Army chief warns domestic disruptions could delay deployments

Army acting chief of staff Christopher LaNeve warned that attacks or disruptions at home could complicate the deployment of U.S. forces in a future conflict, as the Army prepares to operate with bases, supply routes and communications under threat. Speaking at the Association of the United States Army’s annual conference in Washington on October 14, LaNeve said that against a major adversary, “power projection will be contested.” He said the military is reconsidering assumptions from decades of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, when U.S. forces could generally rely on secure bases and supply lines at home. The warning concerns potential risks to the infrastructure needed to assemble, move and sustain forces overseas. Disruption to military installations, transportation networks or communications could delay deployments and complicate operations, officials said. The remarks describe preparedness concerns, not evidence that an attack has occurred or that a conflict with China is imminent. The Pentagon’s 2025 report on China’s military capabilities identifies Chinese cyber activity inside U.S. critical infrastructure and warns that such capabilities could potentially be used to...