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During a recent event, the PMTEC and NAVAIR PMA-205 partnership continued normalizing the use of JLVC environments and expanded upon the capabilities demonstrated in Valiant Shield 24. This event provided critical lessons learned to inform future training events, and generate data to guide decision-makers on future development and procurement including range infrastructure upgrades. These efforts serve as a crucial steppingstone towards Valiant Shield 26, envisioned as a large-scale exercise incorporating coalition partners and connecting ranges from Australia to the continental United States.
PMTEC and PMA-205 expanded the aviation training environment in several groundbreaking ways. In a significant technical advancement, fully informed FA-18E/F and EA-18G simulators, along with E-2D simulators, were connected to live aircraft. Simulators from Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey, NAS Lemoore, and Point Mugu were connected, and the synthetic environment was controlled from a Link Inject-To-Live ground station in Lemoore. Beyond Line-of-Sight data and voice transmission were provided via an Unmanned Aircraft System, through the Navy Continuous Training Environment, and an underway guided-missile destroyer.
A key demonstration involved training exercises conducted with Carrier Air Wing Eleven live aircraft from NAS Lemoore flying in operating areas over the Pacific Ocean and connected to simulators in Lemoore, Whidbey, and Point Mugu. This connected, distributed training allowed aircrew to practice their tactics, techniques, and procedures in an integrated environment to attain greater lethality and survivability should threats emerge.
This joint collaborative event executed under the PMTEC Operations, Activities, and Investment sphere of influence, integrated Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps equipment and personnel from multiple ranges, training areas, and training hubs (including Tactical Training Group Pacific) in southern California, at Vandenberg Air Force Base; Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division-Orlando; and Naval Air Station Oceana.
By honing the skills and refining the tactics, techniques, and procedures of our warfighters through realistic, integrated training environments, we enhance our ability to deter aggression and maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, directly supporting the Secretary of Defense's goal of peace through strength and demonstrating our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. Commenting about this groundbreaking event, Dr. Andre Stridiron III, PMTEC Program Manager, stated “The PMTEC and NAVAIR PMA-205 partnership’s iterative learning process and data collection is fueling collaborative, Multi-Domain advancements through Joint Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC) enabled Training, Experiments, and Rehearsals. These activities involve Industry, Coalition, and Joint Staff stakeholders and take place West of the International Date Line, within the First and Second Island Chains, signifying just one of many such initiatives.”
The United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) has been instrumental in supporting PC-C5 through its Pacific Multi-Domain Training and Experimentation Capability (PMTEC). As a core element of the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, PMTEC has driven significant advancements in training, rehearsal, and experimentation frameworks across the Indo-Pacific region. By integrating resources and fostering collaboration with industry leaders, joint services, the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer, the Defense Innovation Unit, and coalition partners, PMTEC has ensured rapid development and operationalization of cutting-edge capabilities.
At the forefront of this effort was PMTEC’s Joint Fires Experimentation Manager, Ms. Mary Ann Swendsen. Ms. Swendsen gathered lessons learned across tactical, operational, and strategic layers – spanning service-level exercises, combatant command operations, and Office of the Secretary of Defense activities. Through engagements, such as planning conferences, she worked to swiftly integrate the lessons learned into joint and combined exercises, leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in the process, to reinforce All-Domain Operations and enhance interoperability across the Pacific theater.
Dr. Andre Stridiron III, PMTEC Program Manager, emphasized the value of this collaborative effort.
“We are excited to align and coalesce resources with the services to drive after advancing the speeds by which we warfight: Speed to Information and Insight, Speed to Decision Making, and Speed to Action,” Stridiron said.
During his keynote address at the Honolulu Defense Forum on February 13th, Admiral Samuel J. Paparo highlighted the critical role of technology in advancing warfighting capabilities and how harnessing emerging technologies at speed and scale is essential to maintaining our competitive edge. Joint and coalition forces are better prepared to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s battlefield by rapidly integrating these capabilities into operations.
By uniting advanced solutions such as Battle Management Command and Control, Artificial Intelligence, Mission Partner Environment, and the Joint Fires Network with live, virtual, and constructive training enablers, PMTEC is coalescing emerging industry capabilities into actionable outcomes. These efforts, coupled with exercises like PC-C5, are aligning joint and coalition forces across tactical, operational, and strategic echelons to deliver lethal and non-lethal effects with precision.
“PC-C5 is a key experimentation venue to enhance joint force interoperability and refine capabilities to advance communication systems and common operational picture with our coalition partners, which is essential to maintain security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” Swenson said.
USINDOPACOM's dedication to innovation ensures Multi-Domain Operations remain at the forefront of the future battlefield, empowering warfighters to adapt and prevail in complex, contested environments.
PC-C5 is not an isolated effort but part of a comprehensive initiative to enhance warfighting capabilities. It builds on lessons learned from exercises such as Valiant Shield, Talisman Sabre, Sling Stone, and the Joint Warfighting Experiment. These exercises underscore USINDOPACOM's commitment to iteratively advancing interoperability and effectiveness across joint and coalition forces.
These efforts align seamlessly with the U.S. Secretary of Defense’s Message to the Force, which emphasizes Restoring Warrior Ethos, Rebuilding the Military, and Reestablishing Deterrence. PC-C5 and PMTEC embody these priorities by fostering a culture of readiness, integrating cutting-edge technologies, and strengthening deterrence through collaboration with Allies and partners.
Together these initiatives ensure that joint and coalition forces remain the most lethal and capable in the world.