[Discussion] Army Activates Fourth Multi-Domain Task Force for Indo-Pacific Operations

Army Activates Fourth Multi-Domain Task Force

The Army activated the 4th Multi-Domain Task Force at Fort Carson, Colorado, on Oct. 8, 2026, adding a new formation focused on operations in the Indo-Pacific.

Commanded by Col. Hugh W. A. Jones, the task force is expected to include nearly 2,100 soldiers. It will combine long-range precision fires, cyber and electronic warfare, intelligence, surveillance, air defense, and sustainment capabilities.

The 4th MDTF will report to the 7th Infantry Division Multi-Domain Command – Pacific, which the Army has designated as its multi-domain operational headquarters. The 1st MDTF also falls under that command.

Planned Battalion Structure

The Fort Carson formation is expected to consist of four battalions. A long-range fires battalion will operate High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and hypersonic missiles. A second battalion will focus on cyber warfare and signals intelligence, while the remaining two will provide air defense and sustainment.

Together, these elements are intended to identify and understand adversary systems and relationships, then coordinate effects across land, sea, air, space and cyberspace. The headquarters can integrate maneuver, fires, air defense and electronic warfare in support of joint commanders.

“While we build this formation to deter aggression and preserve peace, if war comes, we must be prepared to fight and win,” Jones said during the activation ceremony. “We owe those in harm’s way every advantage we can give them, while leaving our enemy nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.”

Indo-Pacific Mission

The task force is designed to synchronize long-range precision fires and other capabilities against sophisticated anti-access and area-denial networks. Its Indo-Pacific focus aligns it with the Army’s broader effort to improve targeting, surveillance and strike coordination against peer and near-peer adversaries.

Maj. Gen. Bernard Harrington, commander of the 7th Infantry Division Multi-Domain Command – Pacific, said the unit is part of the Army’s response to the changing character of warfare and its work with allies and partners in the region.

Jones also emphasized training alongside new technology. “A Soldier who solves a difficult problem here may make the difference for an American fighting far beyond the horizon,” he said.

Development of the MDTF Concept

The Army began developing multi-domain task forces through a Pacific pilot program in 2017. The formations were created to bring together cyber and electronic warfare, long-range precision weapons and targeting capabilities across multiple operational domains.

The Army has since worked to incorporate drones and other uncrewed systems into the concept. Previous formations include the 1st MDTF at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington; the 2nd MDTF in Germany; and the 3rd MDTF in Hawaii.

Wider Army Reorganization

In July 2026, the Army merged the 1st MDTF with the 7th Infantry Division to create the 7th Infantry Division Multi-Domain Command – Pacific. The first-of-its-kind command is intended to serve as a covering force, combining infantry support with long-range artillery and electromagnetic warfare capabilities.

The addition of the 4th MDTF expands that headquarters’ ability to coordinate multi-domain units and effects across the Pacific. The Army also plans to establish a fifth multi-domain task force by 2028.

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