Brig. Gen. Michael Smith, INDOPACOM's director for C4 and cyber, told TechNet Indo-Pacific in Honolulu on 29 October that 2026 was the first year in which US forces and allies ran warfighting applications multilaterally on a single common operational picture, and that Japanese partners used the Maven Smart System for the first time, contributing to joint strikes and closing kill chains. The backbone is the PACOM Mission Network; at Yama Sakura 91 in September the US, Japan and Australia processed 200 digital fire missions in a day.
First multilateral operation on the PACOM Mission Network
According to Smith, the PMN is a zero-trust network spanning classification levels that has widened data sharing from bilateral to multilateral. Deputy commander Lt. Gen. George Rowell said that over the past year 17 exercises were run in nine host nations with 35 countries, using common tools, common data flows and language translation for the first time, and that assured command and control is inseparable from the concept of deterrence in the Pacific. The use of Maven was presented as a case of allies sharing AI-enabled target processing on this common backbone.
Two hundred digital fire missions a day at Yama Sakura 91
In the account of Gen. Ronald Clark of US Army Pacific, reported by AFCEA's SIGNAL on 27 October, the nine-day Yama Sakura 91 that ended on 10 September saw the PMN enable real-time trilateral fires among the US, Japan and Australia, with 200 digital fire missions processed on day six. Maven was scaled on day five, and the 25th Infantry Division printed 45 drones a week. Japan's use can therefore be read as already embedded in the fire-coordination workflow, at least in an exercise setting.
A placement in Japanese operations that awaits Tokyo's account
No Japanese-language coverage or Ministry of Defense statement on these remarks had been found by 1 November. Reports in August described the ministry as still considering Maven for command and control. Whether this first use was an exercise-bound trial or the start of routine use in joint fire coordination will therefore be settled only by Japan's own account. Sharing AI-enabled target processing on an allied common backbone touches on information security, rules of engagement and where decisions on the use of force sit under domestic law, making it a likely subject for parliamentary explanation.
Sources
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- 1
Bilateral no more: PACOM officials highlight multi-national data sharing network
Source checked 2 Nov 2026
Breaking Defense · External site - 2
USARPAC, Allies Deploy Long-Awaited PACOM Mission Network
Source checked 2 Nov 2026
AFCEA SIGNAL · External site
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AI & Security Observatory（2026-10-29）「米インド太平洋軍、日本が初めてMaven Smart Systemを使い統合打撃に貢献と説明 日米豪が単一の共通作戦画面で連接」『AI & Security Observatory』、第1.0版、最終更新2026-11-02。https://ai-security-observatory.org/ja/brief/brief-20261102-06/
AI & Security Observatory (2026-10-29). INDOPACOM says Japan used the Maven Smart System for the first time and contributed to joint strikes, as the US, Japan and Australia share a single common operational picture . AI & Security Observatory, version 1.0. Updated 2026-11-02. https://ai-security-observatory.org/en/brief/brief-20261102-06/
Version 1.0 · Publication date 29 Oct 2026 · Updated 2 Nov 2026
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