WASHINGTON — Lt. Gen. John Murray has been officially nominated by U.S. President Donald Trump to become the first four-star commander for the new Army Futures Command, according to the July 17 congressional record.

The three-star general, who will become a four-star if confirmed, is currently serving as the deputy chief of staff Army G-8, the services programming arm. InsideDefense.com first reported that Murray was headed to the newly formed command in June, but the Army would not confirm his selection, even during an AFC briefing at the Pentagon on July 13.

Murray’s nomination has been referred to the Senate Armed Services Committee. His confirmation hearing date has not been set.

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The official nomination comes just days after the Army announced the command will be based in Austin, Texas.

The AFC was stood up in October at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual conference in Washington. The plan is to realign the Army’s modernization priorities under a new organization that will implement cross-functional teams that correspond with the service’s top six modernization efforts: Long-Range Precision Fires, Next-Generation Combat Vehicle, Future Vertical Lift, the network, air and missile defense, and soldier lethality.

These priorities address gaps the Army found — as it looked toward fighting complex, hybrid wars against near-peer adversaries — as the result of a focus on asymmetric warfare and counterinsurgency operations over the past 15 years.

“We are in the midst of a change in the very character of war,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said at a July 13 Pentagon press briefing. “And we don’t, and didn’t, have the organization solely dedicated to that.”

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The Army believes Austin will provide the new command with the tools to be disruptive, innovative and break the entire service out of the archaic industrial age, allowing it to effectively focus on modernizing and preparing for future, more complex operations.

Jen Judson is an award-winning journalist covering land warfare for Defense News. She has also worked for Politico and Inside Defense. She holds a Master of Science degree in journalism from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kenyon College.

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