Landpower Indispensable in the Indo-Pacific

Rising competition across the Indo-Pacific reinforces a simple truth that land power is indispensable in a region defined by sovereign territory, critical access, and the infrastructure that enables joint operations.

Land forces create the foundation the Joint Force relies on by securing key terrain, opening and protecting logistics hubs, safeguarding essential nodes, and ensuring the access needed for air and maritime forces to project power, maneuver, and sustain operations across the theater.

Freedom of action in this complex environment depends on land forces that can sustain joint formations, deliver integrated air and missile defense, and maintain decision superiority across the First and Second Island Chains.

Forward, combat credible land forces shape regional decision making every day. With more than 80 percent of defense chiefs in the Indo-Pacific coming from land forces, trusted relationships remain essential. Shared training, persistent presence, and more than fifty annual bilateral and multilateral exercises build the human, procedural, and technical integration required for combined deterrence in the region. Exercises such as Talisman Sabre, Yama Sakura, Orient Shield, and Balikatan demonstrate this integration by rehearsing complex operations on essential terrain throughout the theater.

During the 2026 Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting, U.S. Army Pacific leaders and experts will explain how land power secures positional advantage and builds the joint interior lines needed during competition, crisis, and conflict. Activities across the region demonstrate the depth and reliability of combined land forces and the continued commitment of allies and partners to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Attendees and media who engage with U.S. Army Pacific leaders can expect clear takeaways, including how land power enables joint freedom of action, how partnerships provide combined operational advantages, and how year-round campaigning builds the access and interior lines required for deterrence. Commanders and subject matter experts will be available to provide context, answer questions within their areas of responsibility, and share materials that help explain the realities of land power in the Indo-Pacific.

Across the week, discussions will show how credible land power, trusted partnerships, and persistent forward campaigning work together to provide the positional advantage required to deter aggression and, if necessary, fight and win.