Military Leaders Suggest 799 Days To Ensure Readiness for Future Conflicts
Military communications and technology leaders are concerned they will not meet a readiness deadline for conflict in the Indo-Pacfic, publicly addressed by Taiwan’s foreign minister.
“We have 799 days until 1 January 2027,” said Col. Lawrence Hussey, assistant chief of staff G6, U.S. Marine Forces Pacific.
Taiwan leadership and U.S. intelligence agencies have said they expect China to attack the island in 2027.
The discussion on Thursday, “Assured C4: Alliances and Partnerships in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Theater,” touched on command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) modernization, at TechNet Indo-Pacific, a yearly event held in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Military leaders highlighted the challenge of meeting modernization goals within strict timelines and limited resources. The focus was on speeding up deployments, training and interoperability of new technologies to ensure readiness for future conflicts.
Col. Keith Vanyo, from U.S. Special Operations Command Pacific, discussed the synergy project—an effort to build radio gateway nodes across the theater. He underscored the importance of modernization in ensuring U.S. special operations forces can remain expeditionary and agile, especially as they encounter outdated networks.
Speaking about allies in the region, Col. Vanyo highlighted, “We need to be able to find a way to be able to integrate their equipment into ours. And I think that's something that we got to kind of think through. It's not always just giving them the new shiny object and expecting them to purchase them.”
Focusing on U.S. forces in Korea emphasized the need to integrate allies, particularly in high-stakes scenarios involving missile threats from North Korea, explained Col. Erick Welcome, director, J6, U.S. Forces Korea, and deputy director, C6, Combined Forces Command.
Col. Alton Johnson, assistant chief of staff, G-6, U.S. Army Pacific, addressed the challenges of integrating diverse communication technologies across the U.S. Army presence in the Indo-Pacific. He pointed out the Army's ongoing modernization efforts and had a warning.
“The challenge during our modernization is how we make sure everyone can actually communicate in a time of crisis,” Col. Johnson told the audience.
The challenge during our modernization is how we make sure everyone can actually communicate.
U.S. Pacific Air Forces, stressed the need for modernization of main operating bases and improving transport capabilities for Air Force assets in the Indo-Pacific region. His focus was on ensuring operational readiness for future conflicts by modernizing flyaway kits and enhancing interoperability with allies, particularly in the context of distributed operations.
Capt. Erik Pittman from the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet outlined the challenges of modernizing communications across 180 ships. He emphasized the importance of providing accurate targeting data to allied forces and integrating with partners’ capabilities in real time during operations and offered another warning.
“My primary problem is time: if we're looking at something where we will have to be ready two years from now. I have to be practicing and building proficiency on the cruise right now, which means I have to have already installed last year,” Capt. Pittman said.
Brig. Gen. Ray Phariss, USA, focused on the need to maintain readiness while incorporating new technologies and systems. He stressed the importance of balancing current operational capabilities with the integration of advanced innovations to enhance the overall effectiveness of U.S. forces in the region.
The panel was moderated by Brig. Gen. Michael L. Smith, director, J6, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
TechNet Indo-Pacific is organized by AFCEA International and the AFCEA Hawaii Chapter. SIGNAL Media is the official media of AFCEA International.
