Yeah, the modernization, the word, it sounds like a very Washington word.

But really modernization is a tool to become more ready and more lethal.

So. to become more ready and more lethal. Today it takes anywhere for five to seven years to formalize a requirement.

What is that key performance parameter I need on the weapon system?

And then experiment and prototype.

That's why it's taking 20 years to put a weapon system in place.

So if you were a major league ball player and you throw a hundred mile an hour fastball,

it's like me telling you I'm going to keep you in the miners for 20 years

until I bring you to the majors when you're a 40-year-old man.

We're trying to speed up the process to get it in play faster.

Hey, welcome back to another episode of the Modern War Institute podcast.

I'm John Amble, editorial director at MWI,

and my guest on this episode is Undersecretary of the Army,

Ryan McCarthy. Our conversation covers everything from modernization and what that means for

soldiers in the operational army to the recently announced Army Futures Command and what

role it will have in preparing the Army for a changing operational environment characterized by a diverse set

of threats.

Really quickly, before we get to the conversation, a couple quick notes.

First, in addition to the MWI podcast, we also produce a second podcast series called The Spear.

Each episode features firsthand accounts of combat, and it's our platform to explore what combat,

leadership, and decision-making under intensely difficult circumstances is really like.

If you haven't heard it yet, you can find it on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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