SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii — Leaning forward, his face smudged with camouflage paint, U.S. Army Maj. Nathan Sitterley analyzed the flow of data across his laptop screen. From inside a tactical operations center at East Range, the battalion executive officer for the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment “Gimlets,” tracked friendly forces and identified opposition forces on a large map display. For Sitterley and the Soldiers of the 2nd Mobile Brigade — known as the “Warrior Brigade” — this was where the Army’s ongoing operational evolution of its command-and-control systems met the friction of a live, tactical fight.

The exercise, known as Nakoa Fleek, served as the culminating training event for Lightning Surge 5, the 25th Infantry Division’s multi-phase campaign to modernize its command-and-control architecture. While Lightning Surge focused on the strategic integration of new technologies, Nakoa Fleek was where these systems were employed in a tough, realistic environment, providing the opportunity to turn promising technology into a decisive combat capability.

“The controlled environment gets you to the 50-yard line,” Sitterley said. “The last 50 yards happen out here, where you’re battling latency, power and connectivity issues right alongside the opposition force. This is where we forge a real combat capability.”

The training was part of the division’s ongoing campaign to support the Army’s scaling of converged and modernized command and control capabilities, improving decision speed and operational effectiveness under tough, realistic Pacific training conditions.

The exercise, which certified the Warrior Brigade ahead of future operations, was structured across three distinct battle periods. The first phase, which ran from Sept. 14-17, was dedicated to what planners call “enabling the fight.” During this period, Soldiers, leaders and industry partners worked through the process of integrating new communications gear, sensors, and command-and-control nodes.

The initial phase highlighted a fundamental lesson of modernization. What works perfectly in a lab environment must be validated in the dirt, with real Soldiers operating under tactical constraints. This focus on the “last tactical mile” of technology integration is where the most critical learning happens.

That learning was evident as the brigade moved into the second battle period from Sept. 18–21, which focused on the main defensive fight and tactical maneuver. With the network established, the focus shifted to action. On Sept. 23, the exercise culminated in an air assault designed to evaluate the brigade’s capacity to synchronize intricate operational elements under realistic conditions. For the Soldiers of the 1-27th and 1-35th Infantry Regiments, this was the moment when technology met tactics.

“The goal is to get the right data to the right leader at the right time,” said Maj. Rebecca Borrebach, the division’s lead data engineer. “We’re validating our ability to push a common operating picture from the cloud to the tactical edge, even in a disconnected environment. It’s about giving the tactical units the situational awareness they need to make faster, better-informed decisions.”

As the exercise transitioned into its final battle period, from Sept. 22-25, the focus shifted again, this time to the key lessons learned. A major takeaway has been the critical importance of the human dimension.

“The feedback from the field is clear: if a Soldier can’t figure it out quickly under pressure, it’s not a combat-effective tool,” said Maj. Jay Trexler, the division’s innovation officer.

This iterative process of testing, getting feedback, and adapting is the central theme of the exercise and a core component of the Army’s broader modernization strategy. It is not about a single, revolutionary piece of technology, but the steady evolution of people, processes and systems to build a more effective and combat credible force.

“This is how we stay nested with the Army’s strategic direction,” said Col. Graham White, the 25th Infantry Division deputy commander of operations. “By focusing on an operational approach of ‘where we were, where we are, and what’s still missing,’ we ensure that we are not just testing equipment but are actively building the warfighting capabilities the Army and the Joint Force need to win in the Pacific.”

As Nakoa Fleek concluded, the lessons learned from the Soldiers of the 2nd Mobile Brigade are already shaping the next chapter of the Army’s modernization effort. The campaign will continue during Lightning Surge 6, a larger and more complex evaluation set to take place during the upcoming Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 27-01 rotation.

During that exercise, elements of the 3rd Mobile Brigade will join the effort, helping to refine an even more advanced suite of capabilities, including enhanced decision-support tools and smarter, more autonomous networks. It is a deliberate, iterative process, ensuring that every evolution of the technology is proven, practical, and provides a decisive advantage to the warfighter on the ground.

By CPT Ericjames Estrada