Gen. David G. Perkins, commander at the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command , took an opportunity while speaking at the “Land Forces in the Pacific: Advancing Joint and Multi-National Integration” conference last week to present his vision of the future of U.S. warfare.  Multi-Domain Battle, or MDB, represents what the general feels is the most effective way to make use of existing military equipment and personnel in a 21st century battlefield.

In short, the strategy behind the MDB concept is simple: streamline the utilization of the five combat domains (air, sea, land, space, and cyber) in a joint coalition effort between sister services and even partner nations.

When a crisis occurs in a land domain, the Army or Marine Corps is considered the “owner” of that domain and is expected to respond in a traditional manner, perhaps with mortars or howitzers. If a crisis occurs at sea, the Navy is viewed as owning that domain, so a ship or sub-surface solution is applied.” General Perkins explained.

This division of responsibility was originally intended to keep the branches working within their areas of expertise, but by blurring these lines, the general points out, the U.S. can offer a broader range of strategic options to commanders in theater, and make existing defensive forces even more formidable.