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The panel, moderated by PMTEC Industry Engagement Lead Brent Parker, featured insights from USINDOPACOM's J7 Director, Brig. Gen. Richard Goodman; J7 Director of Staff and Training, Andrew Merz; PMTEC Program Manager Dr. Andre Stridiron, and Technical Director of the K. Mark Takai Pacific Warfighting Center, Allan Grove. Brig. Gen. Goodman began by grounding the discussion in national strategy, emphasizing that today's training must be rigorously aligned with the National Defense Strategy's focus on a "technologically advanced adversary." He said PMTEC provides the essential framework for this alignment. "The NDS calls for the warfighters to be provided with a full range of capabilities... [and] to be the most lethal and capable warfighting force on the planet," Goodman said. "What we do inside of the J7 is create the environments and the opportunities to exercise and train the full spectrum of capabilities... and through that, we leverage PMTEC." Stridiron elaborated on how PMTEC creates these advanced training environments, integrating live, virtual, and constructive technologies to build a realistic, high-fidelity ecosystem where warfighters can train against peer-level threats. "We want the highest levels of fidelity that mirror and match our adversaries' capabilities.” said Stridiron. “We want them to feel challenged. We want them to sometimes fail so that they can learn and grow." A central theme of the discussion was PMTEC's pivotal role in supporting a fully integrated, all-domain approach among joint forces and U.S. Allies and partners. "We call that CJADO—Combined Joint All-Domain Operations—in our exercises," he said. Nowadays, we’re doing combined joint all-domain effects, which require all the services to come together and war-fight together to a greater extent than in the past. And we're doing this not only with our U.S. joint multi-domain force, but we're also doing this with our allies and partners." Merz emphasized the importance of creating a robust training environment that challenges participants and prepares them for high-end conflict. "Our focus is on building a training ecosystem that enables joint forces, components, and allies to operate seamlessly in a multi-domain environment," Merz said. "We aim to provide a dynamic and realistic setting in forward locations where the fight will actually happen, where participants can refine their skills, adapt to emerging threats, and achieve operational excellence." Allan Grove highlighted how the Pacific Warfighting Center collaborates with industry to drive rapid innovation directly to the warfighter. He described a fundamental shift away from "closed-loop activity" toward operational mission rehearsals where experimentation is integrated into live exercises. "Moving to a mission rehearsal and an operational mindset has just strategically changed how we do exercises, and I cannot stress that enough," Grove said. He pointed to the blurring lines between experimentation and operations as a positive development. "The closer that we get to being able to use some of these tools inside the operational context, just means the closer we are to be able to better support the assessment processes and to be able to feed that back, both into industry staff." The panel conveyed that prioritizing a persistent, all-domain training environment ensures that joint and coalition forces are not only familiar with the complexities of modern conflict but are consistently challenged and prepared for the high-end scenarios they may face.
Master Sgt. Matthew Hall, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit assistant operations chief supporting counter-landing and amphibious operations, said PMTEC’s contributions transformed the exercise.
“These drones and everything that are coming in is putting Marines in the mindset of, ‘Instead of fighting in a 2D world, now it’s a 3D world,’” Hall said. “It forces them to think critically about threats from every direction.” PMTEC worked with the U.S. Army’s Threat Systems Management Office and Project Manager Training Devices, also known as PM TRADE, to provide high-fidelity unmanned systems that replicated the capabilities of peer adversaries, aligning with the Department of War’s theme of “lethality forged through realism.”
PMTEC coordinated maneuvering Hammerhead unmanned surface vessels to simulate an adversary amphibious assault during the counter-landing exercise.
“They were able to actually source unmanned surface vessels to simulate an actual beach assault from an adversary force,” Hall said. “It gives U.S. and coalition forces an actual target to defend against without putting strain on partner forces.”
These maritime targets forced U.S., Thai and Republic of Korea forces to detect, track and defeat a realistic, fast-moving threat, mirroring the challenges of modern littoral warfare.
PMTEC also delivered Outlaw Group 2 unmanned aircraft systems, first-person-view drones and one-way attack drones that replicated emerging aerial threats seen in contemporary conflicts.
“This is the emerging threat technology around the world,” Hall said. “Getting those technologies and being able to mesh that all together on how peer adversaries would fight is what we’re trying to get after.” These systems enabled combined forces to rehearse offensive and defensive counter-UAS tactics, including tracking threat targets with the FIM-92 Stinger.
“It was probably some of the best training we could have gotten because this is a realistic situation on how drones would act, flying left to right, nose-diving toward us,” said Lance Cpl. Graham Gleaton, 1st Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, Marine Air Control Group 18, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. “It gave us a better gauge to see how fast and efficient we should be to activate the missile and shoot down the drone before it gets close to friendly territory.”
“You don’t get this chance every day,” said Gleaton. “This is something that we always ask for, and we finally got to do it. This is a great opportunity for our younger enlisted gunners, who get the opportunity to get that missile on their shoulder and go through the whole engagement.”
Thai Royal Navy Cmdr. Weerakamon Suanchan, 1st Artillery Battalion officer in charge of the counter-landing exercise, said the high-threat targets made the training more realistic. According to Suanchan, training alongside U.S. and Republic of Korea Marines in a realistic environment was “awesome.”
“What we can share here is better than reading about it in a book or doctrine online,” Suanchan said. Hall echoed that sentiment saying that PMTEC’s contributions ensured every participating nation trained to the same high standard.
“It doesn’t matter which country you’re from — we’re all here for the same reason,” Hall said. “If we all have the same threat picture and can share the same TTPs (tactics, techniques and procedures) and SOPs (standard operating procedures), it’s only going to make us stronger.”