Senior US commanders have highlighted the importance of land-based troops and equipment stationed in the Asia-Pacific in any conflict with China, countering assumptions that such a war would be fought mainly at sea and in the air.
General Ron Clark, commander of US Army Pacific, said the “tyranny of distance” made it difficult to rely on air and naval forces during a panel discussion at the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting this week.
The comments reflect mounting concerns among US commanders that China’s increasingly sophisticated air and naval forces could stop American forces operating freely in the region, leaving them in greater need of land-based support.
Clark commands more than 107,000 soldiers deployed in US Pacific territories and in allies such as South Korea and Japan, with rotational deployments in the Philippines.