Fort Drum Community

Bringing Multi-Domain Operations to Fort Drum Means Boost for Region

Buddy Blouin

Thousands of soldiers and dozens of new civilian jobs could be added to Fort Drum with the opening of a new military installation. As part of the Army’s Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF) to combat national security threats from China and Russia, Fort Drum is competing for the job. MDTFs conduct Multi-Domain Operations (MDOs), which combine the various branches of the American Armed Forces to fight opponents across multiple battlegrounds.

Advocacy Drum is organizing a letter-writing campaign to support the Army’s decision to award Fort Drum with the MDTF, with David J. Zembiec, Chairman and CEO of Jefferson County Economic Development, saying the aim is to get elected officials, community groups, and chambers of commerce to write letters in support of Fort Drum.

What Is Multi-Domain Operations?

Multi-Domain Operations is a term that describes the U.S. Army as a part of joint forces with other American military branches to help counter and attack near-peer adversaries that pose a threat to America across all areas. This includes air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace. Today, MDOs can involve the Army as well as the USAF, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Space Force.

The importance of MDOs is increasing as the future of warfare changes. Virtually all signs are pointing to future conflicts involving more and more diverse arenas with a renewed focus on space and sea. With the addition of cyberspace, America is preparing for quite a different conflict in the future than what was seen over the last several decades of fighting in the Middle East.

The concept continues to gain emphasis and is drawing major names in to properly prepare. Recently, Lockheed Martin partnered with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in successful Multi-Domain Operations experiments, the fifth of such exercises.

New MDTF Installation Could Add Thousands of Soldiers, Dozens of Jobs

According to Zembiec, two MDTF locations will be chosen by the Army, and the area around Fort Drum is being focused on. The result would bring 3,000 Soldiers to the area and create dozens of civilian jobs, all boosting the local economy. Fort Drum is one of 13 places making a case to be chosen by the U.S. Army, as the military branch has already selected three other locations so far.

Army Multi-Domain Operations are heating up in importance as the outlook of possible conflicts with both China and Russia intensifies. National security concerns are growing, as are international concerns involving conflicts in Europe with the invasion of Ukraine as well as China’s aggression towards Taiwan.

Multi-Domain Operations From Army Help JADO

Multi-Domain Operations, JADO, and the need for connectivity continue to push their way into the forefront of military operations in the United States and even international considerations from organizations such as NATO. JADO, or Joint All-Domain Operations, is a larger overview of the idea of bringing together multiple branches and forces to fight opposing threats across all fronts. MDOs are how the Army helps align its goals with those of other branches to assist in warfare across a wide spectrum of battlefields. These efforts continue to be a focal point internationally with the growing dependence on technology, climate change, political shifts, and growing threats around the world and in outer space.

The growing efforts at Fort Drum to bring in the new MDTF installation for Multi-Domain Operations will have a ripple effect in the northern New York region. It may also play a huge role in the outcome of history by defending America and its allies against new, evolving threats from around the world.

Image: U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Gregory Muenchow