From the Drop Zone to the Ocean: Tropic Lightning Sets the Stage for Maritime Air Assault at JPMRC 27-01

Official Statements

• 25th Infantry Division, November 8: “SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii — Operations across the Hawaiian archipelago are rapidly escalating as the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) Rotation 27-01 pushes thousands of U.S. and multinational forces to their physical and tactical limits.

  Following the 11th Airborne Division’s successful 3,000-mile airborne insertion of approximately 300 paratroopers from Alaska to the Island of Hawaiʻi, the 25th Infantry Division and its partners have now aggressively transitioned into a grueling, multi-battalion ground fight.

  “This exercise demonstrates our ability to rapidly marshal and deploy from two separate intermediate staging bases on two separate continents,” said Lt. Col. May Nederhoed, director of public affairs for 11th Airborne Division. “We project combat power across US Pacom and for Arctic Aloha, it's a great opportunity to test our integration with I Corps and the 25th Infantry Division at all operational and tactical levels.”

  With the drop zones secured, forces are now moving under the cover of darkness and strict electronic emission control to set the conditions for the next major operational milestone: a Long-Range Maritime Air Assault (LRMAA) scheduled later in the exercise.

  Connecting these complex maneuvers across hundreds of miles of open ocean requires immense stamina and deliberate logistical staging. Aviation and sustainment elements are actively managing distributed arming and refueling nodes across the island chain, ensuring the joint force remains supplied and ready to fight over time and distance without telegraphing their positions.

  Operating quietly in the background of JPMRC is the Lightning Surge 6 exercise, which continues to validate the division’s modernized, resilient communication networks. To survive in a modern environment saturated with electronic surveillance, Light Fighters are utilizing tactical mesh radios and secure, unclassified data layers.

  “We're one of two next-gen C2 enabled divisions currently. Our cloud-based architecture pushes a good amount of compute from brigades down to the company level,” said Maj. Gen. Jeff VanAntwerp, Commanding General of the 25th Infantry Division.

  He emphasized that the division's shift away from an older, localized "troops in contact" mentality to a large-scale, dispersed force-on-force mindset relies heavily on modernized networks. Previously, the division used basic mesh radios and off-the-shelf devices; now, they are integrating a secure data layer that adds significant computing power and Super-Intelligence decision-making aids directly to the tactical edge, accelerating the speed of action without overwhelming the front-line commander.

  With this network established, allied forces are integrating seamlessly. Yesterday, Republic of Korea Army reconnaissance teams infiltrated the Big Island via New Zealand aircraft, successfully observing the drop zones and setting the stage for the massive air assaults to follow.

  “We are operating within the area where we wish to deter, and so the partnerships that we have grown over time are really long-term, solid partnerships,” said Col. Aidan Shattock, the 25th Infantry Division’s deputy commander for interoperability and a New Zealand Army officer. “We keep those partnerships going through our pathways activities, allowing us to progress together.”

  He noted that effective deterrence relies on building interoperability long before a crisis occurs, focusing on secure communications, coordinated precision strikes, shared intelligence, and mutual sustainment. By integrating early with Pacific partners and allies, the division avoids the fatal mistake of meeting partners for the first time on the battlefield, ensuring both medical and logistical support systems can endure side-by-side.

  As the sun sets tonight, the focus shifts entirely to the aviation and infantry elements executing the LRMAA. Flying over the Pacific, elements of the 2nd Mobile Brigade will be inserted deep into contested terrain by the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade.

  About the 25th Infantry Division: The 25th Infantry Division, "Tropic Lightning," is America's Pacific Division, headquartered at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. As the premier land force in the Pacific, the 25th ID provides combat-ready forces capable of conducting decisive operations across the Indo-Pacific. Through rigorous training and close partnerships with allies and the Joint Force, the division remains committed to warfighting excellence, regional stability, and being a responsible steward of the ‘āina and our local communities across the State of Hawaii.”