By PAUL McLEARY
In many ways, the future of U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) looks similar to its past: Forward positioned forces will provide humanitarian assistance in partnership with the Navy and Air Force, as well as partner with host-nation forces to conduct multinational exercises and training programs.
The difference lies in the details. The 70,000 soldiers assigned to USARPAC, along with National Guard and reserve units taking part in the state partnership program with other nations, are looking to become even more active in the region, seeking to build new military-to-military partnerships with countries such as Vietnam and Myanmar. They also will restock and modernize garrisons in South Korea and Hawaii forced to make sacrifices as troops and equipment flowed to the Middle East over the first decade of this new century.
“You know, my boss is in Burma right now,” Maj. Gen. Roger Mathews, deputy commanding general of USARPAC, told Defense News when asked about some of the new outreach programs. “We are forward deployed in the region, so day in and day out we’re involved in working our relationships … to help develop everything from medical capabilities all the way through to major exercises.”
Given the new forward-leaning posture of U.S. forces in the region, Mathews said his job “is essentially being split next month, and we’re going to create a deputy commanding general for operations, Maj. Gen. Rick Burr, an Australian. That whole business of building partner capacity is huge, and you can see how that’s changing here.”
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