Pentagon Doubles Down on Pacific Area Denial, Need for High-end Munitions

The Pentagon doubled down on its plans to establish a forward-deployed area denial, anti-access network along the First Island Chain to deter China in the 2026 National Defense Security update. In a Sept. 22 report to the Senate Armed Services Committee on the 2026 NDS, Defense Under Secretary for Policy Elbridge Colby highlighted the department’s efforts to establish a “deterrence by denial” posture in the Indo-Pacific against China. The move is the culmination of attempts within the last decad

Source: USNI News