"That’s the biggest challenge." Gen. Ronald Clark used that phrase Tuesday when reporters asked how the delayed passage of the fiscal 2027 budget is affecting operations in the Indo‑Pacific.
Gen. Ronald Clark on the continuing resolution
Gen. Ronald Clark, the four‑star commander of U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC), told reporters that the current continuing resolution (CR) prevents the command from acquiring new capabilities the force needs. He framed the CR as the single largest difficulty facing USARPAC: it blocks “plans for new starts and being able to fund some of the programs that we know are going to yield benefit to the soldier on the ground,” Clark said. He also noted the Army’s institutional familiarity with operating under CR, saying, “we have more experience operating under CR than we do with an appropriation.”
Mission Partner Network experimentation is on hold
Clark said many of the new starts affected by the CR relate to “some of the experimentation that we’re doing” with the Mission Partner Network (MPN), which the Army describes as a unified system for the joint force, partners and allies to share information. He declined to name specific programs, but acknowledged that “one of the new start programs for the MPN is a ‘piece of equipment,’” without elaborating.
Audit-ready is a season. It shouldn't be.
Evidence in spreadsheets, controls drifting between audits, frameworks multiplying on flat headcount. Nubivance runs continuous compliance on Rapid7 Cyber GRC - SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO 27001, PCI, CMMC.
End the scrambleLong‑range precision fires remain a stated priority
The commander also highlighted work on additional capabilities “currently” in development tied to long‑range precision fires. Clark emphasized the need for fires that are cheaper and can be built more quickly than current capabilities, saying such capabilities are required “in order to remain the most lethal land force on [the] face of the Earth.” He did not specify which long‑range fires programs USARPAC is awaiting under the fiscal 2027 budget.
Where the Army and Pentagon budget stands in public reporting
Breaking Defense reported that the Defense Department’s fiscal 2027 budget contains more than 150 new start programs, with at least 29 deriving from the Army. To reach that figure, Breaking Defense searched both the procurement budget and the research, development, test and evaluation budget documents for the phrase “new start.” The outlet said it reached out to the Pentagon and the services for details on which new starts will be impacted by the CR, but that a list was not provided. Breaking Defense also noted it could not identify any MPN programs in the 2027 budget documents.
Separately, the Army’s budget request included specific new starts that Breaking Defense identified in the documents: $921.9 million for Terminal High Altitude Aerial Defense (THAAD) and $132.1 million for the AN/TPY‑2 sensor, which the service characterized as the “brain and eyes” for the THAAD system.
What this means for USARPAC, the Army, and soldiers on the ground
- USARPAC: The command faces constrained access to new equipment and experimental efforts tied to the Mission Partner Network and to long‑range precision fires until the fiscal 2027 appropriations process advances beyond the CR, per Gen. Clark’s statements.
- The Army (procurement and development offices): Programs classified as “new starts” in the procurement and RDT&E budgets face delayed funding. Breaking Defense’s review shows at least 29 Army new starts among more than 150 department‑wide new starts in the fiscal 2027 budget documents.
- Soldiers on the ground: Gen. Clark framed the delay in terms of direct operational benefit, saying the affected programs would “yield benefit to the soldier on the ground,” indicating a near‑term impact on the fielded capabilities the command prioritized.
Clark described the CR as "part of the fiscal environment" that USARPAC must overcome, but he made clear the immediate effect: planned new starts tied to a unified information‑sharing network and to faster, cheaper long‑range fires are on hold until appropriations change. The record in public budget documents shows sizable individual new starts — including the Army’s requests for THAAD and the AN/TPY‑2 sensor — and a larger set of dozens of Army new starts flagged by a text search of procurement and RDT&E materials. What remains unanswered in public reporting is which specific MPN and long‑range fires items USARPAC expects to receive once appropriations are resolved, and when those deliveries would occur.
