The vast expanses of ocean and sky that dominate the Indo-Pacific should not distract from the true strategic terrain in the pivotal region, writes the author of a new Association of the U.S. Army Landpower Essay.

“The true strategic terrain—the decisive battleground—is neither maritime nor aerial, nor even strictly terrestrial, but fundamentally human,” Maj. Ryan Crayne writes. “… The effectiveness of joint force operations across air, sea, space and cyberspace fundamentally depends on our ability to engage, influence and partner with people. To overlook this truth risks the potential for grave strategic miscalculations.”

In his paper, “Beyond the Blue: The Human Dimension in the Indo-Pacific,” Crayne argues that historical experiences underscore that strategic outcomes depend significantly on accurately assessing and influencing human actors, rather than solely relying on technological or materiel superiority. “Success in conflict, especially in complex theaters like the Indo-Pacific, centers on winning trust, shaping perceptions and influencing the decisions of human actors,” he writes.

Crayne is an Army marketing and behavioral economics officer who has served in leadership roles in the 1st Infantry Division, the 75th Ranger Regiment and the 82nd Airborne Division. He is a fellow with the LTG (Ret.) James M. Dubik Writing Fellows Program, and he is a senior instructor in the Simon Center for the Professional Military Ethic at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.

Despite the vast geographic expanses in the Indo-Pacific, land forces excel by operating within the human dimension, prioritizing people, partnerships and prevailing in conflict, competition and crisis, Crayne writes. “Success will be determined not merely by physical presence or technological superiority but by deep, enduring partnerships and alliances built on shared human interests and mutual trust,” Crayne writes.

In Vietnam, despite air, sea and land overmatch, misjudging the military and political wills of Vietnamese forces and citizens and the American public led to withdrawal and 60,000 U.S. troops lost, he writes.

In Iraq and Afghanistan, efforts to rally allies, break enemy resolve or win local support were critical in the global war on terrorism, Crayne writes. “Land forces here found themselves face-to-face daily with ‘power brokers,’ human leaders who held sway, rallied support, allowed safe passage or consolidated or denied political gains,” he writes.

In the Indo-Pacific, home to nearly 60% of the world’s population, the U.S. Army is uniquely positioned to contribute to shaping the human dimension even as it has faced persistent challenges in articulating its value in a region perceived as air and maritime dominated, Crayne writes.

Seven of the 10 largest armies in the world are in the Pacific theater, and 22 of the 27 countries in the region have an army officer as chief of defense. “The Pacific, on a human level, ‘speaks’ Army, and the Army articulately converses in return,” Crayne writes.

The U.S. Army is leveraging this “strategic landpower network” to counteract what any singular foe in the region could muster, he writes. It also is the “the sustainer, supplier and maintainer of the U.S. joint force in the region,” and it has troops deployed across the region through Operation Pathways to train and work with partner armies, Crayne writes.

“No force is better equipped than our land forces to harness the human dimension, where their unparalleled skill in forging trust and alliances creates an asymmetric advantage China cannot rival,” Crayne writes.

Read the paper here.