The US Army is a force in transition, preparing to fight large-scale wars against peer-level adversaries. Gone are the days of immense forward operating bases where soldiers can plan and prepare in relative safety. As US Army Yearbook 2025 reveals, the army is reshaping itself to take to the field, operating in dispersed groups that are hard to find and hard to kill. Lessons learned from the Ukraine war and elsewhere are going into new tactics and techniques, allowing troops to come together, strike hard, and quickly disappear into the background of wilderness, rural or urban terrain. Still, it must also stand ready to fight now, as crises can arise quickly and explode into conflict, as has happened in the Middle East and elsewhere. The US Army walks a delicate balance between today's actions and the requirements of an uncertain tomorrow.
