The Wall Street Journal reported last month that the U.S. Army, under acting Army Chief of Staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve, was moving MDTF forces from Europe to South Korea, citing Army officials.
If confirmed, the move would likely involve elements of the 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force, which is headquartered in Germany and primarily operates in the European theater.
The scale and composition of the forces being transferred have not been disclosed.
The U.S. military is believed to be taking concrete steps toward stationing MDTF capabilities in South Korea, with indications that some personnel or assets may have already arrived in an advance capacity, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The MDTF is a theater-level formation designed to conduct operations across multiple domains, including land, sea, air, space, cyberspace and the electromagnetic spectrum.
The U.S. Army describes the MDTF as a maneuver force capable of synchronizing precision effects and long-range fires across domains to penetrate an adversary’s anti-access and area-denial (A2/AD) networks.
China and Russia have developed extensive A2/AD capabilities aimed at preventing U.S. forces from entering contested areas or limiting their ability to operate effectively once there. The MDTF was created in part to counter such strategies by integrating capabilities including cyber and electronic warfare, intelligence, space operations and long-range precision fires.
The U.S. Army established its first MDTF under I Corps in Washington state. The 2nd MDTF is based in Germany, while the 3rd MDTF is stationed in Hawaii.
Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, has repeatedly called for MDTF capabilities to be stationed on the Korean Peninsula.
At a press briefing in August last year, Brunson said he had considered bringing an MDTF, particularly its Multi-Domain Effects Battalion, to Korea because such capabilities could help U.S. forces “see, sense and understand” the battlefield environment more effectively.
He reiterated the call in May during a keynote speech at the Association of the United States Army’s LANPAC symposium in Hawaii, saying he hoped to see an MDTF deployed to South Korea.
AJP Takeaways
· The U.S. is moving MDTF forces to South Korea, potentially from Germany.
· MDTFs are designed to counter China and Russia’s A2/AD capabilities.
· USFK chief Gen. Xavier Brunson has repeatedly backed an MDTF deployment to Korea.
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