Washington DC [US], May 8 : Amid growing concerns over China's expanding anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) capabilities in the Indo-Pacific, US Army Pacific Commanding General Ronald Clark emphasised the critical role of Multi-Domain Task Forces (MDTFs) in countering these threats.
Speaking on the potential deployment of MDTFs to Japan, General Clark highlighted their ability to integrate long-range precision fires, cyber, space, and information operations to penetrate and neutralise A2/AD threats.
Addressing a press briefing on Thursday, Clark said, "Japan is also a treaty ally. The multi-domain task forces have exquisite capabilities across a number of domains. The focus of the MDTFs - and not just in their employment or deployment to Japan - is to combine those capabilities to challenge China's anti-access/area denial network. So our ability to be able to synchronise in time and space, long-range precision fires, cyber capability, space capability, and information operations in order to penetrate and neutralise an A2/AD threat is important."
He added, "Our ability to be able to use those same capabilities from the MDTFs in a way that's dispersed, easily camouflaged, and allows us to be able to be distributed so that we can't be targeted in one time and place is key to success. So our opportunity to deploy those capabilities really across the region is something that we look forward to continuing to do..."
On being asked about reports that China has occupied a sandbank in the South China Sea also claimed by the Philippines, Clark reaffirmed the United States' commitment to Philippines and stated that the US is working closely with the Philippines to ensure its sovereignty, stressing ongoing daily coordination, dialogue, and efforts to strengthen interoperability between the two armed forces in response to challenges arising from territorial claims.
"We are a treaty ally with the Philippines as well, and we are committed as an ally to continue to work with them to ensure the sovereignty of the Philippines. We have worked very closely with them really day-to-day to work through allowing for the dialogue necessary and the coordination necessary and interoperability between the Philippine Armed Forces and our own to work through some of the challenges associated with some of the claims being made on their sovereign territory," Clark said.
He added, "I am not going to speak for the Government of Philippines and what actions they may take in this case, but again, as a treaty ally we stand shoulder to shoulder with them as they work through challenges to not just features in the South China Sea but their sovereign territory writ large."