US, Japan, Australia test AI and ‘kill web’ during Yama Sakura exercise

CAMP ASAKA, Japan — U.S., Japanese and Australian ground forces are testing artificial intelligence, integrated sensors and other emerging technologies in a multinational command-post exercise aimed at improving how they fight across multiple domains.

The annual Yama Sakura exercise opened Wednesday at Camp Asaka, headquarters of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s Ground Component Command north of Tokyo. The drills involve about 6,180 troops and run through Thursday.

The exercise links command posts across Japan and the United States and focuses on operations spanning land, sea, air, space cyber, electromagnetic and information environments.

At the opening ceremony, U.S. Army I Corps commander Lt. Gen. Matthew McFarlane said troops would apply new capabilities during the training as the allies work to adapt to rapidly changing warfare.

“Our use of artificial intelligence is critical, ensuring our forces can adapt faster, that our leaders can maintain decision dominance, and that we all can integrate more seamlessly with our allies and partners,” he said.

Lt. Gen. Makoto Endo, head of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s Ground Component Command, speaks to reporters at the start of the annual Yama Sakura exercise at Camp Asaka, Japan, Sept. 2, 2026. (Jonathan Baez/Stars and Stripes)

U.S., Japanese and Australian soldiers stand in formation during the opening ceremony for the Yama Sakura exercise at Camp Asaka, Japan, Sept. 2, 2026. (Jonathan Baez/Stars and Stripes)

Troops are also integrating their sensors to create what McFarlane described to reporters as a “trilateral kill web.” The concept links sensors, command-and-control systems and weapons across the three forces so information about potential targets can move quickly among units.

Troops are also learning how each force’s emerging capabilities can complement those of the other participants, McFarlane said.

Lt. Gen. Makoto Endo, head of Japan’s Ground Component Command, reiterated that Yama Sakura will focus on integrating the three nations’ multidomain capabilities.

“Modern command-post operations require rapid and accurate decision-making, based on limited information and within limited time,” he said. “To achieve this, every member must understand his or her role and act proactively and with initiative.”

Australian Maj. Gen. Ash Collingburn, commander of the army’s 1st Division, described Yama Sakura as “first and foremost a warfighting rehearsal.”

“It is about building the capacity of our forces to operate together in a complex and contested environment,” he said. “This exercise gives us an important opportunity to test our command-and-control systems against a realistic, contemporary warfighting problem.”

Lt. Gen. Matthew McFarlane, commander of the U.S. Army’s I Corps, speaks to reporters at the start of the annual Yama Sakura exercise at Camp Asaka, Japan, Sept. 2, 2026. (Jonathan Baez/Stars and Stripes)

The training will test assumptions about joint force entry operations, multidomain operations, long-range strikes and maneuver, Collingburn said.

Emerging technology is changing the character of warfare almost daily, he told reporters.

“We will employ these technologies in a simulated training environment and continue to test, learn and adapt,” he said.

The proliferation of drones and other surveillance and strike systems has raised questions about whether large formations can still maneuver effectively on increasingly transparent battlefields. In Ukraine, for example, widespread drone use has made movement by ground forces more difficult.

Collingburn rejected the idea that technology has made maneuver obsolete.

“People thought maneuver was dead in 1916 and by 1918 it was alive and well,” he said, referring to the shift from years of trench warfare to renewed movement late in World War I.

“I see things through a slightly different lens,” he added. “These technologies will enable maneuver when employed correctly.”