The Army’s ability to counter disinformation in the Indo-Pacific theater has been enhanced with the activation of a new unit.

Known as a TIAD, the 1st Theater Information Advantage Detachment was activated on Nov. 7 in a ceremony at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, where it is headquartered. Designed to seize and maintain the information advantage in a multidomain environment, the unit is a direct-reporting unit to the commander of U.S. Army Pacific.

The unit’s mission is to converge bits of information gathered in the battlespace for delivery to Army commanders making strategic decisions. The TIAD is designed to disrupt malign influence, increase cooperation with key partners and promote regional stability through shared security goals.

“The 1st TIAD is purpose-built to deliver information advantage across the Indo-Pacific, the most consequential region on Earth,” Col. Sean Heidgerken, the unit commander, said in a news release.

The region “is of immense importance and opportunity but also intense competition,” he said. “The activation of this detachment demonstrates our commitment to promoting transparency, countering malign influence and ensuring our friends and partners can rely on the truth.”

It is the first of three such units the Army plans to activate in the coming year—the 2nd TIAD is slated to align with U.S. Army Cyber Command at Fort Gordon, Georgia, in the spring, and the 3rd TIAD, which will be aligned with U.S. Army Europe and Africa, is expected to activate in Wiesbaden, Germany, in the fall.

Each detachment is the same size, comprising 65 soldiers whose technical expertise includes cyber, intelligence, psychological operations, public affairs, electronic warfare, civil affairs and information operations. Together, they provide formations with the ability to anticipate, shape and respond to challenges both in competition and crisis, according to the release.

“Our mission is clear: to enable the United States Army Pacific to sense, understand, decide and act faster than any adversary, while strengthening cooperation with our allies and partners throughout the region,” Heidgerken said. “What we learn here in the Indo-Pacific will shape the future of Army operations across all theaters.”