U.S. Army Futures Command activated in Austin

With the state capitol in the background, top brass with the U.S. Army formally revealed the colors of its newest command, the United States Army Futures Command.

Army Chief of Staff, General Mark Milley, said the command is not just about fighting future wars but about preventing them, "And this Command is our Scout into the future. This Command, is the Command of the Army that looks over the Hill,” said Gen. Milley.

Read Austin announced as hub for U.S. Army’s most significant reorganization in 45 years

The ceremony took place in an unfinished floor of a 7th St. Austin high-rise built by UT. Mark Esper, Secetary of the Army, explained that Austin was selected over several other cities because it's a town that can think out of the box. "We knew to do this right, we needed to immerse ourselves in an environment where innovation occurs at speeds far faster than our current process allows."

Mayor Steve Adler agreed that Austin is a perfect fit for the new Army mission.

"We support new ideas and new ways of thinking, that’s why you can walk down our streets and sometimes see people with Red Hair, or riding by in a bicycle in a thong. But its that risk taking affirmance, that makes Austin the incubator of innovation that it is,” said Mayor Adler.

The Army Futures Command is not your typical HQ or Post. It's the first of its kind to be located in a downtown setting. Don’t expect to see a lot of uniformed personnel coming in and out of the building, because apparently casual Friday is every day; as long as you innovate.

Battlefields of the future will continue to require boots on the ground. But the equipment, strategies and tactics will change. It will be the job of the 100 army personnel and 400 civilians in this new command to anticipate and find ways to adapt to that change.

"We are going to have some presences in places like the Capital Factory, within the Engineering and Science department  of the University of Texas, so we don't envision people coming to this building to find us, we tend to get out and find the things we need to find and get part of the community to help us do that,” said Gen. John Murray who will lead the new Command.

The new command office is expected to be up and running by this time next year. Officials say they expect some of the new ideas coming from the new Command will fail. Secretary Esper said those failures will happen fast, saving time and money.