Every member of the joint and combined force is necessary to deter conflict in the Indo-Pacific, the commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet said.

“We need everybody here,” Navy Adm. Stephen “Web” Koehler said during a keynote address May 15 at the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2024 LANPAC Symposium and Exposition in Honolulu. “Everybody needs to be part of the game.”

The joint force and its allies and partners must synchronize “all our joint efforts and joint effects,” Koehler said. “If the fight goes down, it will require a team effort with everyone and all of their skills in all domains to succeed,” he said.

Ultimately, the goal is to deter conflict, Koehler said. “Combat credible power to deter is our job,” he said. “That’s going to make us prevail.”

Any conflict or war will likely not be quick, Koehler said. “What we know in warfare is it never goes as planned,” he said, as he emphasized the importance of being ready and resilient.

As the U.S. and its allies and partners continue to work together to build its interoperability, land-based fires are a good example of a high priority, Koehler said. “Our efforts must integrate seamlessly and allow agile movement and maneuver across all domains,” he said. “Those land-based fires are an absolute imperative.”

Koehler lauded the Army for the progress it has made with long-range fires, including its Precision Strike Missile. “We need support from the land domain to succeed in our collective goals,” he said.

At the end of the day, maintaining a safe, stable and secure Indo-Pacific requires the entire team, Koehler said. “All of us have a choice to make and a role to play,” he said. “Together we will continue to seize the initiative and maintain it in the Indo-Pacific.”