The U.S. Forces Establish Stand-in Forces to Deter CCP

According to Taiwan media’s report on May 29th, in response to possible armed conflicts provoked by CCP in the Indo-Pacific region, the U.S. forces have recently developed new strategic and tactical planning and defined the III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) headquartered in Okinawa as stand-in forces responsible for rapid deployment within the First Island Chain.
David Berger, a U.S. Marine Corps four-star general, believed that in order to counterbalance CCP in 2030, the U.S. Marine Corps should focus more on island capture, amphibious operation, and area denial in future and abandon the traditional concept of stand-off force breaking into engagement zones from outside. To conduct operations within the striking range of CCP’s air forces, missiles, and navy, the stand-in force transfers troops from sea-based platform and simply equipped base to onshore base, which is more difficult for PLA to locate, track, and target, thereby complicating the decision making of CCP’s leadership.
Moreover, the U.S. will work in close cooperation with regional allies to prevent CCP’s coercion. Brigadier General Joseph Clearfield, the deputy commander of Marine Corps Forces Pacific, said the III MEF, based in CCP’s weapons engagement zone which would thus become the main battlefield, and the I MEF, focused on the outer regions of Southeast Asia, would complement each other.
It is learnt that in order to contain CCP, the U.S. Marine Corps are conducting integration in the Indo-Pacific region, adjusting the force structure, deploying advanced equipment like unmanned drones or anti ship missiles, and establishing a new combat unit, Marine Littoral Regiment, to counteract CCP’s navy.