US and allied forces converge in Guam, CNMI, Japan for Valiant Shield and Citadel exercises

Photo courtesy of DOW

By Pacific Island Times News Staff

US. Pacific Command joint forces, along with allied and partner forces, today kicked off Exercise Valiant Shield 2026, a biennial field training exercise that prepares the joint and combined force to rapidly respond to crises and contingencies across the spectrum of operations — from humanitarian assistance and disaster response to armed conflict. '

The training exercise will run until July 1 and take place in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and Japan and at sea around the Mariana Islands Range Complex. 

Taking place at the same time is the annual force protection exercise Citadel Pacific 2026, which is to enhance the readiness and capability of the installation to respond to internal or external threats.

The U.S. Naval Base Guam is participating in Citadel, hosted by Commander Naval Installations Command. The exercise began on June 22 and runs until June 30.

"Measures have been taken to minimize disruptions to normal base operations, but there may be times when exercise events cause increased traffic around the installation, occasional delays in base access, and gate closures," states a press release from Joint Region Marianas.

"Area residents may also see increased first responder activity associated with the exercise. Advanced coordination has taken place with local law enforcement and first responders," it added.

As part of the exercise, the Giant Voice public address systems at Naval Base Guam installations will be activated and residents in surrounding areas will hear exercise announcements regarding force protection conditions throughout the week. The use of the GV system adds realism to the exercise. 

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Valiant Shield 26 focuses on integrating interoperability training in a multidomain environment. This training builds real-world proficiency in sustaining joint forces through detecting, locating, tracking and engaging units at sea, in the air, in space, on land and in cyberspace. 

The A.B. Won Pat Internatonal Airport Authority on Guam has been designated as a support locaton for the exercises, which consist of U.S. military aircraft and personnel.

“GIAA’s runways and taxiways are a vital piece of infrastructure suppor0ng not only commercial aviation, and also serves as a cri0cal alternate or divert location for military opera0ons,” said John M. Quinata, the airport's executive manager. “GIAA is proud to support regional military exercises as a support location."

Exercises such as VS26 enable all U.S. forces and allies across the Indo-Pacific region to integrate and train in precise, lethal and overwhelming scenarios that demonstrate the strength and versatility of the joint and combined force.  

With the involvement of U.S. Space Command and U.S. Transportation Command, VS26 is expanding the multidomain, cross-combatant command collaboration required for any large-scale exercise or operation.

"Valiant Shield demonstrates our enduring commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," said Navy Adm. Steve Koehler, commander of 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." 

The exercise 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 the defense of U.S. interests and those of like-minded nations around the world. 

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