Members of National-Geospatial Intelligence U.S. Indo-Pacific Command simultaneously participated in exercises, Freedom Shield 2025 and Pacific Sentry 2025, to prepare NGA for potential global crises. 

“It is a critical opportunity to rehearse and assess intelligence capabilities and processes in a global conflict scenario, specifically against peer and near-peer adversaries through simultaneously executing seven linked combatant commands,” said an NGA USINDOPACOM team member.  

NGA USINDOPACOM members were part of the Joint Intelligence Fusion Cell and actively participated in battle rhythm events, intelligence working groups and Defense Intelligence Enterprise syncs to identify intelligence gaps and satisfy the joint force commander’s priority intelligence requirements through GEOINT collection, analysis and production capabilities. 
 

Freedom Shield 25 is a U.S. Forces Korea-level, defense-oriented exercise focused on fortifying response capabilities to safeguard security on the Korean peninsula. The joint, all-domain nature of FS25 challenges forces to respond to dynamic threats across ground, air, naval, space and cyber elements, enhancing combat readiness and ensuring that both nations are prepared for any crisis. 

Key events included a Freedom Shield 2025 concept brief, a visit to the Joint Security Area at the Demilitarized Zone, a Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff’s morale visit, and a special lecture from a North Korean defector, providing firsthand insights into the security landscape of the Korean Peninsula.

Freedom Shield is an 11-day exercise conducted by the Republic of Korea and the United States consisting of training to reflect the Korea Theater of Operations –— a combined, joint, multi-domain and interagency operating environment. The exercise runs March 10-21.

Freedom Shield 25 underscores the enduring military partnership between the ROK and the U.S. and is implemented in the spirit of the Oct. 1, 1953, ROK-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty and in support of the Armistice Agreement fortifying the combined defense posture and enhanced response capabilities. It reinforces the role of the alliance as the lynchpin for regional peace and security, reaffirming the ironclad commitment between the United States and the Republic of Korea to defend their homelands.

Pacific Sentry is a bi-annual command post exercise by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. It's designed to exercise USINDOPACOM headquarters staff and command components in a real-world, operational-level war scenario.

The exercise’s purpose is to train warfighting capabilities and concepts, identify potential gaps and logistical/force structure needs and train joint, ally and partner forces in the region.

Editor’s note: Portions of this article were taken from multiple Defense Department articles.