WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army has issued new combat guidance that describes China as the top threat and introduces a concept of total force projection within the first island chain. The service also recently activated a fourth Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF) to counter China's anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, also referred to as the Department of War, the Army released the new operational guidance, titled "How the Army Fights," on the 7th. Prepared under Acting Chief of Staff Christopher LaNeve, the document lays out how the Army will employ ground forces based on multi-domain operations doctrine.
The most notable element is that the guidance identifies China as the top threat and acknowledges that Beijing possesses substantial A2/AD capabilities that could disrupt U.S. forces attempting to deploy across the Pacific. In response, the Army applied a concept called Total Army Power Projection Equipment (TAP2E) to the first island chain. A revision of what was previously known as Army Prepositioned Stocks, the concept calls for securing all military resources in advance within the first island chain so that forward-stationed and rotational units can sustain operational capability from the earliest stage of a conflict. In detail, the Army wrote that it must "secure sufficient long-range precision strike capability and munitions stocks within the first island chain to interdict and neutralize enemy missile and other weapons launch facilities and maritime targets in the Western Pacific." The first island chain is the line linking Japan's Kyushu with Okinawa, Taiwan and the Philippines.
Along the second island chain, munitions and fuel hubs will be established to support units on the first island chain. Under the guidance, the Army will focus on expanding military infrastructure to support troops within the first island chain while also strengthening command and control systems, providing logistics support on the battlefield and increasing munitions stockpiles. Given the vast operational distances of the Pacific, the Army also plans to use unmanned surface vessels (USVs) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), alongside various surface ships, as essential resupply assets for the joint force. The guidance stressed that forces "must be postured to act immediately from the first day of a conflict," adding that in the Pacific region, the Army "will offset the pacing threat by improving warfighting infrastructure across the theater."
The Army also described allies and partner nations around the world as an active ground force network, saying it would "transform exposed forward positions into secure and enduring platforms from which the joint force can project power." To that end, it proposed reviewing the implementation of diplomatic engagement, basing access and overflight agreements, and expanding related authorities.
The Army warned that the U.S. homeland is no longer a safe zone. The document said the character of the battlefield is changing, noting that the U.S. homeland "is no longer a sanctuary" and that adversaries "are preparing to actively attack domestic mobilization systems, rail networks and port infrastructure before U.S. forces can deploy."
To counter China's rapid deployment capability, the guidance called for "ground force options that do not depend on the existing long deployment timelines of U.S. forces," pointing to the operational fielding of MDTFs. An MDTF is a forward-stationed maneuver force equipped with long-range missiles, its own air defenses and cyber and electronic warfare capabilities. The Army intends to use these units to neutralize China's A2/AD strategy.
In line with that plan, the Army activated its fourth MDTF on the 8th at Fort Carson, Colorado. The 4th MDTF, with about 2,100 troops, will be assigned to the Multi-Domain Command in the Pacific along with the 1st MDTF, which is headquartered in Hawaii, to conduct operations in the Indo-Pacific region. The 1st and 3rd MDTFs are equipped with electronic warfare, intelligence collection and long-range fires capabilities including hypersonic missiles, and the 4th MDTF will join them in conducting operations tailored to the island environment of the Indo-Pacific. U.S. military outlet USNI News reported that with the activation of the 4th MDTF, the Army now has three specialized missile and counter-access units arrayed against China.