Keen Sword 2025: Lockheed Martin Integrates Aegis for Faster Networked Fire Control Across Land and Maritime Forces.

According to information published by Lockheed Martin on January 29, 2025, the Keen Sword exercise near mainland Japan provided a critical testbed for validating the role of the Virtualized Aegis Weapon System (VAWS) in a networked, multi-domain fires environment.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

The Virtualized Aegis Weapon System (VAWS) integrates seamlessly with joint fire control networks during Keen Sword, demonstrating advanced CJADC2-enabled long-range strike coordination between U.S. and JSDF maritime and land forces. (Picture source: Samantha Rosales)

By integrating Aegis with joint U.S. and Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) fire control systems, the exercise demonstrated key advancements in Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2), particularly in accelerating kill-chain processes and enhancing cross-domain targeting interoperability.

Aegis' role in Keen Sword focused on fire control automation and digital C2 integration across maritime and land domains. Traditionally, long-range fires coordination across service branches relies on manual processes, introducing latency in targeting cycles. VAWS eliminated these inefficiencies by establishing a direct, digital fire control interface with the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS). This integration allowed for the near-instantaneous transmission of engagement orders and targeting data between naval and ground units, ensuring that sensor-derived information was processed and acted upon in real time.

A key scenario within the exercise involved VAWS supporting the 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF) in executing a simulated land-based strike coordinated with naval assets. This demonstrated the ability to process and distribute C2 data across disparate fire control networks, aligning land- and sea-based targeting capabilities into a unified strike package. The ability of Aegis to ingest targeting inputs from multiple domains and seamlessly transmit engagement orders without service-specific barriers reinforced its role as a cross-domain integrator within a CJADC2 architecture.

From a strategic perspective, the application of Aegis in Keen Sword represents an evolution in distributed fires doctrine. Modern peer threats emphasize contested battlespaces where rapid, resilient targeting networks determine operational advantage. By leveraging a software-defined, virtualized battle management system, the exercise validated a framework where Aegis can function as an expeditionary control node, extending beyond its traditional maritime role to enable synchronized land-sea engagements. This shift aligns with emerging Indo-Pacific operational requirements, where allied forces must maintain persistent targeting and engagement capabilities across a dispersed, multi-domain battlespace.

The integration of Aegis also underscores a broader doctrinal shift toward decentralized, network-centric fires. As adversaries develop counter-C2 strategies aimed at disrupting centralized battle management architectures, survivability hinges on the ability to distribute fire control functions across a resilient, multi-node network. VAWS' ability to rapidly integrate into joint and coalition architectures demonstrates an approach where command and control is no longer tied to single-domain assets but rather exists as a fluid, software-driven capability that can be extended across platforms and services.

Keen Sword’s implementation of CJADC2-aligned fires coordination serves as a precursor to more extensive coalition integration in the region. The successful demonstration of VAWS at Keen Sword reinforces the viability of integrated, multi-domain fire control as a key enabler in maintaining strategic deterrence and operational superiority in the Indo-Pacific.