Tropic Lightning Division Tests Communication Capabilities Under Combat Conditions

Leaning forward, his face smudged with camouflage paint, Army Maj. Nathan Sitterley analyzed data flowing across his laptop screen. From inside a tactical operations center at Schofield Barracks’ East Range, the battalion executive officer assigned to the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, tracked friendly forces and identified opposition forces on a large map display.  

For Sitterley and the soldiers assigned to the 2nd Mobile Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, this was where the Army’s ongoing operational evolution of its command-and-control systems met the friction of a live, tactical fight.

Exercise Nakoa Fleek served as the culminating training event for Lightning Surge 5, the 25th Infantry Division’s multiphase campaign to modernize its command-and-control architecture. While Lightning Surge focused on the strategic integration of new technologies, Nakoa Fleek was where these systems were employed in a tough, realistic environment — providing the opportunity to turn promising technology into a decisive combat capability. 

“The controlled environment gets you to the 50-yard line,” Sitterley said. “The last 50 yards happen out here, where you’re battling latency, power and connectivity issues right alongside the opposition force. This is where we forge a real combat capability.” 

The training was part of the ongoing campaign of the division, also known as the Tropic Lightning division, to support the Army’s scaling of converged and modernized command-and-control capabilities, improving decision speed and operational effectiveness under tough, realistic Pacific region training conditions. 

The exercise, which certified the Warrior Brigade ahead of future operations, was structured across three distinct battle periods. The first phase, which ran Sept. 14-17, focused on what planners call “enabling the fight.” During this period, soldiers, leaders and industry partners worked to integrate new communication gear, sensors and command-and-control nodes. 

The initial phase highlighted a fundamental lesson of modernization: what works perfectly in a lab environment must be validated in the dirt, with soldiers operating under tactical constraints. The most critical learning happened during what the brigade leaders called the “last tactical mile” of technology integration. 

That learning was evident as the soldiers moved into the second battle period, which focused on the main defensive fight and tactical maneuver. With the network established, the focus shifted to action. On Sept. 23, the exercise culminated in an air assault designed to test the brigade’s ability to synchronize complex operational elements under realistic conditions. For the soldiers, this was the moment when technology met tactics. 

“The goal is to get the right data to the right leader at the right time,” said Army Maj. Rebecca Borrebach, the division’s lead data engineer. “We’re validating our ability to push a common operating picture from the cloud to the tactical edge, even in a disconnected environment. It’s about giving the tactical units the situational awareness they need to make faster, better-informed decisions.” 

As the exercise transitioned into its final battle period, the focus shifted again, this time to the key lessons learned. A major takeaway has been the critical importance of the human dimension. 

“The feedback from the field is clear: if a soldier can’t figure it out quickly under pressure, it’s not a combat-effective tool,” said Army Maj. Jay Trexler, the division’s innovation officer. 

This iterative process of testing, gathering feedback and adapting was the exercise’s central theme and a core component of the Army’s broader modernization strategy. Building an effective and combat-credible force is not about a single, revolutionary piece of technology, but rather the steady evolution of people, processes and systems. 

“This is how we stay nested with the Army’s strategic direction,” said Army Col. Graham White, the 25th ID deputy commander of operations. “By focusing on an operational approach of where we were, where we are and what’s still missing, we ensure that we are not just testing equipment but are actively building the warfighting capabilities the Army and the joint force need to win in the Pacific.” 

As Exercise Nakoa Fleek concluded, the lessons learned are already shaping the next chapter of the Army’s modernization effort. The campaign will continue during Lightning Surge 6, a larger and more complex evaluation set to take place during next month’s Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center rotation.