US Army Pacific to absorb new units under ‘transformation’ mantra

The U.S. Army command for the Indo-Pacific finds itself at the front of the service’s transformation initiative, incorporating new unit types created to facilitate rapid adaptation to adversary tactics, according to U.S. Army Pacific Command chief Gen. Charles Flynn.

Several units in the Pacific , from Hawaii to Alaska, were chosen as part of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George’s initiative, dubbed “Transforming in Contact,” Flynn said in an interview ahead of the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual conference.

“But there’s a whole other transformation in contact that’s going on out here at the operational and theater level.”

That transformation has to do with absorbing new organizations and capabilities designed to facilitate the quick incorporation of new tactics and technologies in the field.

“In my view, that is where the connective tissue occurs between tactical forces and operational and strategic forces that exist in the joint world,” Flynn said.

For example, the Army in the Pacific is the first to get a Theater Information Advantage Detachment, Flynn said. The TIAD is meant to keep its finger on the pulse of how adversarial nations like China and Russia are conducting information warfare.

The service has deployed a Security Force Assistance Brigade, a Theater Fires Element and the TIAD into areas near China, Flynn added.

The Army has already created two of three Multidomain Task Forces in the Pacific theater, which have been heavily involved in exercises throughout 2024.

The service is planning to build five MDTFs total. Another is based in Europe, while one more will be based at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, and designed to align with global rapid responses.

The units will operate across all domains — land, air, sea, space and cyberspace — and are equipped with the Army’s growing capabilities, including long-range precision fires.

The MDTFs will take on game-changing capabilities like the Precision Strike Missile , or PrSM, the Mid-Range Capability missile system and the delayed Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon as part of a Long-Range Fires Battalion.

The Army in June fired two PrSM missiles in Palau as part of a ship sinking exercise during Valiant Shield. The service also deployed the MRC missile to the Philippines during the Balikatan exercise in May. The MRC missile system, for the time being, will remain in the Philippines, Flynn said.

The Pacific Army has also established a Theater Strike Effects Group, Flynn added.

“This theater-level Army space formation is integral for today’s battlefield,” Lt. Gen. Daniel Karbler, then the head of Army Space and Missile Defense Command, said in January. “It will allow us to leverage the experience of its command team and staff to ensure success at every echelon, ensuring that all our capabilities are being employed when and where they’re needed best.”

The group will coordinate with the MDTFs that will use Army space interdiction forces with cyber and electronic warfare capabilities to block adversary defenses, according to the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command.

As it works through the deployment of these major new capabilities like long-range precision fires, it’s imperative, Flynn said, that the Army is organized properly at the theater level in order to effectively coordinate the right engagement authorities.

“This extra capacity at the Theater Army level is transformational and its organizational changes are in front of the arrival of new technologies, new capabilities and new platforms,” he said. “It’s tailored to the region.”

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.

据美国陆军太平洋司令部司令查尔斯·弗林将军称，美国陆军印太司令部处于该军种转型计划的前沿，纳入了为促进快速适应敌方战术而创建的新型部队。

弗林在接受美国陆军协会年会前的一次采访时表示，从夏威夷到阿拉斯加，太平洋地区的几个部队被选为陆军参谋长兰迪·乔治将军发起的名为“接触中转型”的倡议的一部分。

“但是，在作战和战区层面，接触方式正在发生完全不同的转变。”

这种转变与吸收新的组织和能力有关，旨在促进将新的战术和技术快速应用于实战。

弗林说：“在我看来，这就是联合作战中战术部队与作战和战略部队之间的联系所在。”

例如，弗林说，太平洋战区的陆军是第一个拥有战区信息优势分遣队的单位。该分遣队的目的是密切关注中国和俄罗斯等敌对国家如何开展信息战。

弗林补充说，美军已向中国附近地区部署了一支安全部队援助旅、一个战区火力分队和战术情报与发展小组。

陆军已经在太平洋战区组建了三个多域特遣部队中的两个，这些部队在 2024 年全年都积极参与了演习。

该部门计划共建立五个多学科应急部队（MDTF）。其中一个设在欧洲，另一个将设在北卡罗来纳州自由堡，旨在与全球快速反应机制保持一致。

这些部队将在陆地、空中、海上、太空和网络空间等所有领域开展行动，并配备了陆军日益增长的能力，包括远程精确火力。

多用途特遣部队将承担诸如精确打击导弹（PrSM）、中程能力导弹系统和延迟交付的远程高超音速武器等改变游戏规则的能力，作为远程​​火力营的一部分。

今年6月，美国陆军在帕劳进行“勇敢之盾”演习期间，发射了两枚PrSM导弹，用于击沉舰艇。此外，陆军还在5月的“肩并肩”联合军演期间向菲律宾部署了MRC导弹。弗林表示，MRC导弹系统目前将继续留在菲律宾。

弗林补充说，太平洋陆军也成立了战区打击效果小组。

“这支战区级的陆军太空部队对当今战场至关重要，”时任陆军太空与导弹防御司令部司令的丹尼尔·卡布勒中将1月份表示，“它将使我们能够利用其指挥团队和参谋人员的经验，确保各层级取得成功，确保我们的所有能力在最需要的时候和地点得到运用。”

据美国陆军太空与导弹防御司令部称，该小组将与多国联合特遣部队协调，利用陆军太空拦截部队的网络和电子战能力来阻止敌方防御。

弗林表示，随着远程精确火力等重大新能力的部署，陆军必须在战区层面进行适当的组织，以便有效地协调正确的作战权限。

他说：“战区陆军层面的这种额外能力具有变革性意义，其组织结构的变化是为了迎接新技术、新能力和新平台的到来。它是根据该地区的具体情况量身定制的。”

珍·贾德森是一位屡获殊荣的记者，为《防务新闻》报道陆地战争。她也曾为《政治报》和《内幕防务》工作。她拥有波士顿大学新闻学硕士学位和凯尼恩学院文学学士学位。