Army essential to landpower in the Indo-Pacific

HONOLULU — Senior U.S. Army leaders, regional allies, and multinational partners came together during the 2025 Land Forces Pacific Symposium and Exhibition to discuss how land forces are adapting their posture and presence in the Indo-Pacific to meet today’s security challenges.

A series of discussions held centered on the importance of prevailing through landpower — emphasizing the role of flexible, forward-deployed forces in strengthening deterrence, enhancing readiness and building joint and allied interoperability across key terrain. Panelists shared insights into how posture, access and coordination across the theater contribute to strategic advantage.

Panelists examined how the Army's presence across the first and second island chains supports deterrence by denying adversary access and reinforcing partner confidence. Through routine, multinational exercises and joint training events, land forces are able to rehearse mission sets, strengthen coordination and demonstrate commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

“The Army, as the foundation of the joint force, is essential in the Indo-Pacific,” said Lt. Gen. Joel B. Vowell, deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC). “Are we ready with our kit, our Soldiers, our capabilities — at individual, leader and collective levels — to win and fight tonight? We have to do that every day. We have to be lethal. We have to kill people for a living and apply controlled violence when our National Command Authority asks us to do that.”

Gaining positional advantage on key terrain, both physical and human, is essential for deterring conflict and preventing war.

"In our theater, our Army strategy, which we've been talking about the last couple of days, is really about how we leverage, how we capitalize, how we focus on gaining positional advantage on key terrain,” said Gen. Ronald P. Clark, USARPAC commanding general. “That key terrain is not just physical terrain, but also human terrain, because at the instant, at the end state, our ability to gain positional advantage gives us convergence at the joint and combined level of capabilities that focus on deterrence, our ability to be able to prevent war."

Army commanders and regional military leaders discussed how enduring relationships with allied and partner forces enable greater flexibility, access, and influence throughout the theater. With frameworks like Operation Pathways, the Army enhances its ability to remain forward-postured alongside partner forces — reinforcing deterrence while building regional trust.

Operation Pathways USARPAC’s campaign that aligns exercises, presence, and logistical coordination across the Indo-Pacific. It enables the Army to operate across the theater through persistent engagement, reinforcing access agreements and exercising readiness alongside allies and partners year-round.

“The most important part of capability is not just the kit … it’s the people and investing in our people,” said retired Maj. Gen. Suzanne Puanani Vares-Lum, director of the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. “We know that professional military education is critical … that we need a place where we bring together U.S., allies and partners from the Asia-Pacific region and beyond to come together to talk about those key critical issues.”

The discussions emphasized how these relationships create a cumulative advantage for the joint and combined force by shaping the environment before crises arise, supporting both deterrence and rapid response if needed.

During the Positional Advantage panel, senior military leaders highlighted how positional advantage, interoperability and trusted partnerships serve as key enablers for integrated deterrence. Clark emphasized that landpower allows forces to “gain convergence at the joint and combined level of capabilities that focus on deterrence — our ability to be able to prevent war.”

Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Gen. Yasunori Morishita, Philippine Army Chief Lt. Gen. Roy Galido and Australian Chief of Army Lt. Gen. Simon Stuart joined Clark in stressing that regional security depends on shared values and cooperation across domains — from the physical to the ethical and moral.

“We have to strive for a multi-domain position,” Galido said. “This does not mean competing with armed services, but rather acquiring an all-domain perspective and investing in essential capabilities.”

Stuart added, “The genius in transformation is that we are presenting asymmetries — meaning things the adversary has not considered. That changes the calculus.”

The Shoulder to Shoulder panel expanded the conversation to the concept of rehearsal over routine. U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Matthew W. McFarlane, commanding general of I Corps, said Operation Pathways has become essential for building warfighting readiness and lethality through combined training.

“We don’t know when or where we’re going to operate or fight next,” McFarlane said. “But we know we’re going to do it with our partners and allies.”

Fellow panelists stressed that exercises must be viewed as rehearsals, with forces preparing to deploy, sustain, and fight across multiple environments. U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Charles T. Lombardo, commanding general of 2nd Infantry Division, said, “To fight tonight, you’ve got to be able to fight at night.”

Leaders from the French, Australian and Papua New Guinea militaries echoed the need for integrated logistics, strategic mobility and industry partnerships to support the landpower network. Col. Craig Solomon, chief of force preparation for the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, said, “We survive because we’ve got our closest friend and security partner that props us up all the time — the Australian Army.”

Together, these panels underscored that prevailing through landpower requires deliberate positioning, persistent rehearsals, and committed partnerships — all critical to ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific.