ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Proximity, speed and complexity are just some of the many challenges in the Indo-Pacific, but the presence of land forces in the region offers a tangible deterrent to any potential adversary, said Gen. Xavier Brunson, commanding general of U.S. Forces Korea.

Speaking May 15 on the final day of the Association of the U.S. Army’s LANPAC Symposium and Exposition in Honolulu, Brunson emphasized the important role of land forces in a region often thought of as an air and maritime theater.

Despite the proliferation of technology, NCOs must master the fundamentals of soldiering as they prepare to deter and prevail in the Indo-Pacific, a panel of senior enlisted leaders said during the Association of the U.S. Army’s LANPAC Symposium and Exposition in Honolulu.

American soldiers are building readiness alongside their allies and partners across the Indo-Pacific, a panel of leaders said May 14 during the Association of the U.S. Army’s LANPAC Symposium and Exposition in Honolulu.

“Our No. 1 priority is building warfighting lethality and readiness, and we do that through Operation Pathways throughout the year, with 40 exercises with 20-odd nations,” Lt. Gen. Matthew McFarlane, commanding general of I Corps, said during a panel discussion titled “Shoulder to Shoulder.”

Faced with the intense pressures of military life, soldiers must build trust with their teammates and leaders, a senior leader told a group of about 100 young officers and NCOs during the Association of the U.S. Army’s LANPAC Leadership Forum.

“We build trust because we have a common threat, a common problem we have to solve together,” said retired Maj. Gen. Suzanne Puanani Vares-Lum, director of the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies.

In the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. Army and its allies and partners are ramping up efforts to gain positional advantage to deter a resurgent adversary in the region.

“In our theater, it’s about how we focus on gaining positional advantage on key terrain, not just physical terrain but human terrain,” said Gen. Ron Clark, commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific. “Our ability to gain positional advantage gives us convergence at the joint and combined levels of capabilities that focus on deterrence, [or] our ability to be able to prevent war.”

The U.S. military’s transformation efforts start and end with the service member, a panel of leaders said May 13 during a discussion on readiness, lethality and resilience.

“The Army is about people, and we don’t have readiness without people,” said Maj. Gen. Hope Rampy, commanding general of Army Human Resources Command. “You can’t have lethal warfighting capability without a soldier.”

As the Army transforms for the future, land power remains as relevant as ever, the commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific said.

“Today, as we think about our responsibility to prevail, it’s land power that comes to the fore,” Gen. Ron Clark said May 13 in a keynote address during the Association of the U.S. Army’s LANPAC Symposium and Exposition in Honolulu.

The Army is building a sustainment network that gives commanders options across a crucial and challenging region, a panel of experts said May 13 during the Association of the U.S. Army’s LANPAC Symposium and Exposition in Honolulu.

From long-range fires to sustainment, the Army has key roles to play in deterring America’s adversaries in the Indo-Pacific as part of the joint force, the commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said.

“The region is named after oceans, but human beings live on land,” Navy Adm. Samuel Paparo said. “It’s absolutely essential that all of the joint forces are intertwined in our joint functions.”

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.