The Backbone of U. S. Joint Operations

The Indo-Pacific continues to evolve as an increasingly consequential region globally and for U.S. national security in the geopolitical, economic, and military spheres. Looking forward to 2035, the consequences of competition, crisis, and conflict will continue to grow, particularly as China increases its ambitions and national power. The Indo-Pacific region will continue to present a myriad of challenges through its geography and political environment, affecting the ability of the U.S. Joint Force to project power and operate within the theater. Overall, the U.S. Army offers a wide breadth of potential unique, supporting, and reinforcing contributions to address these joint military challenges. This breadth, however, can come at the cost of clarity as the U.S. Army seeks to communicate its value in the region. Thus, the authors of this report seek to provide an engaging and structured narrative to more clearly describe the U.S. Army's role throughout the region in the present day and into 2035. To outline future Army roles, missions, and functions in the region, the authors developed three scenarios that span from competition occurring in the present day to potential crisis and conflict in the year 2035. Based on a series of tabletop exercises and workshops and a compilation of prior research, the three scenarios provide a narrative backbone-bolstered by rich visualization-to communicate the complexity and effects of the U.S. Army's foundational contributions to joint and multinational operations in the Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) area of responsibility.