Army’s Project Convergence 2021 Propels Modernized Warfare Doctrine

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The Army’s recent technological breakthrough demonstrated at its Project Convergence 2021 in the Arizona desert is leading to the rapid adoption of a new generation of warfare technologies and inspiring the conceptual process needed to write new doctrine.

New AI-enabled computing, mini-drone sensors able to transmit in real time, precision weaponry able to fire at unprecedented ranges and breakthrough levels of satellite connectivity are all changing traditional concepts of Combined Arms Maneuver. 

The breakthroughs were numerous, to include a huge decrease in sensor to shooter pairing, AI-enabled multi-domain information processing, unmanned-unmanned teaming and air-ground attack synergy enabled by real-time target data transmission.

A New Generation of Warfare Doctrine

As technologies emerge and evolve, new tactics emerge, new strategies take shape and the Army finds itself in the position of working to author a new generation of warfare doctrine.

“The last big transformation the Army did was really the 1980s. If you go back to the 1980s you talk about the big five – the Abrams, the Bradley, the Apache, the Blackhawk and missile systems. What we’ve really done over the last 40 years is we have improved those systems,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said during an event following Project Convergence 2021, according to a transcript.

The doctrinal approach formulated during those critical Cold War years was largely based upon a concept known as Air-Land battle, an approach to warfare aimed at integrating air and land power into coordinated attack maneuvers on the European Continent to stop a Soviet invasion. The idea was to fortify both offensive and defensive mechanized ground forces with suppressive area fire and direct attacks from the air to thwart enemy advances and open up avenues of attack for advancing forces.