Gen. Clark: Pacific is the Army’s ‘Innovation Test Bed’

Honolulu — Army Pacific Commanding Gen. Ronald Clark touted the command as being “the Army’s innovation test bed,” driving efforts to ensure soldiers are equipped with advanced technology to remain competitive on the future battlefield.

“In a world where technology advances at a breathtaking pace, it is imperative that we not only encourage, but embrace innovation,” said Clark in Honolulu Tuesday during an AFCEA TechNet Indo-Pacific keynote address.

Army Pacific leads multi-domain transformation in the vast Indo-Pacific region, which encompasses 52% of the Earth’s surface, 25% of the Earth’s land area and 60% of the world’s population.

Clark noted that soldiers are reorganizing and optimizing force structure and design to remain agile and adaptive. Two of the Army’s three Multi-Domain Task Forces are assigned to the command. They provide cutting-edge formations that integrate mobile, survivable and hypersonic long-range precision fires, as well as space, cyber, electronic warfare and protection capabilities.

These capabilities give joint force commanders greater operational flexibility and create multiple dilemmas for adversaries, Clark said.

The Next Phase of Command and Control

Army Pacific is experimenting with resilient command and control systems. The 25th Infantry Division — based in Hawaii — became the first to field the C2 Fix initiative to streamline and modernize communications networks across divisions and brigade combat teams.

As part of the Army’s new force design, the 4th Infantry Division from Fort Carson, Colorado, will soon join the command. The division is also the first in the Army to field Next-Gen C2, with the 25th Infantry Division following as the second. These advancements place Army Pacific at the forefront of testing new systems and processes that support a unified Army network grounded in zero-trust principles, Clark said.

“Our Army is leading change on the modern battlefield, but we cannot do it alone,” Clark said. “We must continue working with industry and academia to accelerate innovation and transformation. Our transformation efforts are not just about technology, they are about people. We must ensure that our soldiers on the frontlines are fit, expertly trained and equipped with the right tools to win in any environment.”

Clark emphasized the need to modernize alongside partnerships, which he noted were critical in delivering cutting-edge solutions that give the U.S. an asymmetric advantage in the Indo-Pacific region. These relationships ensure forces can seamlessly “shoot, move, communicate, medicate, fight and win” across contested environments, Clark said.

“We cannot outpace our allies and partners. We have to modernize together,” he said.