Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01), Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Congressman Ben Cline (R-VA), Congressman John McGuire (R-VA), Congresswoman Jennifer Kiggans (R-VA), Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (D-VA), Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA), Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA), and Congressman Eugene Vindman (D-VA) wrote to Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll and Army Chief of Staff General Randy George to request crucial details about the proposed merger of Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) and Army Futures Command (AFC) under the Army Transformation Initiative. While acknowledging the need to streamline Army operations and eliminate redundancy, members of the Virginia Delegation emphasized the importance of making changes based on thorough analysis and preserving TRADOC's critical missions. 

The letter highlighted potential issues with the proposed merger of TRADOC and AFC, emphasizing that any merger must be carefully planned and executed to preserve TRADOC’s effectiveness, particularly given its vital roles in Army recruitment and training. As of last year, TRADOC trains and educates about 750,000 Soldiers and civilians annually for service to the nation, manages and delivers over 3,000 courses, and is staffed by nearly 37,000 Soldiers and over 13,000 civilians across the United States. 

“I am committed to working with Secretary Driscoll and General George to ensure that our Army is lethal, ready, and prepared for the next fight,” said Congressman Wittman. “In order to work effectively with Army leaders, we must make sure that we fully understand the analysis effort that supports the changes proposed by the Army Transformation Initiative–in sending this letter, I hope to open a productive dialogue with the Army about how to best achieve the vision set forth in ATI and preserve the critical mission of Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC).” 

Members discussed potential significant impacts on Virginia, including the possible elimination or downsizing of key units and personnel at Fort Eustis.

To support oversight, they requested detailed information by June 10, 2025, including:

• The full analysis behind the merger decision

• A timeline for the merger

• Identified risks and mitigation strategies

• Relevant funding and budget plans

• A schedule for sharing all additional supporting materials

The letter underscores the Virginia delegation’s commitment to protecting the vital missions carried out at Fort Eustis. The delegation is urging transparency and accountability to ensure national defense priorities are not compromised, while supporting the overall successful execution of the Army Transformation Initiative. Congressman Wittman and his colleagues remain focused on strengthening the Army’s ability to train, recruit, and prepare for the future.

Read the full letter here or below.

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Dear Secretary Driscoll and General George,

We write today to express our commitment to engaging with the Army regarding the appropriate and mission-oriented implementation of the Army Transformation Initiative (ATI) and specifically the proposed merger of Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) and Army Futures Command (AFC). We agree that America deserves an Army that is prepared for the challenges of modern warfare and capable of incorporating lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, the current conflict in the Middle East, and the Chinese Communist Party’s rapid military modernization. We agree that ruthless prioritization is necessary to “deliver critical warfighting capabilities, optimize our force structure, and eliminate waste and obsolete programs.” At the same time, we believe these changes must be made with precision, underpinned by clear analysis, and executed effectively. 

We recognize and celebrate the great contributions that both TRADOC and AFC have made to the Army and our national defense and their intertwined histories. Established in the 1970s, TRADOC has trained, educated, developed, and built the Army for the better part of half a century. In 2018, some TRADOC authorities were transferred to AFC, including the Army Capabilities Integration Center, TRADOC’s three-star “futures” center, charged with developing, evaluating, and integrating concepts, requirements, and solutions for the Army’s total force. TRADOC’s mandate today encompasses expansive and critical missions, such as supporting the successful expansion of the Army recruitment enterprise within Army Recruiting Command, which resides under TRADOC. We believe that we are in agreement with Army leadership when we observe that ATI’s implementation must not jeopardize these critical efforts. 

In standing up AFC in the late 2010s, Army rightly worked to adjust to new challenges posed by modern warfare and accelerate technology improvement cycles. There is much to commend about their work, from standing up the Army Applications Lab, to integrating closely with the promising tech ecosystem in the Austin, TX area. As a new command, AFC has endeavored to define itself and in 2022 the Army clarified its advisory role in the Army acquisition system, validating the importance of civilian leadership within the service. Naturally, we agree these organizations must work seamlessly together. But the scope and scale of their responsibilities must be balanced effectively and thoughtfully.

To that end, we firmly believe that a successful merger of TRADOC and AFC requires a detailed and viable plan. We have received the following details about this plan based on discussions that Army senior leaders have had with members of the Virginia delegation over the past several weeks since ATI was announced:

• AFC will retain a four-star in Austin, Texas; TRADOC will not retain a four-star in Fort Eustis, Virginia 

• An unclear number of servicemembers and their families will move from TRADOC to AFC 

• Facility impacts are undetermined 

• There are unclear cost savings from the prioritization of redundant roles and responsibilities between TRADOC and AFC 

However, we have received a number of troubling updates from other community stakeholders that lead us to believe the impacts on Virginia will be more substantial than the Army has shared with Congress thus far. We appreciate that analysis is ongoing, but we urgently require clarification. For example, we have heard the following reports: 

• TRADOC’s G-2 section at Fort Eustis, consisting of approximately 250 positions, may be eliminated as part of the consolidation 

• The Center for Initial Military Training at Fort Eustis may be folded under a staff directorate 

• The headquarters staff of the three-star general at Fort Eustis may be reduced to 20-25 soldiers, with ongoing general staff reductions projected to be between 20-80 personnel

To inform our ongoing discussions about the future of the Army, we respectfully request answers to the following requests by Tuesday, June 10, 2025. We are glad to receive the responses via a briefing as well and our respective offices will work with your teams to schedule such a meeting.

1. Provide the full analysis that resulted in the proposed merger of TRADOC and AFC, to include cost-savings, mission alignment and identified redundancies, facilities impacts, cost-of-living assessments, the justification for preserving the four-star at AFC, and any other information the Army considers relevant; 

2. An anticipated timeline for the proposed merger of TRADOC and AFC; 

3. A discussion of any associated risks that the Army identified in completing the analysis, to include how the Army decided what constituted an acceptable level of risk to mission for TRADOC and AFC; 

4. Identification of all relevant funding lines that will be used to execute the proposed merger of TRADOC and AFC, including the Army’s current Fiscal Year 2025 budget, any budget line shifts that occur in the delivery of the President’s Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2026, and a discussion of any anticipated budget growth; and 

5. A timeline for delivering all additional relevant materials supporting the merger of TRADOC and AFC to the Armed Services Committees and Defense Appropriations Committees following June 10, 2025, if specific materials are not available by the deadline requested here. 

We look forward to working with you to drive change and help the Army transform to a leaner, more lethal, and more effective force, capable of meeting the threats we see today. Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of our nation. 

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