US plans to expand Asian security efforts to curb China - Bloomberg

The US Army plans to deploy a specialised task force to the Pacific capable of conducting information, electronic, cyber and missile operations against Beijing, Bloomberg said today.

The task force, likely to be based on islands east of the Philippines and Taiwan, would be equipped to hit land and sea-based targets with long-range precision weapons, such as hypersonic missiles, in a bid to possibly clear the way for Navy vessels in the event of a conflict, Bloomberg said.

The unit would help neutralise some capabilities China and Russia already possess that are meant to keep US carrier groups away from the Asian mainland, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told Bloomberg in an interview.

McCarthy is set to appear at an event in Washington today to give details of how the army will operate in the Indo-Pacific.

The plan to deploy the task force would be boosted by a new agreement with the National Reconnaissance Office that develops and manages US spy satellites, McCarthy told Bloomberg.

Reuters could not immediately reach the US Army to seek comment. — Reuters