The PC is home to a large number of RTS games, my problem with the genre isnt exactly the gameplay but the settings and themes often used. Starcraft, Warcraft, Total War and Command & Conquer are some good examples of the RTS genre but I grow tired of them.
 
What I am looking for is an RTS game which (as the title states) features near/present date technology. Forgive me if I sound ignorant but I can't think of any notable titles which use our time. However, I am aware of World in Conflict which happens to my favourite in the genre. Is anybody else interested in the idea?
 
I would be happy to learn about similar games to World in Conflict. And no, WW2 doesn't count.  I was really excited for RUSE and the new square enix rts until I learn't that they are both WW2 games.
 
Also note, I'm speaking about the RTS style in which you commant units and not the broader picture like in Hearts of Iron. Man I would kill for a modern setting Total War game.

Don't think there is really.  At least, a modern military RTS that focuses on realism. I do share your grief though, I'm a little tired of the generic Fantasy/Sci-Fi/WW2 RTSs. World in Conflict was great. Shame the expansion pack wasn't.

What about EndWar?  It's the only thing that comes to mind.  You may want to look into turn-based strategy games for strictly modern settings, but don't count on them to be relatively new or pretty.  It's a sub-niche within a niche genre.
 
EDIT: in my perusing of the web, I found a game called Act of War: Direct Action which might suit your needs.  There are some interesting videos on YouTube.  Gamespot Video Review Here.

I'd definitely say a copy of C&C Generals + Zero Hour and a mod called Rise of the Reds sounds to be close to what you're looking for. Check out the video on that page, they're constantly updating the mod and adding things to it. It does take place within the Zero Hour universe still, so it's not quite at the realism level you've described but it is quite fun, fairly close to what I interpreted you wanting, and it's pretty refreshing.

generals and zero hour are as close as your gonna get, but quite frankly that was the weakest part of the C&C franchise.

" generals and zero hour are as close as your gonna get, but quite frankly that was the weakest part of the C&C franchise. "

" generals and zero hour are as close as your gonna get, but quite frankly that was the weakest part of the C&C franchise. "

I disagree C&C3 was great, it had an actual story and characters where as generals did not...i mean it was just static images half the time with no FMV and such.

i think the reason why we don't have any modern day RTS games is cause it's a bit touchy when it comes to portraying conflicts that happened only 5-10 years ago. Like even World in conflict was Hypothetical and set in the 1960s.

its not too realistic but you could try Army Men RTS. its a pretty obvious name but its quite good

This needed to be necroed. Needed it.

This needed to be necroed. Needed it.

Wargame: European Escalation takes place in the 70s-80s and is made by the same people who did Ruse.

@JoeH said:

i think the reason why we don't have any modern day RTS games is cause it's a bit touchy when it comes to portraying conflicts that happened only 5-10 years ago. Like even World in conflict was Hypothetical and set in the 1960s.

You know on the one hand I have to disagree because we have so many modern day FPS'. I was going to say RTS' skew to past/future/fantasy purely out of tradition or some notion developers have of what "those gamers" like. But then I started thinking about how difficult it is to represent our current military engagements in an RTS. In the same way that we rarely play as Germans/Japanese in an FPS, it's hard to imagine the day we play as Al-Qaeda in an RTS.