U.S. Indo-Pacific Command J7 (Training and Exercise) Director, Brig. Gen. Richard Goodman (center) and Andrew Merz, J7 Director of Staff, speak with a participant at the Pacific Operation Science & Technology Conference in Waikiki, March 10, 2026, following a breakout session on multi-domain training experimentation. The J7 Joint Training and Exercises Directorate plans and executes USINDOPACOM's Joint Exercise Program, Joint Training Plan, Joint Force Development and Design, and integrates the Pacific Multi-Domain Training and Experimentation Capability and the Joint Warfighting Concept to increase the lethality of joint, combined, and coalition warfighters. J7 persistently trains and rehearses across all domains with allies and partners to respond to emerging crises, defend the homeland, deter strategic attack, counter aggression, and protect U.S. interests throughout the Indo-Pacific. (USINDOPACOM photo by Eleanor Prohaska)

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Dr. Andre Stridiron, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command J7 Pacific Multi-Domain Training and Experimentation Capability (PMTEC) Program Manager, speaks at the Pacific Operation Science & Technology Conference in Waikiki, March 10, 2026. Established in 2022, PMTEC is a key initiative under USINDOPACOM J7 that enhances joint, combined, and coalition warfighting readiness across the Indo-Pacific. As a cornerstone of the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, PMTEC aligns with U.S. National Security and Defense strategies—strengthening homeland defense, empowering allies and partners as a part of burden sharing and delivering deterrence against emerging threats. Through the integration of advanced technologies, PMTEC drives military modernization, fosters innovation, and drives U.S. and allied forces’ technological superiority and asymmetric advantage over adversaries. (USINDOPACOM photo by Randi Brown)

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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.