Speaking at an Association of the United States Army forum on readiness, McFarlane described geography as a constraint on communications, movement and logistics. He pointed to regional exercises and simulations as complementary ways to prepare formations and headquarters for that fight.
I Corps is receiving Next-Generation Command and Control, or NGC2, after the 25th and 4th Infantry Divisions validated the systems over the preceding nine months. McFarlane said the technology improves coordination between separated units and extends their ability to see and deliver effects deeper into the battlefield.
“We are now equipping ourselves with next-generation command and control at the corps operational level, as 25th and 4th Infantry Division validated it over the past nine months,” McFarlane said. “That is significantly proven not only our ability to communicate, but command and control, and to see deeper and provide effects deeper, and to enable our coordination across non-contiguous units because of the tools that the Army is providing.”
He coupled the technology investment with an emphasis on shooting, movement, communications and medical care under pressure. Physical fitness is equally important for forces operating from Arctic cold to tropical jungle heat.
“Fundamentals are the main thing for us,” McFarlane said. He described the standard as “doing it until you can’t get it wrong in the environment that we have to fight in.”
Simulations are the principal means of training division and corps staffs to coordinate operations across the Pacific, McFarlane said. They allow headquarters and partners to rehearse at a scale that live exercises cannot reproduce.
The Army still needs to improve those digital environments to reflect contemporary combat. McFarlane said they must better represent operations across all domains and the role of the joint force.
“We got a ways to go on making sure we’re up updating our constructive simulation environment to replicate the reality of the fight today, the all domain fight, the importance of the joint team integrated into the fight, especially in the Pacific,” he said. “So the team’s working really hard on that, and I think we’re going to see some results here.”
The Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center provides field training in Hawaii and Alaska. McFarlane said an upcoming Hawaii rotation would see the 25th Infantry Division rehearse operations across multiple islands.
Those rotations keep equipment in the region rather than tying it up in shipments to training centers in the continental United States. McFarlane said the arrangement reduces costs while providing training better suited to Pacific conditions.
“We aren’t losing months with our equipment away from us as we ship it to the continental United States,” he said. “Now we’re keeping the equipment with us, so we have it, saving money and getting a better training experience.”
He advocated making live-fire and combined-arms training routine at home stations. Combat training center rotations could then place greater emphasis on leadership development and force-on-force operations.
McFarlane said units need regular exposure to electronic warfare and drone threats during training. They must also practice deception, camouflage and the protection or movement of command posts.
All-domain ranges allow soldiers to employ electronic warfare while learning to protect themselves against its effects. NGC2 also supports efforts to make command posts mobile and survivable.
McFarlane backed putting equipment into soldiers’ hands quickly and refining it through operational feedback. He cited the Infantry Squad Vehicle as a successful example, distinguishing its mobility role from that of a combat platform.
Torch.AI chief executive Brian Weaver, another panel participant, said industry should incorporate operational Army knowledge into products early. That would reduce the work soldiers must do to integrate new technology into their units.
