Valiant Shield 26 Leverages US PACOM PMTEC Capabilities in Guam, Officially Opens New Facility

Photo By Shaina Marie ONeal | SANTA RITA, Guam (June 22, 2026) - Dr. John Wood, U.S. Pacific Command’s J7 Training and Exercises Deputy Director, offers remarks during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Pacific Multi-Domain Training and Experimentation Capability Forward - Guam facility at Building 4175 on U.S. Naval Base Guam, June 22, 2026. The ceremony marked the final operational capability of the 5,100-square-foot facility, which serves as PMTEC’s first fully operational forward node west of the International Date Line. The site is designed to deliver combat-credible training at the tactical edge, integrating live, virtual, and constructive technologies to support joint, combined, and coalition forces. (U.S. Navy photo by Shaina O’Neal)  

GUAM

07.02.2026

Courtesy Story

U.S. Pacific Command         

SANTA RITA, Guam — In concert with the start of Exercise Valiant Shield 26, the U.S. Pacific Command’s Training and Exercises Directorate officially opened the Pacific Multi-Domain Training and Experimentation Capability Forward — Guam facility during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 22, 2026.
The state-of-the-art facility is equipped with a myriad of warfighting capabilities, including command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance infrastructure, known as C5ISR.
“This facility clearly speaks to the U.S. resolve that our warfighters have the resources, technology, and support they need to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow,” said Dr. John Wood, acting director of the USPACOM J7 Training and Exercises Directorate.
“It is especially fitting that we hold this ribbon-cutting ceremony on the opening day of Exercise Valiant Shield 26,” Wood said. “Valiant Shield is the Pacific’s premier joint and multinational exercise, bringing together U.S. and allied forces to train side by side across all domains—sea, air, land, space, and cyberspace.”
The high-tech location is the forward-deployed epicenter of Valiant Shield 26 coordination during the exercise, allowing US PACOM joint forces and allied and partner forces to work in concert.
Valiant Shield 26 participants and future exercises can rehearse complex, multi-domain operations with combined forces across the globe in a shared, simulated environment without logistical constraints.
"This facility turns training into true, combat-credible readiness," said PMTEC Program Manager Dr. Andre Stridiron. "It enables us to give our warfighters realistic repetitions in a connected, contested environment, ensuring our joint force and allies maintain a decisive technological edge and remain ready to respond to any challenge."
While the ceremony marked the final operational capability milestone of the 5,100-square-foot facility, exercise Malabar 25 and exercise Valiant Shield 24 benefited from its infrastructure during phased rollouts.
Valiant Shield 26 assists U.S., allied, and partner forces in developing regional and global power projection capabilities. Integrated training provides a full range of options to succeed in defense of U.S. interests and those of like-minded nations around the world.
"Valiant Shield demonstrates our enduring commitment to a Free and Open Indo-Pacific," said U.S. Navy Adm. Steve Koehler, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. "Exercising advanced multidomain capabilities with our allies ensures we continue to seamlessly innovate and operate together, project combat power together, and prevail over any challenge -- together."
Established in 2022, the USPACOM J7 Pacific Multi-Domain Training and Experimentation Capability is a U.S. Pacific Command initiative that enhances joint, combined, and coalition warfighting readiness in the Pacific theater. As a cornerstone of the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, PMTEC has developed and continues to enhance the world’s largest fully instrumented coalition range system, linking geographically dispersed ranges, training areas, and warfighters across the theater and beyond. The program aligns directly with national security and national defense strategies by strengthening homeland defense, empowering allies and partners, and delivering deterrence against emerging threats. By integrating advanced technologies, the capability drives military modernization, fosters innovation, and secures technological superiority and asymmetric advantage over adversaries.

• Date Taken: 07.02.2026
• Date Posted: 07.07.2026 18:25
• Story ID: 569318
• Location: GU