The Army is taking a bold step to make innovation part of its DNA — not a one-time project. Andrew Evans, Director of the Army’s Directorate for Strategy and Transformation, joins Fed Gov Today with Francis Rose to explain how his team is institutionalizing transformation to help the Army stay ahead of increasingly complex global threats.
Evans says the Army’s job is clear: intelligence professionals must create clarity for decision-makers so they can act faster than adversaries. “At the end of the day, what we deliver is advantage in decision-making,” he explains. That decision advantage, he says, is what saves lives. The Directorate’s work is focused on answering four fundamental questions: Who might the Army fight? Where might those fights occur? When could they happen? And what will those fights look like when they do?
This effort builds on the ISR Task Force, which Evans previously led. But unlike a temporary task force, the Directorate is designed to keep going. “Transformation is not something you solve once and move on,” Evans says. “It’s iterative. It’s continuous.” His team is tasked with building what he calls a “North Star” — a shared vision that orients all efforts across Army Intelligence.
One of Evans’ top priorities is ensuring that the Army doesn’t lose sight of warfighting readiness. He says his team is streamlining staff processes, optimizing the workforce, and focusing relentlessly on delivering “war-winning capabilities.” That means providing tools that give soldiers an edge on the battlefield — not years from now, but as quickly as possible.
Evans is clear that acquisition plays a central role in this mission. “Acquisition is where the rubber meets the road,” he says. The Army must not only design and build capabilities but also field and scale them in time to matter. That requires close collaboration
with acquisition professionals and a willingness to use every available authority to speed up delivery. Cultural challenges remain, but Evans notes that Army leaders are laser-focused on eliminating unresponsive processes that could slow down lethality.
What makes this approach different is its emphasis on soldier-centered design. Evans explains that you can build a great capability in a lab, but it only becomes meaningful when it’s tested in the dirt with soldiers. The Army is pairing engineers and materiel developers with soldiers in the field to collect feedback and accelerate improvements. This approach ensures that new capabilities are not only innovative but also practical and effective in real-world conditions.
Evans also stresses the importance of bringing in diverse perspectives. His team partners broadly with other Army organizations, acquisition professionals, and industry experts to gather input and challenge assumptions. This collaborative approach helps prevent groupthink and ensures that the Army stays adaptable as threats evolve.
A key mandate for Evans’ team is to remain agile and responsive to the threat environment. “Every day is a new day and a new opportunity to learn something,” he says. Transformation, in his view, is not just about technology — it’s about people, doctrine, and culture. The goal is to deliver decision advantage consistently, regardless of how the operational environment changes.
By institutionalizing transformation through the Directorate, the Army is making sure innovation doesn’t stop when a task force concludes or a project ends. It’s building a permanent engine for modernization — one that is flexible enough to respond to emerging threats and focused enough to keep soldiers at the center of every decision.
Evans’ message is clear: innovation isn’t a side project — it’s a continuous commitment to staying ahead of adversaries and giving soldiers the tools they need to fight and win. The Directorate for Strategy and Transformation is setting that course, aligning the Army around its “North Star,” and ensuring that lethality starts with intelligence.