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KOTA BELUD, Malaysia — In rugged jungle terrain and steep mountains, U.S., Malaysian and Australian forces are using Exercise Keris Strike 26 to test a mobile, multinational approach to combat training—and to take a step toward establishing a permanent Regional Combat Training Centre in Malaysia.
At the center of the effort is the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center, a deployable training enterprise designed to bring combat training center doctrine directly into the Indo-Pacific. U.S. Army Lt. Col. Joseph Palilo, a commander within the 196th Infantry Brigade and the task force senior leader on the ground, said the setup delivers many of the same benefits as fixed installations such as the National Training Center in California and the Joint Readiness Training Center in Louisiana. “There are more tools, gizmos and toys at NTC and JRTC, but they don’t really go anywhere,” said Palilo. “We can literally pick this up, find a place on the ground, and execute a [Combat Training Center] for the training audience.”
The exportable package integrates data, instrumentation and self-assessment tools to tailor training to the region and the environment. A key enabler is the Joint Readiness Reserve Initiative, which blends active-duty, National Guard and Army Reserve formations. At Keris Strike 26, that mix includes the Oklahoma and Guam National Guard and a U.S. Army Reserve Public Affairs Detachment training alongside international allies. “It just strengthens the fact that you need to fight multinationally,” said Palilo. “You just can’t fight alone.”
Beyond strategy and structure, the drills are producing immediate tactical lessons. Rather than a scripted opposition force, U.S. Soldiers are adapting to partners’ tactics—drawing on Malaysian and Australian jungle-warfare experience to refine how American units operate in dense, tropical terrain. “[The Malaysians] just do things differently,” said Palilo. Their problem-solving approaches, he added, are challenging U.S. troops to think more complexly and creatively.
Army leaders view Keris Strike 26 as a demonstration of how land forces can operationalize integrated deterrence in the region. By embedding high-tech training systems with a partner nation, JPMRC is anchoring realistic, theater-specific training in the Indo-Pacific.
