Already, the defense secretary has signaled that he is inclined to cancel the Marines' top groundforcemodernization program - the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV).
Being the first effort of the Army to implement a new, ground-up modernization plan for its fighting force in almost four decades, this is a transformation that is long overdue.
He had complained frequently that the Air Force was not getting ground forces the reconnaissance support they needed in overseas conflicts, and there was continuous friction over modernization priorities (Gates eventually terminated a fighter program championed by the purged Air Force leaders).