The US Army is advancing plans for a new regional command structure to coordinate operations across the Indo-Pacific.
The US Army is advancing plans for a new regional command structure to coordinate operations across the Indo-Pacific.
Called the Multi-Domain Command-Pacific (MDC-PAC), the initiative would combine the 7th Infantry Division’s maneuver brigades with the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force’s specialized capabilities.
These include long-range precision fires, cyber operations, intelligence, electronic warfare, and space-enabled functions.
The goal is to create a headquarters capable of coordinating cross-domain operations at the theater level in highly contested environments.
Tested in December 2024, the concept emerged from an operational experiment that merged the two formations under a combined two-star command structure.
The exercise validated a headquarters structure intended to integrate multidomain capabilities for the joint force, rather than function as a traditional division-level formation.
“We see Multi-Domain Command-Pacific as a covering force for the joint force,” said MDC-PAC Deputy Commanding General – Support Col. Todd Burroughs.
“They are self-contained and operating independently from the main body, developing the situation, preventing enemy observation and preventing the enemy from directing indirect fires.”
This approach is tailored to the Indo-Pacific, where vast distances, complex geography, and adversary defenses designed to restrict the movement of forces create operational challenges for US and allied forces.
It forms part of the army’s broader modernization push to adapt command structures to multidomain warfare and strengthen coordination with regional partners.
US Marines assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit conduct flight operations aboard the USS Boxer in the Indian Ocean. Photo: Sgt. Trent A. HenryMulti-Domain Command-Pacific
At the center of MDC-PAC is the Cross-Domain Contact Layer, an operational framework that connects dispersed forces and strike assets across multiple domains, enabling faster threat detection and coordinated kinetic and non-kinetic responses.
The framework relies on sensor networks operating across land, sea, air, cyber, and space to detect and track threats.
It also combines conventional precision-strike systems with lower-cost autonomous platforms, such as drones.
AI-enabled command-and-control tools are intended to accelerate decision-making and coordinate responses more quickly.
The framework reflects lessons from recent conflicts, including drone warfare and integrated air defense operations in Europe and the Middle East.
Army officials said further work will focus on exercises, allied integration, and improving the sharing of operational data across the force.
