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U.S. Indo-Pacific Command J7 Pacific Multi‑Domain Training and Experimentation Capability supported U.S., Thai, and coalition forces including Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and the Republic of Korea to advance multi‑domain command and control to a maturity level not previously achieved in the exercise.
According to U.S. Space Force 1st Lt. Jimmy Baggett, 4th Electronic Warfare Squadron, the Cobra Gold 26 Combined Joint Force Space Component Command synchronized space electronic warfare effects with the Joint Fire Support Coordination Cell. Historically, space-enabled effects were executed as short-duration, point‑in‑time hacks.
“This year we shifted to a more operationally relevant ‘time‑boxed’ model that aligned effects across sustained windows of maneuver,” said Baggett.
The result was persistent electromagnetic suppression throughout High Mobility Artillery Rocket System and coastal defense live‑fire operations. Instead of isolated disruptions, space effects were synchronized with maneuver elements, ensuring fires, coastal defense assets, and command-and-control nodes operated with assured electromagnetic advantage during their most critical execution windows.
Space electromagnetic warfare suppression remained active across the full duration of the maritime kill chain, supporting detection, targeting, and engagement of the PMTEC‑provided Hammerhead unmanned surface vessels and the MQM-170 Outlaw. The sustained effects allowed commanders to maintain tempo and decision advantage throughout the engagement.
Royal Thai Air Force space planners worked alongside U.S. and partner personnel to develop the maritime strike’s synchronized targeting solutions.
According to Royal Thai Air Force Flight Lt. Kan Chultakan, Intelligence Cell Lead for the CJFSCC, Cobra Gold 26 marked a major step forward for Thai-U.S. space cooperation, particularly in space domain awareness and electromagnetic intelligence.
“This year we had a lot of good things happen,” said Chultaken. “Next year [it would be good to] exercise more capabilities, more GPS, jamming and offensive space.” He added he would like to continue enhancing space interoperability with a Thai-U.S. bilateral knowledge exchange in the future to share doctrine and concept of operations.
Non‑kinetic effects emerged as one of the most strategically important elements of Cobra Gold 26. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command J7 Director, Brig. Gen. Richard Goodman, said the joint force can no longer treat non‑kinetic effects—space, cyber, and the electromagnetic spectrum—as supporting fires, but as decisive tools that shape every phase of the fight.
“We’ve reached the point where non‑kinetic effects are not an enhancement to the plan—they are the plan,” Goodman said. “If we expect commanders to fight in a contested, multi‑domain environment, then we must train them to think, plan, and act with non‑kinetic effects woven into every decision.”
That philosophy aligns directly with PMTEC’s emphasis on integrating space, cyber, and electromagnetic effects across live, virtual, and constructive environments. PMTEC’s architecture—linking distributed ranges, modeling and simulation tools, and coalition networks—allow planners and operators to rehearse non‑kinetic effects alongside kinetic fires, ensuring both are synchronized across strategic, operational, and tactical timelines.
“This approach transforms non‑kinetic effects from isolated technical injects into deliberate, commander‑driven tools that shaped tempo, survivability, and decision advantage,” said Dr. Andre Stridiron, PMTEC project manager. “By advancing this level of integration with our Thai allies and partners, we are accelerating our collective ability to deter aggression, protect critical systems, and operate with confidence in the most contested domains of modern conflict.”
Building the Data Backbone of the Assault “What we’re providing is a data fusion center,” said U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Brandon Mendez, JCSE’s senior technical advisor for Cobra Gold 26.
Three JCSE teams were strategically positioned across Thailand, including at Camp Jessada with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Their role was to ingest, fuse, and distribute real-time data from every aircraft supporting the AMPHIBEX—Apaches, MH60s, P8s, and more.
“Our guys are ingesting those feeds and pushing all that data to the Cobra Gold Joint Task Force operations center, and then eventually that data is getting all the way up to INDOPACOM,” Mendez said. From there, a cross-domain solution pushed the information to the coalition network, giving Thai partners a live, bilateral common operating picture (COP).
This seamless data flow—air tracks, sensor feeds, and command updates—was the connective tissue that allowed commanders to maintain situational awareness over a complex, multi-domain landing.
PMTEC Made It Possible JCSE’s participation in Cobra Gold 26 was directly coordinated and funded by PMTEC to close longstanding command and control gaps for multiple CJADO events throughout Thailand. Two years ago, JCSE identified a major shortfall: the inability to provide a live bilateral common operating picture during Cobra Gold 24. Taking lessons learned, the JCSE team trained on and used Move Out/Jump Off (MOJO) NEXT kits to translate incompatible messages between different networks. The system is designed for use on land, air, and maritime platforms, allowing for continuous, secure connectivity even during rapid movement or in remote, austere environments.
According to Mendez, the result was transformative. “I was able to take a motivated team, get them trained up, and have the first ever successful bilateral COP for Cobra Gold,” Mendez said. That capability is now fully operational and was essential to the AMPHIBEX.
Rapid, Expeditionary Communications for a Fast-Moving Fight The multi-national, multi-domain amphibious landing required speed, precision, and adaptability. JCSE’s modular kits can be set up in a fraction of the time required by traditional signal units.
“Our kits are very modular — we’re usually up within 30 minutes,” Mendez said. That agility means JCSE can rapidly reposition to support emerging missions, whether for amphibious operations, maritime strike, or HIMARS infiltration. They supported all of those Combined Joint All Domain Operations throughout Cobra Gold 26. During AMPHIBEX, JCSE teams arrived prior to each rehearsal and execution window, conducting comms checks with aircraft and ensuring every link—SATCOM, Link16, TSM-X, and radio nets—was synchronized. Their work ensured that when Marines hit the beach, commanders could see every asset overhead and make informed decisions in real time.
Keeping Warfighters Safe Through Reliable Communications For Mendez, the impact on force protection is clear. “It’s very important for these commanders to see their assets,” he said. Without JCSE’s nodes at Lop Buri, Camp Red Horse and Camp Jessada, the JTF would have had no way to track aircraft supporting the landing.
But JCSE’s role extended beyond data services. Their teams also performed critical Radio Telecommunications Operator duties—safety checks, launch clearances, and coordination calls during high risk events like drone launches and live fire sequences.
PMTEC as the Enabler of Joint, Coalition C2 PMTEC’s investment in JCSE didn’t just enable participation, it enabled capability. By funding modernization, training, and deployment, PMTEC ensured the joint force had the resilient, interoperable communications backbone required for a modern amphibious assault. AMPHIBEX showcased that reality. PMTEC also enabled space and cyber integration, while JCSE delivered the tactical data links, expeditionary nodes, and enabled cross-domain connectivity that made the operation visible, coordinated, and safe.
Supporting the Joint Warfighting Concept The JWC demands a force that can sense, decide, and act faster than any adversary across every domain. By fusing air tracks, cyber effects, space-based navigation and communications, and real-time coalition data into a single operational picture, JCSE enabled the kind of integrated C2 architecture the JWC envisions and PMTEC gets after through their coordination with stakeholders across the exercise and training environment. JCSE’s rapid setup and expeditionary communications nodes embodied the JWC’s requirement for resilient, distributed, and adaptable command-and-control networks—networks that can survive disruption, connect joint and coalition forces, and empower commanders with decision advantage at the tactical edge. PMTEC’s investment and support ensured those capabilities were operational, turning the JWC from a concept, into a lived reality on the beaches of Hat Yao.
Cobra Gold is the Indo-Pacific’s largest annual military exercise in mainland Asia, co-hosted by the U.S. and Thailand. The exercise brings together participants from multiple nations for military training and humanitarian projects that strengthen regional partnerships and demonstrate U.S. commitment to Indo-Pacific security.