The Army spends time thinking about large-scale combat operations in Europe where a several million Baltic States people need protection. But can't imagine similar operations in the Pacific in locations where many tens of millions live.
These authors urge Army and I Corps preparations for fighting in the Pacific:
The United States and its allies were surprised in the Pacific during World War II because the attention was on Europe. We cannot make that mistake again. Operational readiness in the Pacific mandates a forward-looking and adaptive approach rooted in historical insights.
While the Army is paying attention to the Pacific now, so far the Army seems to be making a different mistake, believing--as I addressed in Military Review--large-scale combat operations won't be the mission in the Pacific.
This failure to appreciate the Army's core competency remains true despite historical insights that could be drawn from battlefields like Guadalcanal--or the very Philippines "return" campaign the authors lead with.
While victory in the Pacific may come from the sea, it will be achieved on the land.
NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
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NOTE: Photo of Army operations in the Philippines from https://www.nationalww2museum.org/sites/default/files/styles/wide_medium/public/2020-08/CG5%20-%20Edward%20Lengel.jpg.
