into eight subcategories, each representing a CFT.
