Reference News Network reported on May 6 that according to a report on the website of "Newsweek" on May 4, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army told "Newsweek" that the Trump administration is launching a $36 billion plan to modernize the U.S. Army by upgrading systems and updating weapons such as next-generation tanks and helicopters to achieve "generational change".

The report stated that the last major equipment upgrade of the U.S. Army was in the late 1970s to mid-1980s, when five major weapon systems were introduced: the M1 Abrams main battle tank, the M2/M3 Bradley fighting vehicle, the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, the UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopter, and the Patriot air defense missile system.

Pete Hegtsema, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, signed a memorandum on April 30 instructing the Pentagon to build a more streamlined and lethal force by "stripping outdated, redundant, and ineffective projects, as well as adjusting headquarters structure and procurement systems".

In his memorandum, Hegtsema wrote: "Meanwhile, the Army must prioritize investments based on government strategy, ensuring that existing resources are prioritized for improving long-range precision firepower, air defense and missile defense, cyber warfare capabilities, electronic warfare capabilities, and counter-space capabilities."

This upgrade will cost $36 billion starting from the fiscal year 2026, which begins on July 1, 2025, and will be completed within five years.

Colonel David Butler, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army, talked to "Newsweek" about some specific measures the Trump administration hopes to implement. He believes this will be a "generational transformation" for the Army.

The Army plans to equip each active-duty division with approximately 1,000 drones. Butler said the Army will also consider investing in counter-drone technology, stating "we are far behind in this area." Additionally, investment will be made in electronic warfare capabilities - spectrum detection and interference capabilities - as well as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics.

Butler said: "We must continue to invest in our network infrastructure, connecting through the 'Starlink' program, the 'Starshield' program, and other satellite communications. This is a long process. The Army must invest heavily in this area. We will take multiple approaches, but one of the fundamental tasks we must do well is network infrastructure construction."

The improvements Butler mentioned aim to "reduce the exposure of U.S. forces on the battlefield," as "even a single electronic transmission can expose our location and make us a target."

With AI, the Army will be able to process information on production and project progress faster and more accurately than the current method, which involves "tens of thousands of civilian personnel filling out Excel spreadsheets and sending them via email."

Butler said: "We are conducting a series of pilots with AI companies to apply AI to this system... preliminary research results show that AI is obviously much faster and more accurate, and it can extract data, allowing us to view these projects in different ways."

Netta Crawford, a professor of international relations at Oxford University, told "Newsweek": "These expenditures weaken other parts of the U.S. economy and are unnecessary. Any military budget needs to be formulated according to a military strategy that is commensurate with the threat." (Translated by Qing Songzhu)

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7501172570905936422/

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