Overview
- Pacific Dragon 2026, a U.S. 3rd Fleet–led biennial exercise, wrapped up on Aug. 15 after in-port and at-sea events around Kauai and the Pacific Missile Range Facility.
- The drill focused on tactical data link exchanges and coordinated ballistic missile defense scenarios to improve how allied and partner forces share tracking information and operate together.
- Participants included naval and air forces from the United States, Australia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea and first-time contributors Chile and Spain, with ships and patrol aircraft taking part.
- The Missile Defense Agency used simulated ballistic target events to collect live-tracking data, validate sensor performance and refine the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system in a realistic, multi-domain setting.
- PD26 showcased modern platforms such as the Flight III destroyer USS Jack H. Lucas with Baseline 10 and the AN/SPY-6 radar, a development that could speed integration of next-generation air and missile defenses across the Indo-Pacific.