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US Army's dispersed new units targeting China in conflict to face logistics, comms, air defense problems: expert

Global Times

By Liu Xuanzun, Liang Rui and Guo Yuandan Published: May 05, 2025 07:12 PM

The US' new Pacific Army commander recently claimed that the US Army has created agile new units to operate on the frontline, to disperse and hit Chinese targets from land in a conflict, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

However, a Chinese military affairs expert noted that these forces could encounter logistical, communication, and air defense challenges, hindering their potential functions.

In the interview, General Ronald Clark, who took charge of the US Army in the Pacific in November last year and oversees 106,000 personnel whose area of operations stretches from Hollywood to Bollywood and polar bears to penguins, hyped China's national defense development.

Clark then claimed that in response to this, the US Army has created agile new units to operate on front-line territories including the first island chain. In a conflict, the idea would be for these forces to disperse, hit Chinese targets from land, collect valuable battlespace information and create openings for US air and naval forces to maneuver. Two such units, called Multi-Domain Task Forces, have been constituted for the Indo-Pacific. A third is in the works, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Monday that since the end of the Cold War, the US has maintained a certain number of ground forces in the Pacific region, primarily deployed in South Korea, Japan, and Hawaii. In recent years, as the US has shifted its strategic focus to the Asia-Pacific region, the US Army has begun to prepare to participate in great power competition and potential conflicts with major powers in the Asia-Pacific region, Zhang said.

He suggested that the US Army's creation of new units may be an attempt to avoid US Army being marginalized, secure funding and political relevance, as defense budgets increasingly favor the Air Force and Navy.

Fu Qianshao, another Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Monday that that the concept of dispersing troops along island chains is not new. The US military has recognized that, given China's defense advancements, attempts to contain China militarily via these chains are faltering. Major military bases and airfields along the first and second island chains are now believed to be under the coverage of Chinese weapons. The expert said that, under these circumstances, the newly established US Army units are trying to scatter, so to avoid putting all eggs in the same basket.

However, this concept also faces many problems. Fu noted that it is difficult to sustain logistics support in dispersed deployments. It is also challenging to maintain command and communications under such situations that are vulnerable to electromagnetic jamming. In addition, this kind of dispersed, agile deployment cannot get a complete system of air defense. Their deployment on scattered islands also limits their ability to maneuver and evade attacks.

The Wall Street Journal article reported that, to help the newly established Multi-Domain Task Forces do their jobs, the US Army is deploying new missile systems. That includes the Typhon, which can "go after enemy ships, aircraft and land targets" as far as the Chinese mainland. The US Army sent the platform last year to the Philippines and remains there, said the report.

Fu said that the US Army's maneuver poses a threat to peace and stability in the region, which affects not only China but also other countries. He emphasized that as an external power, the US deploying forces near China demonstrates clear hegemonic intentions.

China has repeatedly expressed its firm opposition to US deployment of mid-range missile system in the Philippines.

Senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesperson at China's Ministry of National Defense, said at a regular press conference in November last year that the mid-range missile system is an offensive weapon. Accepting US deployment of the system by the Philippine side has intensified geopolitical confrontation and escalated tensions in the region. It is by no means a matter of the Philippine side itself, but hinges on the common security of regional countries. History and reality have repeatedly proven that where there are US weapons deployed, there will be higher risk of conflicts, inflicting underserved sufferings on the local people.

"The Asia-Pacific is a grand stage for peace and development, not a wrestling ground for geopolitical rivalry. We urge the relevant parties to withdraw the Typhon mid-range missile system immediately. If the US and the Philippines insist on heading down the wrong path, the Chinese side will take resolute countermeasures," Wu said.