Personnel from the U.S. Army Pacific's 18th Theater Medical Command (TMC) arrived in Banten Province on the island of Java to serve as the Army Forces Headquarters (ARFOR HQ) for Exercise Trident Resolve 2026, Sept. 20-26.
Co-hosted by the United States and Indonesia, XTR 26 is the first field training exercise under the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers Meeting-
Plus (ADMM-Plus) framework to integrate three Experts’ Working Groups: Military Medicine, Cybersecurity, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR).
"Trident Resolve 2026 is a tremendous opportunity for us to advance vital health security cooperation and enhance joint interoperability," said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. E. Darrin Cox, commanding general of the 18th TMC and co-chair of the Military Medicine Experts’ Working Group. “Over the next week, the 18th TMC, alongside our Army augmentees and sister services, will strengthen critical bonds with ASEAN partners, ensuring our collective medical, cyber and disaster response forces are prepared to prevail in the face of regional crises.”
As the lead unit for USARPAC during the exercise, the 18th TMC is responsible for the command, control and coordination of all participating U.S. Army forces and individual
augmentees. The ARFOR HQ is also supported by key regional enablers, including I Corps, the 62nd Medical Brigade and the 8th Theater Sustainment Command.
During the exercise, TR26 participants will simulate a multinational response to an earthquake and tsunami in western Indonesia. Concurrently, joint and combined forces will deliver real-world infrastructure and community health projects, including public health screenings, facility renovations and infectious disease subject matter exchanges that will directly benefit local communities.
Participating nations include the 11 ASEAN member states and key ADMM-Plus dialogue partners, including Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, among others.
Through multinational cooperation and innovation, Trident Resolve 2026 reinforces the enduring U.S. commitment to ASEAN centrality and a free, open and resilient Pacific. The exercise exemplifies USARPAC’s focus on investing in people, strengthening partnerships, prevailing in crisis, and driving continuous transformation across the region.
U.S. participants include service members assigned to the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and Hawaii National Guard supporting its Hawii State Partnership Program: United States Pacific Command (PACOM), 51st Medical Group, 374th Medical Group, Pacific Air Forces, 62nd Medical Brigade, Navy Environmental and Preventative Medicine Unit Six, 130th Engineer Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, Hawaii Medical Readiness Detachment, and 298th Multi-Functional Training Regiment.