U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Ryele Bertoch
A major highlight, and perhaps one of the greatest challenges, is the focus on nighttime operations.
“The ability to move at night remains a primary area that we focus on,” US Army Maj. Gen. Marcus Evans, commander of the 25th Infantry Division out of Hawaii, told BI, explaining that “the ability to hide amongst the noise, if you will, is another area that enhances protection and something that we train on both here and in the Philippines.”
During this year’s JPMRC rotation in Hawaii, soldiers executed a long-range maritime air assault involving around 300 soldiers traveling to seize an airfield 200 miles away in the middle of the night. The assault, along with other elements of the exercise, allowed troops to understand how they can stay hidden and move stealthily across the Pacific.
At night, the soldiers “are less observable,” Evans said. “Nighttime enhances protection.” That works for transporting infantry squad vehicles or aviation brigades across varying terrain, refueling aircraft, or conducting long-range missions across the islands or Pacific Ocean.
U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Mysti Bicoy
Nighttime operations help troops to stay hidden and allow them to seize the advantage, especially in the jungles of the Pacific region, “an environment that others can’t take advantage of during the night,” Evans said. Learning how to navigate the tricky terrain while remaining hidden from the enemy is a major challenge, but it’s part of the Army’s larger goal with JPMRC.
“Our number one focus in JPMRC is war fighting readiness,” Evans said. And “the ability to train in this terrain is really a critical enabler to enhance and drive our war fighting readiness.”
The Pacific is a priority theater that is home to rivals and adversaries, including China, which the Pentagon identifies as its “pacing challenge.”