U.S. Army Pacific chief Clark urges displays of advanced Indo-Pacific capabilities to deter China and prevent war

General Ronald Clark, commander of U.S. Army Pacific, wants the United States to demonstrate more advanced military capabilities across the Indo-Pacific to strengthen deterrence against China and prevent war, according to FT.

The U.S. must show enough capability and readiness to “give your adversary pause,” Clark said. He cited deployments of Typhon missile systems capable of firing Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 missiles, alongside HIMARS rocket artillery.

Clark said military cooperation with allies continues to expand through Operation Pathways exercises, despite concerns over Trump’s regional commitments and Chinese opposition to U.S. missile deployments. Some exercises are timed around periods of heightened risk. “Being the security partner of choice... is key,” he said.

The United States is also restoring military exercises with Cambodia in February after nearly a decade. Its Pacific presence is expanding with additional divisions, a corps headquarters and specialized units focused on intelligence, cyber operations, electronic warfare and psychological operations.