SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii – From September 9–18, 2025, the 25th Infantry Division transformed its training areas into a living laboratory for the U.S. Army’s modernization efforts, hosting the xTechPacific 2025 competition.
The event, which brought ten innovative small businesses to Oahu, gave Army and joint leaders a rare chance to see emerging capabilities tested in realistic operational settings. Soldiers of the 25th Infantry Division and partner units integrated new technologies into live experimentation across Schofield Barracks and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, culminating in Distinguished Visitors Day on September 18.
For the 25th Infantry Division, xTechPacific was more than just a showcase of new tools. It was a powerful demonstration of the Army’s Transformation in Contact initiative, which ensures emerging technologies are tested, refined, and employed by operational forces at the point of need.
Transforming in Contact
The Army’s Transformation in Contact initiative is designed to shorten the gap between laboratory innovation and battlefield application. Instead of waiting for long acquisition cycles to deliver fully mature systems, the initiative prioritizes getting promising prototypes into the hands of Soldiers early — allowing them to shape how technology evolves.
As one of the Army’s forward-deployed divisions in the Indo-Pacific, the 25th Infantry Division is uniquely suited for this mission. Its training environments mirror the diverse challenges of the theater: dense jungle terrain, mountainous regions, urban spaces, and maritime surroundings. By hosting xTechPacific 2025, the Division positioned itself as the Army’s bridge between innovators and operational demands.
“The 25th Infantry Division is leading the Army in continuous transformation, and we welcome every opportunity to partner with industry,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. James Bartholomees, commanding general of the 25th Infantry Division and U.S. Army Hawaii. “This division was the first in contact on the day of Pearl Harbor, and we have remained in contact ever since—that’s why innovation is so critical. Innovation today directly impacts our readiness against both current and future threats in the most dynamic theater in the world.”
Confronting the Hidden Threat: UXO and IED Detection
Few threats create more danger for ground forces than buried explosives and unexploded ordnance (UXO). In the Indo-Pacific, where soils vary from volcanic rock to dense clay, detecting these hazards is particularly challenging.
At Schofield Barracks’ South Range, innovators worked side-by-side with Soldiers to test advanced detection technologies. Some systems used drone-mounted magnetometers to map anomalies hidden underground. Others combined ground-penetrating radar with thermal imaging to distinguish between clutter and dangerous ordnance.
Soldiers provided critical feedback on ease of use, portability, and performance under stress. For the Division, these tests were not abstract — they reflected real threats encountered during operations.
“The work being done here in the Indo-Pacific is decisive for giving our troops an advantage in protection and capability,” said U.S. Army Lt. Gen Joel B. Vowell, deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific Command. “When Soldiers, industry, and academia come together in real-world experimentation, the results can be transformational.”
The UXO experimentation underscored Transformation in Contact’s central idea: Soldiers must shape the development of tools that will one day protect them on patrol or in combat. By hosting these trials, the 25th Infantry Division directly influenced how the Army will confront the IED and UXO challenge in the years ahead.
Dominating the Spectrum: Electronic Warfare
Electronic warfare (EW) is one of the most contested domains in modern conflict, and the Indo-Pacific presents unique challenges across vast distances and crowded airwaves. For the 25th Infantry Division, ensuring its formations can fight through interference, jamming, and deception is essential.
At South Range, Soldiers tested portable spectrum-awareness systems designed to detect and classify enemy signals. These devices, many of them compact enough to fit in a rucksack, used artificial intelligence and advanced processing to rapidly identify emitters across multiple frequencies.
During live scenarios, Soldiers moved through training lanes where they were challenged to detect and respond to simulated electromagnetic threats. Some systems automatically geolocated emitters, allowing units to pinpoint hostile sources. Others provided simplified user interfaces to reduce the cognitive load on Soldiers in fast-moving situations.
“For the first time, Soldier experimentation was incorporated directly into this competition, shaping how technology meets mission needs,” said Jessica Stillman, the U.S. Army xTech program manager. “These innovators received direct feedback from Soldiers and scientists to refine their solutions and ensure operational relevance. This competition embodies how the Army is transforming—incorporating Soldier experimentation into innovation from concept to capability.”
For the Army, xTechPacific’s EW demonstrations showed how Soldier feedback can make advanced technologies more practical for the field. For the 25th Infantry Division, the event reinforced its role as a leader in shaping the Army’s ability to dominate the spectrum in contested environments.
Securing the Seas: Watercraft Defense and Logistics
Operating in the Indo-Pacific means operating across the world’s largest maritime theater. For the Army, this requires not only defending watercraft from threats but also sustaining forces across distributed islands and austere shorelines.
At Ford Island Waterway and later at Schofield Barracks, the 25th Infantry Division helped evaluate technologies designed to meet these challenges head-on.
Autonomous surface vessels demonstrated their ability to provide layered defense for logistics convoys, escorting larger craft while detecting and neutralizing potential threats. Other systems focused on logistics, showcasing modular platforms that could be assembled in shallow waters to support distributed operations.
Soldiers tested these systems in scenarios simulating contested maritime environments, providing input on maneuverability, reliability, and adaptability to real-world missions.
“I’ve seen firsthand how Soldiers, warrant officers, and industry working together can develop life-saving solutions in combat,” said Vowell. “We don’t have the luxury of mass; instead, we must innovate asymmetrically to offset our adversaries’ advantages.”
The Division’s role in hosting these demonstrations highlighted how Transformation in Contact extends beyond the battlefield ashore. By testing technologies in Hawaii’s waterways, the 25th Infantry Division reinforced its readiness to operate in a truly joint, multi-domain environment.
Distinguished Visitors Day: Showcasing Innovation
On September 18, senior Army and joint leaders gathered at Schofield Barracks for Distinguished Visitors Day, the capstone event of xTechPacific 2025.
Guests observed live technology demonstrations in the morning before transitioning to Schofield’s Sgt. Smith Theater for a watercraft expo and the award ceremony. There, the Army recognized three winning innovators, each earning prize funding and the opportunity to pursue further development under the Army’s Small Business Innovation Research program.
“The ideas and technologies you bring will help our reconnaissance companies deploy, fight, and win in multi-domain operations” said Bartholomees.
For leaders, the day was about more than recognizing innovation — it was about seeing firsthand how the Army is accelerating modernization by placing Soldiers at the center of experimentation.
A Division at the Forefront
The xTechPacific 2025 competition reaffirmed the 25th Infantry Division’s position as one of the Army’s leading formations in modernization. By hosting live experimentation in Hawaii, the Division not only validated promising technologies but also demonstrated how the Army is operationalizing its Transformation in Contact initiative.
“Innovation today directly impacts our readiness against both current and future threats in the most dynamic theater in the world,” said Bartholomees.
As the Army looks to the future, the 25th Infantry Division’s role will remain vital. Positioned at the center of the Indo-Pacific, the Division will continue to connect innovators with operational realities, ensuring Soldiers remain ready, lethal, and adaptive in the face of evolving threats.
The Division’s leadership in this effort is not new. Over the past several years, the 25th Infantry Division has been at the cutting edge of transformation by fielding and refining some of the Army’s newest capabilities. The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) has already proven its value in Pacific-focused training exercises, providing long-range precision fires that extend the Division’s reach across the region’s vast maritime and island geography. By incorporating HIMARS into distributed operations, the Division has shown how precision fires can deter aggression and provide critical options to commanders.
The Division has also embraced the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV), a lightweight, highly mobile platform that increases the agility of small units in jungle and mountainous terrain. Soldiers have employed ISVs in rigorous training scenarios across Hawaii, demonstrating how these vehicles enhance maneuverability, reduce fatigue, and enable faster movement in terrain that would otherwise slow infantry forces.
Beyond new equipment, the Division has restructured its formations to better align with the demands of multi-domain operations. Adjustments in task organization, command relationships, and sustainment practices reflect lessons learned through repeated experimentation. These changes allow the Division to operate more effectively as part of joint and coalition task forces, ensuring its units are ready to fight and sustain operations across dispersed island chains.
By combining these advancements with its role as host of xTechPacific, the 25th Infantry Division continues to demonstrate how Transformation in Contact is more than a concept — it is a daily practice. Positioned at the center of the Indo-Pacific, the Division will remain the Army’s proving ground for innovation, ensuring Soldiers stay ready, lethal, and adaptive in the face of evolving threats.
“The technologies showcased [at xTechPacific] will not only serve the Army, but also benefit society,” said Bartholomees. “Their dual-use applications, ranging from disaster response to infrastructure security, demonstrate how military innovation drives national progress and resilience.”
Story by SSG Alvin Conley
25th Infantry Division
