The U.S. Army Pacific is rolling out a new force built to win the information war in the Indo-Pacific.
A long term strategy is taking shape as the 1st Theater Information Advantage Detachment, or 1st TIAD, becomes active at Fort Shafter in Hawaii.
he unit brings together 65 soldiers across five teams to confront adversaries in the digital and informational space.
The 1st TIAD includes teams focused on “cyber, intelligence, psychological operations, public affairs, electronic warfare, civil affairs, and information operations,” according to the Army.
This composition signals a willingness to blend traditional military capability with the kind of influence operations that shape public perception and alliance confidence.
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command described the unit’s mission as to “counter malign influence, protect friendly information, strengthen cooperation with key partners, and promote regional stability.”
In other words, winning the information and public affairs war is seen as essential to military success in a region where information is as strategic as weapon systems.
Col. Sean Heidgerken, the new unit’s commander, said the 1st TIAD is “designed to maneuver within the information environment and maintain positions of advantage.”
Heidgerken’s words underline the belief that information advantage translates into military leverage on the battlefield and in diplomacy alike.
“Our mission is clear: to enable USARPAC to sense, understand, decide, and act faster than any adversary while strengthening cooperation with our allies and partners throughout the region,” Heidgerken stated.
The emphasis here is on speed and coalition-building, core strengths in a theater where timing and trust determine outcomes.
This initiative fits a broader shift in American defense posture toward the Pacific.
The military has sought to revive older bases, stage large exercises with partners, and move substantial air power into the western Pacific to deter potential threats from nations such as North Korea and China.
In this context, the TIAD is presented as a critical piece of a larger modernization and reform effort.
Lt. Gen. Joel Vowell, Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Pacific, singled out China as the persistent focus.
“When Beijing spreads disinformation claiming the U.S. is an unreliable partner, the 1st TIAD helps craft truthful counter-narratives that expose these contradictions and reinforce our credibility,” he said during the activation ceremony.
This line captures a central theme of the new approach, namely that credibility and reliability are existential assets in great power competition.
Vowell also highlighted the geographic scope of the mission, noting that the Indo-Pacific is “home to 60 percent of the world’s population” and calling it the “epicenter of 21st-century geopolitics.” The scale of this statement reinforces why the information dimension is being given such prominence in planning and execution.
The expansion comes as part of a broader move to modernize the force in ways that address modern electro magnetic and intelligence warfare.
The Space Force has pursued rapid intelligence-gathering capabilities and the establishment of land based jamming systems, reflecting a shared priority across services to operate in contested electromagnetic domains.
Earlier this year, the National Guard created the 111th Electromagnetic Warfare Company, based in Georgia, as a forerunner in a series of new units designed for direct electronic warfare.
Alongside these changes, the Army deactivated its 1st Information Operations Command this year, while signaling that new formations would assume similar duties.
Looking ahead, two additional Theater Information Advantage Detachments are planned for activation next year. The 2nd TIAD will come under Army Cyber Command, while the 3rd TIAD will be aligned with U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
This expansion underscores a persistent strategic judgment that information operations must be scaled alongside kinetic capabilities to deter and, if necessary, defeat adversaries.
Supporters of a strong national defense will view these moves as a natural extension of a Trump era emphasis on decisive action and robust modernization.
They see the TIAD concept as a practical way to ensure that the United States can counter misinformation with credible narratives, protect critical information, and preserve strong alliances in the face of aggressive competitors.
In this frame, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth would likely applaud a plan that blends rapid response, truth telling, and alliance-building to safeguard national interests.
Together, these developments suggest a defense posture that treats information as a battlefield and truth as a strategic weapon.
The emphasis on speed, credibility, and coalition resilience represents a deliberate attempt to stay ahead of adversaries who seek to exploit gaps in public trust and alliance cohesion.
At the same time, the TIAD concept aligns with a broader narrative about America standing firm, confident in its relationships, and ready to respond with both deterrence and decisive action.