US Army sounds alarm: Why America is preparing for attacks on its own soil

The Army is preparing for a future in which American forces may be attacked at home before deploying abroad. This matters because a conflict with a major adversary could begin by disrupting the infrastructure that moves and supports troops. The Army is reconsidering assumptions formed during Iraq and Afghanistan, when bases and supply lines at home were largely secure.

Possible targets include military installations, transportation networks, communications systems and other critical infrastructure. Cyberattacks could interfere with mobilization, while drones and long-range weapons could threaten facilities. Advanced surveillance could reveal troop movements. Biological incidents could also spread disease or deliberately disrupt operations.

The Army’s How the Army Fights framework is designed to prepare forces to deploy and sustain operations despite these problems. Gen. Christopher LaNeve said the document gives the Army a direction for future development. Training is also incorporating biological incidents, while soldiers continue practicing basic combat skills for situations in which advanced systems fail.

Power projection is the ability to deploy military forces from their home bases to a distant battlefield and keep them supplied there. In the article, Gen. Christopher LaNeve uses the term to describe the process of moving American forces against a major adversary. It includes more than sending troops; it depends on functioning bases, transport networks, communications and supply lines.

That process could be contested before soldiers arrive. A cyberattack might disrupt critical infrastructure or communications. Attacks on military installations and transportation networks could delay movement. Long-range weapons, drones or surveillance could make routes and deployed forces more vulnerable. These pressures could complicate both deployment and combat operations.

The Army’s How the Army Fights framework is intended to prepare forces to deploy and sustain operations under those conditions. LaNeve said the Army can no longer take secure infrastructure for granted. Soldiers must also retain fundamental combat skills if advanced systems become unavailable.

The article identifies five kinds of threats that could interfere with a future US deployment. They are cyberattacks, drones, long-range weapons, advanced surveillance technologies and biological incidents. Together, they show that future military disruption could come through networks, physical attacks, tracking systems or disease rather than one traditional battlefield danger.

Each threat could affect deployment differently. Cyberattacks could target critical infrastructure, communications or mobilization systems. Drones and long-range weapons could threaten bases and transportation networks. Surveillance could expose military movements. Biological incidents could cause disease outbreaks or deliberate attacks that interrupt operations and reduce the ability of units to function.

The Army is responding by changing its training and planning. Its How the Army Fights framework emphasizes deployment and sustainment when communications, supply lines and infrastructure are damaged. Biological incidents are entering routine combat training. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink also warned that improved surveillance could make hiding military assets increasingly difficult.

Attacks on bases, transportation networks, communications or supply lines could delay US deployments and complicate military operations. These systems connect troops to their equipment, commanders and supplies. If they fail, forces may struggle to reach the battlefield or continue fighting once they arrive. The problem is especially serious against a major adversary.

For example, a cyberattack on critical infrastructure could interfere with military mobilization. Damage or disruption to transport networks could slow the movement of personnel and equipment. Broken communications could prevent commanders and units from sharing information. Interrupted supply lines could leave deployed forces without the resources needed to sustain operations. Military installations could also become targets.

The Army’s new operational framework emphasizes preparing for these conditions. It calls for forces that can deploy and sustain operations even when infrastructure, communications and supplies are disrupted. LaNeve said the Army is moving away from assumptions formed during Iraq and Afghanistan, when secure bases and supply lines could largely be relied upon.

China is described as a major “pacing threat” because the Army is using the challenge posed by China to shape future planning and preparation. Gen. Christopher LaNeve said power projection could be contested when the United States faces a pacing threat. The article specifically links that concern to a potential conflict with China and its ability to pressure US systems.

The Pentagon’s latest report warned that Beijing has positioned cyber capabilities inside US critical infrastructure networks. In a conflict, those capabilities could potentially disrupt military mobilization. That might affect the systems supporting bases, transportation or communications. The result could be slower deployments and greater difficulty coordinating forces before they reach the battlefield.

This concern is driving greater attention to homeland defense and military installations. The Army’s operational framework emphasizes continuing operations even when infrastructure and communications are disrupted. It also reflects a broader shift from the relatively secure home conditions experienced during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The Iraq and Afghanistan wars were conducted under security conditions that allowed American forces to largely rely on secure bases and supply lines at home. Communications and transportation networks were not treated as central targets that could stop deployment. Gen. Christopher LaNeve said the military took many things for granted during the Global War on Terror because it could.

The expected challenge from a technologically advanced adversary is different. A conflict with China could involve cyberattacks against critical infrastructure, attacks on military installations and disruptions to transportation or communications. Advanced surveillance could also reveal military movements. These threats could affect the United States before troops even reach an overseas battlefield.

The Army is therefore changing its assumptions and training. Its How the Army Fights framework focuses on deploying and sustaining operations when infrastructure, communications and supply lines are disrupted. The Army is also adding biological incidents to routine training and stressing basic soldier skills when advanced systems cannot be used.

Logistics, communications and basic soldier skills are essential because advanced military systems may be disrupted, damaged or unavailable. Logistics move troops, equipment and supplies. Communications connect commanders with units. Basic combat skills give soldiers a way to continue missions when networks, sensors or other technologies stop working.

The article describes the mechanism clearly. Attacks on bases, transportation networks or supply lines could delay deployments and reduce sustainment. Cyberattacks could disrupt communications and mobilization. Surveillance could expose forces, while other attacks could damage infrastructure. Without reliable systems, soldiers must still make decisions, move, fight and complete assigned missions.

The Army’s How the Army Fights framework emphasizes preparing for operations under those conditions. Gen. Christopher LaNeve said technology should make troops more capable, but it cannot replace fundamental skills. He called soldiers the Army’s “number one platform.” The Army is also training for biological incidents, adding another disruption that technology alone may not solve.