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For USINDOPACOM’s J6, that answer is a resounding yes. From October 20-24, 2025, the United States and Japan convened in Hawaii for the 26th session of the Interoperability Management Board (IMB). This critical meeting brought together military leaders, technical experts, industry and policymakers to address the challenges of achieving seamless collaboration in Command, Control, Communications, and Computers (C4) systems. Analogous to creating a universal remote control, the IMB focused on creating compatible systems that allow both nations to bilaterally operate their defense systems in harmony.
A Shared Vision for Interoperability
The IMB, co-chaired by Col. Oliver Sagun, Chief, Partner Interoperability and Engagement, USINDOPACOM J69, and Mr. ARA Shimpei from Japan’s Ministry of Defense, has been a cornerstone of U.S.-Japan defense collaboration since its inception in the 1980s. Over the years, the IMB has evolved to address modern challenges, from cybersecurity to space-based communications.
According to Sagun, the IMB ensures effective military coordination between the U.S. and Japan by enhancing digital interoperability, setting communication standards and procedures and addressing cyber requirements.
“The ability to functionally share data, securely communicate, and work from a common operating picture that provides time sensitive information is key to operating together and making decisions in this AOR [area of operations],” said Sagun. “C4 is the nervous system for any force because it enhances situational awareness, improves decision-making, streamlines coordination, increasing speed of action, driving efficiency, and ensuring effective command and control, all while bolstering cybersecurity and interoperability.”
The IMB 25-2 focused on several critical areas to advance C4 interoperability, including cryptographic modernization, tactical data link enhancements, and space-based capabilities. Japan’s transition to a zero-trust security model and its integration with the U.S. Mission Partner Network (IMN) were highlighted as significant milestones that advance cybersecurity and support more secure, seamless communication between the U.S. and Japan.
PMTEC and C4 Interoperability
During the IMB’s closing plenary session, Dr. Andre Stridiron, Pacific Multi-Domain Training and Experimentation Capability (PMTEC) Program Manager, briefed participants on PMTEC’s mission to develop a modernized, distributed training capability. He underscored the importance of realistic, interconnected training environments for enhancing C4 interoperability, and explained how PMTEC integrates live, virtual, and constructive (LVC) simulations to create those scenarios for joint and coalition forces.
“We are talking about scale, scope and fidelity,” said Stridiron. “Providing the highest level of training to the warfighter, as well as supporting strategic and operational personnel across the joint force, with allies and partners, and across geography.”
He defined the terms, live, virtual and constructive, adding they are often used incorrectly. According to Stridiron:
PMTEC’s integration of LVC training facilitates controlled environments to test and refine communication protocols, allowing U.S, Allies and Partners to identify technical and operational gaps before they become critical issues in the real-world.
“Even the best universal remote is useless if you don’t know how to use it,” said Stridiron. “That’s why high fidelity, LVC training is essential.” He pointed to Keen Edge and Valiant Shield as examples of exercises where PMTEC raised the bar in terms of training value, and supported after-action review and analysis to improve future exercises. Stridiron emphasized PMTEC’s role in accelerating those insights, critical for maintaining a tactical advantage in the Indo-Pacific region.
The next IMB session, IMB 26-1, is scheduled for April 2026 in Japan. As the U.S. and Japan continue to build on the foundation laid by decades of collaboration, the IMB and PMTEC are critical enablers for a strong and effective U.S. Japan defense partnership.
About PMTEC: Established in 2022, the Pacific Multi-Domain Training and Experimentation Capability is a transformative enterprise funded and resourced by the United States Indo-Pacific Command to enhance joint, combined, and coalition warfighting readiness and lethality in the Indo-Pacific. PMTEC is a key component of the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, reinforcing the U.S. commitment to homeland defense and a free and open Indo-Pacific. PMTEC’s integration of advanced training technologies and its alignment with strategic priorities make it a cornerstone of U.S. efforts to maintain regional stability and counter adversarial aggression.
Exercise Balikatan is the largest annual bilateral exercise conducted between the Philippines and the U.S with around 14,000 participants this year. It directly supports the U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty by ensuring our forces are tactically proficient, that capabilities and modernization efforts are mutually compatible, and by strengthening military-to-military coordination. “Balikatan” is a Tagalog term that means “shoulder-to-shoulder,” which characterizes the spirit of the exercise and represents the alliance between the Philippines and the United States.
PMTEC’s investments in Balikatan 2025 were numerous. PMTEC funded and integrated a Joint Interface Control Officer into the exercise to manage the crucial joint tactical data link network, effectively linking warfighters across the exercise. Furthermore, PMTEC provided critical analysis and planning capabilities through the deployment of the Joint After Action Review and Theater Operational Planning Tool, enabling the Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) to conduct comprehensive playback debriefs and refine operational strategies.
Expanding on the success of Balikatan 2024, PMTEC enhanced the Joint Live, Virtual, and Constructive (JLVC) environment. This expanded JLVC capability linked ranges, resources, and warfighters across a distributed network providing Combined Joint Air and Missile Defense Operations vignettes while encompassing locations within and outside the continental United States. To strengthen cybersecurity preparedness, PMTEC supported use of the Deployable Cyber Range to augment exercise cyber protection teams. In a demonstration of joint support, the Philippine Navy's Naval Education, Training and Doctrine Command hosted the Joint Deployable Electronic Warfare Range, which simulated realistic air threats for the CJTF. Also, for the first time, a c-UAS live fire exercise was conducted against small unmanned aerial systems, demonstrably improving combined force lethality.
PMTEC's commitment also extended to coordinating critical exercise support. This year represented the first time US Army DEVCOM, C5ISR, Threat Systems Management Office, and Center for Countermeasures all participated, ensuring a comprehensive approach to addressing modern threats. PMTEC’s target manager facilitated collaboration with the U.S. Army's Threat Systems Management Office for target integration and the C5ISR Center for c-UAS support, ensuring realistic training scenarios that addressed the modern maritime and air threat landscape. Additionally, PMTEC investments led to myriad upgrades, networks, and data processing enhancements for the Combined Coordination Center Annex, marking its inaugural use during the exercise.
Beyond traditional combat training, PMTEC also identified an opportunity in Balikatan 2025 to enhance search and rescue capabilities. PMTEC arranged for the United States Coast Guard to train the U.S. Navy during Balikatan 2025 on deploying two Self-Locating Datum Marker Buoys (SLDMBs) designed to simulate the drift behavior of a person in the water. The buoys transmitted GPS location data in real
time, allowing Search and Rescue (SAR) planners to validate surface current forecasts and improve drift modeling accuracy, which is crucial for quickly locating individuals lost at sea. The real-time data collected from these SLDMBs enables the Navy Meteorological and Oceanographic Operation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Ocean Service to assess the accuracy of their current predictions. This validation is critical to ensuring SAR response effectiveness, especially in the event a warfighter requires rescue in this operational area. Accurate drift predictions can significantly reduce search time and increase the probability of a successful rescue.
Dr. Andre Stridiron III, PMTEC Program Manager, stated “PMTEC’s operations, activities, and investments in Balikatan 2025 directly contribute to Secretary Hegseth’s priorities of ‘restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding the military, and reestablishing deterrence.’ By bridging across all domains – from maritime strike and cyber defense to search and rescue – and leveraging cutting-edge tools for analysis and realistic simulation, we’re operationalizing the Pacific Defense Initiative and directly supporting the U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty. This is more than just ‘shoulder-to-shoulder’ training; it’s forging a truly interoperable force prepared to deter aggression and respond decisively alongside our allies and partners, strengthening our collective ability to compete and win.”
A robust and effective military-to-military relationship is critical for advancing our shared interests and upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific. It enhances Alliance readiness, bolsters deterrence, signals unwavering resolve, and aligns our collective efforts to preserve regional stability. PMTEC’s investments provided a robust and realistic training environment for Balikatan 2025, fostering interoperability, enhancing combined force lethality and deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, and preparing U.S. and Philippine forces for complex security challenges today and in the future.