Photo By Capt. Leonard Peralta | Senior leaders from the United States, Republic of Korea, and Japan pose for a group...... read more read more
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – The Pacific Integrated Air and Missile Defense Center (PIC) hosted the sixth U.S.–Republic of Korea (ROK) Tabletop Academy (KTTA) from July 14-25, 2025, advancing combined and joint integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) efforts across the Indo-Pacific. This year’s event featured the first trilateral senior-level participation from the United States, Republic of Korea and Japan.
The academy opened with a colonel-level session involving leaders from all three nations. Col. Matthew Belote, director of the PIC and Col. Kang Tae-in, chief, Directorate of Intelligence and Operations for the ROK Air Force (ROKAF), Missile Defense Command (AMDC), delivered opening remarks and COL Oxley, Chief of Staff, 94th AAMDC provided an INDOPACOM IAMD Posture Brief. Col. Mori, of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) observed the session.
"Combined and joint leadership engagement is essential," Col. Belote said. "The integration of allied perspectives at the planning level directly translates to stronger deterrence and operational effectiveness across all domains."
Col. Kang said he appreciated "an opportunity to enhance our joint response capability," adding that "this education by itself is a deterrent to North Korean aggression.”
Participants included personnel from the ROKAF, AMDC, U.S. Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC), 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command (AAMDC), U.S. Pacific Fleet (PACFLT), DOD Strategic Cybersecurity Program, Space and Cyber Security, U.S. Space Forces – Indo-Pacific, the Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-sUAS) Directorate, and the Joint Ballistic Missile Defense Training and Education Center (JBTEC). JBTEC is DoD's joint training center for Joint IAMD & Offense Defense Integration (ODI) through All Domains. PIC facilitated IAMD Academics.
During the first week, KTTA included operational briefs, defense design planning sessions, and discussions on IAMD capabilities and theater architecture. Participants also took part in a Theater Operationally Resilient Command and Control (TORCC) exercise provided by the 298th Air Defense Group (ADG), Hawai’i Air National Guard (HIANG). The TORCC session provided practical applications of distributed command and control concepts.
The second week focused on scenario development and modeling using the International Simulations (I-SIM) program, facilitated by the JBTEC. This phase enabled participants to apply lessons from the first week and collaboratively evaluate joint and combined IAMD responses to various threat scenarios.
A highlight of the event included a visit to the USS Shiloh, offering participants exposure to maritime IAMD systems. Participants also attended a USS Arizona Remembrance Tour, hosted by PACFLT, at the USS Arizona Memorial.
“Our ability to integrate across services and with allies is not just a force multiplier, it’s a strategic imperative,” Belote said. “This academy reinforces the value of joint and combined IAMD planning, ensuring we are aligned in both vision and execution when it matters most.”
KTTA remains a cornerstone for building operational trust, improving interoperability and advancing shared defense objectives among U.S. allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific.
| Date Taken: | 07.28.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.28.2025 17:34 |
| Story ID: | 544066 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 175 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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