Gen. Ronald Clark, the newly appointed commander of the US Army in the Pacific, says America is entering “extraordinary times” in the Indo-Pacific as China’s increasingly aggressive posture—including simulated blockades of Taiwan—pushes the region into a more dangerous phase of military tension.
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal six months into his tenure, Clark described how the threat environment has deteriorated sharply since his last deployment in the region three years ago. “Some of the things that you see our opponents and adversaries undertaking are things that really leave you speechless at times,” he said.
A rising threat from the PLA
Clark, who now oversees 106,000 US Army personnel across an area stretching “from Hollywood to Bollywood and polar bears to penguins,” pointed to the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) increasingly routine exercises simulating a blockade of Taiwan. While unthinkable five years ago, such drills are now commonplace, he said.
Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and hasn’t ruled out the use of force to annex it. Since 2022, the PLA has launched repeated exercises to surround the island and simulate cutting it off from the world—a tactic Clark and US planners are studying closely.
“[These exercises] give us an opportunity to really understand how they would go about something like a blockade or potentially a cross-strait invasion,” Clark said, acknowledging that such an amphibious assault would be “exceptionally difficult” for China to pull off—but not impossible.
The US response: agility, alliances, and missiles
To counter China’s military buildup, the US Army is reinventing its role in the region. Once focused on counterinsurgency, the Army is now building fast-moving, multi-domain units capable of operating deep in contested territory. These specialized Multi-Domain Task Forces—two already deployed, a third on the way—are designed to carry out strikes, gather intelligence, and support air and naval forces from strategic island locations.
Key to this strategy is the new Typhon missile system, capable of targeting ships, aircraft, and land installations across vast distances—including into mainland China. One such system, deployed last year in the Philippines, remains in place today despite angry protests from Beijing.
“If it gives them pause… let them have it,” Clark said.
China’s A2/AD bubble and the tyranny of distance
China has built a powerful “anti-access/area-denial” (A2/AD) capability, designed to keep US forces out of the western Pacific. From missile installations to coast guard aggression in the South China Sea, Beijing has created an expanding zone of deterrence. But the US Army’s push to operate inside the first island chain—which includes Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines—is meant to challenge that assumption.
Clark acknowledged the geographic disadvantage of bringing troops from the continental US, but said that challenge can be overcome through persistent presence, joint drills, and deepened partnerships. “If a fight breaks out, they’re already there,” he said of US forces now rotating regularly through key sites.
Recent Balikatan drills with Philippine and Australian forces showcased this strategy, simulating an amphibious invasion on the island of Palawan. US and allied troops fired real weapons at mock enemy targets—culminating in a long-range HIMARS missile launch coordinated with drones and surveillance planes.
Growing tensions and diplomatic uncertainty
Tensions with China are flaring not only over Taiwan, but also the South China Sea, where Beijing has used aggressive tactics—including ramming vessels and brandishing knives—against Philippine ships. The Philippines, a US treaty ally, has become a flashpoint in the region.
Clark also addressed the Trump administration’s emphasis on pivoting away from Europe and the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific. While Trump has criticized Japan and South Korea for not spending enough on US troop deployments, Clark emphasized that military ties remain strong and largely apolitical.
“The military-to-military relationships a lot of times are the balance,” he said, suggesting these partnerships can endure despite economic tensions like Trump’s tariffs.
Urgency from a common threat
For Clark, the unifying force behind the growing alignment of the US and its Indo-Pacific partners is clear: the shadow of China’s ambitions. “Having the urgency of an adversary who is gearing up potentially for conflict places a sense of urgency in the strength of our relationships,” he said.
As China’s military drills intensify and the US moves to pre-position troops and weapons across the Pacific, Gen. Clark’s message is unambiguous: the region is preparing not just for deterrence—but for the real possibility of conflict.
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