U.S. soldiers from 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment fire an AT4 anti-tank weapon during Orient Shield at Kamifurano Training Area, Japan, Sept. 14, 2023. (Kalina Hyche/U.S. Army)

Thousands of American and Japanese soldiers have honed their multidomain skills across Japan this month, the commander of U.S. Army Pacific told reporters recently on the Japanese island of Hokkaido.

Orient Shield, which began Sept.

14 and ends Saturday, involves 1,200 U.S. soldiers training alongside 2,300 Japanese troops on Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s four main islands, and on its southern islands of Kyushu and Okinawa. The exercise gives soldiers practice in intelligence, information, cyber, electronic warfare and space operations.

“These exercises, and this training, and these rehearsals are critical to strengthening our alliance,” Gen.

Charles A. Flynn said Wednesday, according to the transcript of a press conference at Yausubetsu Training Area provided Thursday by U.S. Army Japan.

The 1st Multi-Domain Effects Battalion, based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., which Flynn described as a “targeting brain,” is taking part in the drills.

The battalion falls under U.S. Army Pacific’s 1st Multi-Domain Task Force and is building up to include 500 soldiers next year.

It includes sub-units individually focused on all the fields rehearsed during Orient Shield.

The battalion mission is to help U.S. forces enter and operate in strategic parts of the Indo-Pacific, its commander, Lt.

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