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| Valiant Shield | |
|---|---|
| Name | Valiant Shield |
| Type | Exercise/Operation |
| Operator | United States Department of Defense |
| Location | Western Pacific |
| Dates | 2018–present |
Valiant Shield is a recurring United States Department of Defense exercise and contingency operation focused on integrated air, naval, and amphibious interoperability in the Western Pacific. It involves joint participation by the United States Pacific Command, United States Indo-Pacific Command, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, United States Air Force, and elements of the United States Army, alongside coordination with regional partners and allies. The operation emphasizes combined-arms training, command-and-control interoperability, and high-end lethality against contested anti-access/area-denial threats.
Valiant Shield centers on large-scale maneuvers intended to validate concepts developed by Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Maritime Strategy, and AirSea Battle proponents. Planners reference doctrinal documents such as the National Defense Strategy (2018), National Security Strategy (2017), and guidance from the Department of Defense and Office of the Secretary of Defense. Exercises integrate platforms and systems fielded by Aircraft carriers, Amphibious assault ships, Destroyer Squadron 15, Carrier Strike Group 5, Carrier Strike Group 1, Pacific Air Forces, Fifth Air Force, and theater enablers from Seventh Fleet. Training scenarios draw on historical case studies including the Battle of the Coral Sea, Battle of Midway, and Cold War-era planning like Operation Teapot and Able Archer 83 to stress test crisis-response frameworks.
Initial iterations of Valiant Shield were staged to validate joint force concepts in the aftermath of the Asia-Pacific rebalance and amid tensions influenced by the rise of the People's Republic of China and the North Korea nuclear program. Early exercises involved coordination with Joint Task Force 505, Task Force 76, and coalition elements from Japan Self-Defense Forces, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, Republic of Korea Armed Forces, and occasional observers from Philippine Navy and Royal Canadian Navy. Over successive cycles, Valiant Shield adapted to incorporate lessons from Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Inherent Resolve, while also aligning with multinational frameworks such as Quadrilateral Security Dialogue consultations and trilateral talks like the Japan–United States–Australia trilateral.
Valiant Shield routinely conducts combined air strikes, anti-submarine warfare, ballistic missile defense exercises, and amphibious landing rehearsals coordinated with communications suites like Link 16, MQ-9 Reaper unmanned integration, and electronic warfare platforms such as EA-18G Growler and EC-130H Compass Call. Maneuvers include carrier qualifications, live-fire events with Tomahawk cruise missiles, naval gunfire support with Mark 45 guns, and anti-ship missile drills involving Harpoon and testing of countermeasures related to PLA Navy capabilities observed in exercises like RIMPAC and Cobra Gold. Air operations feature fourth- and fifth-generation fighters including F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II, F/A-18 Super Hornet, and support from E-2D Hawkeye and KC-135 Stratotanker tankers. Amphibious components practice forcible entry doctrine with Landing Craft Air Cushion and MV-22 Osprey tiltrotors operating from Wasp-class amphibious assault ship and America-class amphibious assault ship decks.
Valiant Shield integrates surface combatants like Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, Ticonderoga-class cruiser, and Zumwalt-class destroyer experimental concepts, alongside Los Angeles-class submarine, Virginia-class submarine, and Ohio-class guided-missile submarine assets. Airborne sensors include P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and B-1 Lancer and B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers in show-of-force roles. Command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities leverage systems tied to Global Positioning System, Space Surveillance Network, and Defense Satellite Communications System links. Logistics and sustainment are provided by Military Sealift Command, Naval Supply Systems Command, and Defense Logistics Agency support, with medical and casualty evacuation assets from USNS Mercy and Hospital Ship USNS Comfort doctrines informing scenarios.
Operational command is exercised through task organizations such as Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet, and designated joint task force headquarters modeled on Joint Task Force constructs. Tactical control flows between carrier strike group commanders, expeditionary strike group leaders, and component commanders from Pacific Air Forces and U.S. Army Pacific. Interoperability is enhanced by liaison roles including Defense Attaché Office personnel, combined staff exchanges patterned after Allied Joint Doctrine, and coordination with multinational entities like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization liaison offices and bilateral coordination centers such as the Japan–U.S. Security Consultative Committee.
Valiant Shield has been cited in policy debates over deterrence posture in the Indo-Pacific, referenced by analysts from Center for Strategic and International Studies, RAND Corporation, Brookings Institution, and regional think tanks like Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and Lowy Institute. Advocates argue it strengthens collective defense and crisis response capacity in alignment with U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security and U.S.-Republic of Korea Mutual Defense Treaty commitments, while critics raise concerns over escalation with the People's Republic of China and implications for South China Sea disputes, drawing comparisons to flashpoints such as the Senkaku Islands dispute, Scarborough Shoal standoff, and Taiwan Strait tensions. Transparency advocates call for clearer metrics akin to those proposed by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and International Institute for Strategic Studies to assess expenditure, readiness, and strategic signaling.
Category:Military exercises