Is the United States Army the primary service in the Pacific? No, of course not. But Asia is a different matter. And even in the Pacific the Army has a role after the Navy has control of a sea area.
The Army is not the primary service in the Pacific. So sure, "no" to that suggestion:
Unless you want to get in to another land war in Asia from the Pacific approaches ... no.
However, we have friends who share our concerns with the People's Republic of China who, in addition to having four times the USA's population, have significant land borders and territorial issues with the PRC.
In a larger war, they may find themselves allied with us, and there are things we could do to help them on their front. To do it best, we need to know each other better and the environment we might find ourselves fighting alongside them.
The author goes on to highlight Army exercises with their Indian counterparts as an example of what the Army can do in Asia on the mainland with allied armies.
Well, we already do this with South Korea. But his point is exactly the one I made in Military Review several years ago.
And in a paper for the Institute of Land Warfare I highlighted how even on Pacific islands the Army can have a major ground combat role. A ground role that helps the Navy and Air Force gain control of the sea.
And the Army land role in the Pacific could be very significant on Taiwan to name one example in the news recently (in Military Review).
The Army can promote its new long-range fires capabilities. Which helps reduce reliance on the Air Force which will need to prioritize air superiority missions. Thus having a good excuse for their long-held aversion to providing ground support to Army troops. But those long-range Army missiles are just a supporting capability for the Navy and Air Force in the Pacific.
Once the Navy and Air Force--and the Coast Guard could have a role, too--have established sufficient or even localized air and naval superiority in the Pacific, the Army can apply its core competency--large-scale land combat--to the land areas in the Pacific and Asia.
