 The rules have changed. Accepting change is one thing. Understanding it is something else. America's future adversaries will be creative and adaptive opponents. Using strategies to diminish U.S. resolve by attacking our homeland, killing innocent civilians, and seeking any means to exploit our vulnerabilities. The enemy will resort to dispersed small unit operations, attacking any weakness while trying to manipulate international public opinion. Our army is embarked on an unprecedented change, a transformation towards the future force. But what exactly is the future force? The future force is designed to provide the joint force commander with more options during pre-conflict, conflict when necessary, and post-conflict. It's a strategically responsive precision maneuver force dominant across the range of joint military operations. This lighter, more agile force will initially consist of special forces, ranger, airborne air assault units, modernized and mechanized forces, striker brigade combat teams, and eventually future combat system equipped units. As a general purpose force, it will dominate land operations in any future conflict, executing seamless transitions from peacetime posture to smaller scale contingencies or major theater war. What's different about the future force from our army today? What we're really doing is transforming from time-consuming force projection to strategic responsiveness from delays between force closure and force employment to immediate employment of forces. In the past we've tended to operate in deliberate phase sequential operations compared to tomorrow's simultaneous distributed operations. Yesterday's attrition-based campaigns are going to yield to a different approach direct attack of key forces and centers of gravity to defeat the enemy's capabilities and will to fight. Networked information integrated at all layers will clear up the uncertainty and gaps in situational understanding that we've often faced in the past. Another significant difference is that the future force will shed our traditional heavy logistical infrastructure, reducing vulnerability and increasing our combat effectiveness. Future force is based on such innovative concepts as operational maneuver from strategic distances, rapid projection of tailored units able to immediately engage our forces in a variety of contingencies arriving ready to fight. If necessary, future force formations will use forcible entry into the theater at places and times of our choosing to gain tactical positions of advantage and strike critical objectives. Shaping operations are used prior to deployment and during the entire campaign. By continuously shaping the joint battle space environment in our favor we will set the conditions for decision. As shaping continues to evolve future force units conduct decisive operations to achieve the joint commander's desired results. Whether to bypass, degrade or destroy specific enemy forces the future force controls the battle space. We're going to make this happen with simultaneous distributed operations which may be separated in space and time but linked in purpose. The future force will dictate the operational tempo of the campaign and attack the enemy directly at its centers of gravity. Those characteristics, capabilities or sources of power from which the enemy derives its freedom of action, physical strength or will to fight. Information is power and the quality of firsts. The ability to see first, understand first, act first and finish decisively will enable the future force to outthink and outmaneuver our adversaries throughout the joint campaign. Future force leaders and soldiers will see individual or whole parts of their operational environment in real time. This allows us to recognize patterns and anticipate enemy intentions. Unit leaders will determine options and choose a course of action acting first. With overwhelming joint firepower and maneuver the future force will destroy the enemy's ability to fight eliminating his freedom of action. Who's going to execute these current and future challenges? The American soldier is the centerpiece of the future force. Many of them have already tasted combat and are implementing these evolving concepts through tough, realistic and demanding training. Innovative leaders and soldiers are contributing to the development of the future force through experience and experimentation. Demonstrating warrior ethos by putting mission first refusing to accept defeat, never quitting and never leaving behind a fallen comrade. Transforming our army to the future force is already happening. In the field and in battle labs we're experimenting in a joint environment with realistic simulations testing our concepts right now and pushing our combat systems to the limit before we bend metal. With a sense of urgency and purpose we're getting better every day collaborating with the best air force, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard to provide the joint force commander with unmatched land dominance. The rules have changed.