LaNeve assures defense industry leaders that Army remains on modernization quest

Gen. Christopher LaNeve, acting Army chief of staff, told the annual AUSA meeting that the service remains committed to modernization but with an eye towards funding realities.

Gen. Christopher LaNeve told the annual AUSA meeting the service must keep its eye on funding realities but remains committed to modernization. Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the Army's acting chief of staff, speaks during the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 13, 2026. (Christopher Kaufmann/U.S. Army) The Army remains committed to modernization and integrating autonomous systems but with an eye toward funding realities, the Army’s top officer told industry leaders Tuesday during the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C. “No, the Army’s not turning its back on modernization,” Gen. Christopher LaNeve, acting Army chief of staff, said during a luncheon speech.

“In fact, quite the opposite — we are sprinting towards it,” he said. At the same time, the Army is doing so with the recognition that “resources are not endless,” he said. “This means making thoughtful decisions over where investments are made.” LaNeve underscored that commitment by announcing that the service’s Futures and Concepts Command has been redesignated as the Futures and Autonomous Systems Command, or FASCOM. “This goes beyond drones,” he said in an Army news release Tuesday. “FASCOM will pioneer operational concepts that harness autonomous capabilities across all warfighting functions.” Critics have questioned the Army’s commitment to autonomous systems after it shut down an experimental drone battalion in