The following is the March 17, 2025, Congressional Research Service In Focus report: The Army’s Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF).
From the report
The Significance of the Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF)
Congress has expressed concern about the threat to U.S. national security posed by Russia and China. The Army believes to address this threat, it must be able to operate in a multi-domain (air, land, water, space, cyber, information) environment, requiring new operational concepts, technologies, weapons, and units. The Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF) is the Army’s self-described “organizational centerpiece” of this effort.
What Is a Multi-Domain Task Force?
The Army’s Chief of Staff Paper #1: Army Multi-Domain Transformation Ready to Win in Competition and Conflict dated March 16, 2021, describes the Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF) as “theater-level maneuver elements designed to synchronize precision effects and precision fires in all domains against adversary anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) networks in all domains, enabling joint forces to execute their operational plan (OPLAN)-directed roles.”
What Is Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD)? Anti-Access is any action, activity, or capability designed to prevent an advancing military force from entering an operational area. Area Denial is any action, activity, or capability designed to limit an adversarial force’s freedom of action within an operational area. Threat A2/AD defenses are composed of layered and integrated long-range precision-strike systems, littoral anti-ship capabilities
MDTF Organization
The diagram at Figure 1 depicts a notional generic MDTF.
The Army notes each MDTF is to be tailored to Combatant Commander requirements, so it is possible the notional MDTF in Figure 1 may contain more, fewer, or other types of units depending on the requirements of its assigned theater of operations.
Army Plans for MDTFs
The Army originally planned to build five MDTFs: two aligned to the Indo-Pacific region; one aligned to Europe; one stationed in the Arctic region and oriented on multiple threats; and a fifth MDTF aligned for global response
1st MDTF
The 1st MDTF is headquartered at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA and aligned to the U.S. Army Pacific. Since its 2017 activation, it has participated in a variety of exercises. In February 2023, the 1st MDTF’s long-range fires battalion, 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, deployed a LRHW system over 3,100 miles from Joint Base Lewis-McChord to Cape Canaveral, FL, during Thunderbolt Strike, a full rehearsal of expeditionary hypersonic launch capabilities.
2nd MDTF
On April 13, 2021, the Army announced it would station its 2nd MDTF in Germany. The Germany-based MDTF is to support U.S. Army Europe and Africa. On September 16, 2021, the Army activated the 2nd MDTF at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, initially consisting of a headquarters element; an intelligence, cyberspace, electronic warfare, and space detachment; and a brigade support company.
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