An Army Transformed: USINDOPACOM Hypercompetition and US Army Theater Design

This study emerged in an environment marked by increased senior- and working-level anxiety about the American military position in the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) area of responsibility (AOR), as well as a third attempt in two decades to refocus American defense and security strategy on the USINDOPACOM theater. Specifically, the study was initiated by then-Secretary of the Army (SECARMY) Mark Esper and questions he asked of US Army War College (USAWC) leadership and scholars in 2018. Ultimately, USAWC researchers asked and answered a single research question to get at Secretary Esper’s concerns: For 2028 and beyond, what is the foundational US Army theater design in the USINDOPACOM AOR that will best support the unclassified Summary of the 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) objectives across the anticipated range of military demands?