Under a U.S. Army contract, Anduril is developing a prototype AI-powered battle management system for the Western Pacific, using its Lattice platform to fuse data from disconnected sensors and effectors into a single, real-time operational picture capable of managing complex kill chains across the Indo-Pacific.

Lattice automatically tasks sensors in real time based on capability and time constraints, adjusting allocations as operations evolve; the system also incorporates simulation tools that let commanders test battlefield scenarios in a virtual environment before real-world deployment.

The effort is framed around deterrence in a region marked by persistent geopolitical tension; an AI command layer integrating sensors and systems across multiple domains is intended to strengthen allied defense coordination throughout the Western Pacific.

The USS Cleveland was commissioned Saturday in Cleveland, Ohio, becoming the 16th and final Freedom-class littoral combat ship (LCS) to enter service, closing out a 378-foot class that began with the USS Freedom in 2008 and was designed for fast, near-shore operations with flexible mission modules.

The Navy has been steadily decommissioning earlier LCS hulls as strategy shifted from coastal counterinsurgency to large-scale peer competition; several are already mothballed, though others have found purpose in drug interdiction and minesweeping, with a handful active near the Strait of Hormuz in support of Operation Epic Fury.

The Cleveland will homeport at Naval Station Mayport, Florida; it is the fourth Navy vessel named for the Ohio city, following a protected cruiser, a World War II light cruiser that saw extensive Pacific action, and an amphibious transport dock, which was decommissioned in 2011.

The U.S. Army announced the establishment of Multi-Domain Command-Pacific (MDC-PAC), a new two-star command formed by merging the 7th Infantry Division and the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF), with the transition set to begin in mid-June and MDTF soldiers "re-patching" into the 7th ID.

The command combines the 7th ID's two Stryker brigades and a combat aviation brigade with multidomain task force capabilities in fires, space, electronic warfare, cyber, and intelligence; Lt. Gen. Matthew McFarlane described it as a "long-range sense and strike division" capable of ranging effects across the entire joint operational area, not just a corps-level battlespace.

The announcement came at the 2026 Land Forces of the Pacific Symposium (LANPAC) in Hawaii, where Army leaders emphasized Indo-Pacific collaboration as critical to countering threats from China and North Korea; Exercise Balikatan 2026, which wrapped days prior, drew six partner nations including, for the first time, Australia, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, and France with troops on the ground.

Lockheed Martin received a $407.2 million Missile Defense Agency (MDA) contract modification to continue engineering, development, and certification work on the Aegis Guam missile defense system, bringing the total contract value from $1.53 billion to nearly $1.94 billion; work runs through December 2029 in New Jersey and Guam.

The modification expands an existing contract originally awarded in December 2022; it supports integration of advanced capabilities into the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense weapon system design for Guam, combining sensors, interceptors, and command-and-control technology designed to detect and defeat ballistic missile threats, with MDA having outlined incremental capability deliveries in fiscal 2026 and 2028.

Guam is a top missile defense priority given its role anchoring forward U.S. military operations across the Pacific; the system is designed to provide 360-degree protection against ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missile threats, and the program aligns with the broader Golden Dome initiative to integrate space-based sensors, terrestrial radars, and naval systems.

The U.S. Space Force awarded Northrop Grumman a $398 million firm-fixed-price contract, on a sole-source basis, to develop, build, launch, and operate the Enhanced Protected Tactical Satellite Communications-Prototype (Enhanced PTS-P), with deployment targeted no earlier than fiscal year 2030.

The program centers on validating the Protected Tactical Waveform (PTW), an encrypted communications technology that uses rapid frequency hopping and advanced coding to maintain connectivity when adversaries attempt to jam, intercept, or disrupt satellite links; Northrop will use its ESPAStar-HP satellite bus for the spacecraft, with demonstrations assessing how PTW performs in orbit and integrates with military ground systems and user terminals.

Initial funding obligations include $24 million in FY25 research and development funds and $78 million in FY26 R&D, with primary work performed in Redondo Beach, California, and Dulles, Virginia; Enhanced PTS-P is part of a broader Space Force push to develop resilient satellite communications for tactical users operating in denied or degraded environments.

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