The Chief of Staff of the US Army, Gen. James McConville, ventured on Wednesday into envisioning how it would be appropriate to deploy three multi-domain task forces (MTDF) in the Pacific region and place only one in Europe alongside a fifth reserve unit. 

At the McAleese & Associates conference, the commander said: "I can see three in the Pacific and then one other one. We have one in Europe and then one probably in a contingency-type place where it can go wherever it needs. So I think that's how those five are going to play out," as quoted by Defense News.

Read more: US may establish military bases in Philippines, eyeing China

The multi-domain aspect refers to the task force's ability to operate on land and sea, in air, space, and cyberspace, while possessing features of a modern army.

This update comes at a time when the US is attempting to exacerbate its presence in the Pacific as a way to counter China.

Three multi-domain task forces already exist, with the first activated in 2017, placed in the Western part of the US and focused on the Pacific; the second one is located in Germany as of 2021; and the third one is operating in the Pacific and is deployed in Hawaii.

The part that AUKUS plays 

The US, UK, and Australia had formed their AUKUS alliance amid concerns from China. The alliance was based on enhancing Australia's nuclear capabilities through advanced technology and nuclear submarines in order to increase the alliance's strength in the South Pacific as China grows more influential in its region.

Late in September of 2021, the US, UK, and Australia formed a military alliance to boost nuclear capabilities and "strengthen stability in the Indo-Pacific region" as the West grows warier of China, although they did not mention that in their announcement.

The military alliance is known as AUKUS and was announced during a trilateral virtual meeting between US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

However, Biden claimed that the nuclear-powered submarines currently being developed for Australia as part of the trilateral AUKUS alliance with the United States and the United Kingdom are not to carry any kind of weapons.

Australia remains committed to staying a non-nuclear weapons state and refuses to produce nuclear fuel for the submarines, the US President added in a bid to mitigate the concerns of IAEA chief Rafael Grossi.

Grossi had said any failure by his agency to work with AUKUS on the submarine deal would be a "big risk" to the non-proliferation regime.

In December last year, the US announced plans to establish a "persistent US military presence in the Indo-Pacific" to counter China, which includes a project to establish a military base in the Republic of Palau, a pacific island located near China with no formal military.