The United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) and the Army Futures Command executed Project Convergence Capstone 5 (PC-C5) in April 2025. This world-class, iterative experimentation exercise was designed to fully integrate the future capabilities of joint and multinational Allies and partners while assessing advanced warfighting concepts across all domains – space, cyber, air, land, and sea. PC-C5 represents a pivotal step in shaping the future of Multi-Domain Operations (MDO).
The United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) has been instrumental in supporting PC-C5 through its Pacific Multi-Domain Training and Experimentation Capability (PMTEC). As a core element of the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, PMTEC has driven significant advancements in training, rehearsal, and experimentation frameworks across the Indo-Pacific region. By integrating resources and fostering collaboration with industry leaders, joint services, the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer, the Defense Innovation Unit, and coalition partners, PMTEC has ensured rapid development and operationalization of cutting-edge capabilities.
At the forefront of this effort was PMTEC’s Joint Fires Experimentation Manager, Ms. Mary Ann Swendsen. Ms. Swendsen gathered lessons learned across tactical, operational, and strategic layers – spanning service-level exercises, combatant command operations, and Office of the Secretary of Defense activities. Through engagements, such as planning conferences, she worked to swiftly integrate the lessons learned into joint and combined exercises, leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in the process, to reinforce All-Domain Operations and enhance interoperability across the Pacific theater.
Dr. Andre Stridiron III, PMTEC Program Manager, emphasized the value of this collaborative effort.
“We are excited to align and coalesce resources with the services to drive after advancing the speeds by which we warfight: Speed to Information and Insight, Speed to Decision Making, and Speed to Action,” Stridiron said.
During his keynote address at the Honolulu Defense Forum on February 13th, Admiral Samuel J. Paparo highlighted the critical role of technology in advancing warfighting capabilities and how harnessing emerging technologies at speed and scale is essential to maintaining our competitive edge. Joint and coalition forces are better prepared to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s battlefield by rapidly integrating these capabilities into operations.
By uniting advanced solutions such as Battle Management Command and Control, Artificial Intelligence, Mission Partner Environment, and the Joint Fires Network with live, virtual, and constructive training enablers, PMTEC is coalescing emerging industry capabilities into actionable outcomes. These efforts, coupled with exercises like PC-C5, are aligning joint and coalition forces across tactical, operational, and strategic echelons to deliver lethal and non-lethal effects with precision.
“PC-C5 is a key experimentation venue to enhance joint force interoperability and refine capabilities to advance communication systems and common operational picture with our coalition partners, which is essential to maintain security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” Swenson said.
USINDOPACOM’s dedication to innovation ensures Multi-Domain Operations remain at the forefront of the future battlefield, empowering warfighters to adapt and prevail in complex, contested environments.
PC-C5 is not an isolated effort but part of a comprehensive initiative to enhance warfighting capabilities. It builds on lessons learned from exercises such as Valiant Shield, Talisman Sabre, Sling Stone, and the Joint Warfighting Experiment. These exercises underscore USINDOPACOM’s commitment to iteratively advancing interoperability and effectiveness across joint and coalition forces.
These efforts align seamlessly with the U.S. Secretary of Defense’s Message to the Force, which emphasizes Restoring Warrior Ethos, Rebuilding the Military, and Reestablishing Deterrence. PC-C5 and PMTEC embody these priorities by fostering a culture of readiness, integrating cutting-edge technologies, and strengthening deterrence through collaboration with Allies and partners.
Together these initiatives ensure that joint and coalition forces remain the most lethal and capable in the world.
