The U.S. Army aims to reach full readiness recovery by 2022 through equipment upgrades, investments in preferred munitions and force expansion, Military.com reported Wednesday.Lt. Gen. John Murray, deputy chief of staff for Army G-8, said at the 9th Annual Defense Programs Conference hosted by McAleese and Associates, that the Army has made “significant investments” in key munitions to compensate for under-investing in preferred munitions that were used up in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Army’s fiscal year 2019 budget request includes funds for 148,287 155mm artillery projectiles and 9,450 Guided Multi-Launch Rocket Systems – an increase from 16,573 projectiles and 6,084 GMLRS purchased last year.
Murray added that the FY 2019 budget proposal would add 4,000 soldiers to the active force to set a “modest-growth” trend that the Army plans to follow in the next years.
The active force expansion is intended to boost capacity in the areas of fires, air defense, cyber, electronic warfare and the new Security Force Assistance Brigades, Murray noted.
He said the Army aims to shift investment from readiness to modernization once the military branch reaches its readiness goals.
