As commander of the Theater Army Field Support Brigade for Army Sustainment Command in the Indo-Pacific, Sugai leads sustainment integration efforts across multiple commands and locations during one of the largest multinational training events in the region. This rare photo captures an AFSB TOC fully operational in support of a joint exercise, emphasizing the brigade’s expeditionary posture and forward command capability.
FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii (July 16, 2025)
U.S. Army photo by Aaron DeCapua VIEW ORIGINAL
![Talisman Sabre 2025] Logistics Load Operations in Australia](https://api.army.mil/e2/c/images/2025/09/16/53ee53c4/original.jpg)
FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii — The 402nd Army Field Support Brigade (AFSB) reinforced its role as the Indo-Pacific’s Theater Army Field Support Brigade (TAFSB) by projecting enterprise sustainment capabilities across multiple countries during Talisman Sabre 25 (TS25) - a multinational, large-scale exercise led by the Australian Defence Force and supported by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
To support the exercise, the 402nd AFSB established a multi-nodal command and control architecture, operating through a forward element embedded in the Combined Joint Theater Sustainment Command (CJTSC) in Brisbane, Australia; an expeditionary tactical operations center (TOC) at Schofield Barracks; and a brigade headquarters current operations information center (COIC) at Fort Shafter, Hawaii. These efforts enabled strategic synchronization of Army Materiel Command (AMC) enterprise support to U.S. and allied forces across the region.
“Preparing the 402nd AFSB to support Talisman Sabre 25 presented a unique set of planning priorities,” said Jennifer Stager, chief of the brigade’s S3 Training Readiness and Exercises (TREX) section. “In addition to working with our USARPAC and 8th TSC partners, we focused on integrating with Australian Defence Force counterparts, the CJTSC, and forward liaisons. The 402nd remained ready to support all levels of effort through proactive and collaborative planning.”
A key component of that support came from the brigade’s Logistics Support Element (Division), or LSE(D), positioned in Townsville, Australia. Led by 402nd personnel, this team managed forward coordination with Life Cycle Management Commands (LCMCs), including Joint Munitions Command (JMC), U.S. Army TACOM, and CECOM. These commands provided Logistics Assistance Representatives (LARs), Field Service Representatives (FSRs), and Quality Assurance Specialists Ammunition Surveillance (QASAS) to ensure maintenance, supply, and system readiness throughout the exercise.
“Our LSE(D) and LNO teams allowed us to create the demand signal for critical commodities - Class V, I, IX - and maintenance support forward of the international date line,” said Maj. Matthew Loellke, deputy S3. “We conducted deliberate planning through the military decision-making process and prioritized deployable Forward Repair Activities (FRAs) that could be transported by air, ensuring responsiveness in austere environments.”
The brigade’s expeditionary TOC at Schofield Barracks enhanced command-and-control redundancy and demonstrated the 402nd’s ability to maintain operational flexibility across geographically dispersed sustainment nodes. Loellke emphasized that embedded liaison officers (LNOs) in Brisbane with the CJTSC proved essential for real-time sustainment integration.
“By studying the 8th TSC’s battle rhythm, integrating ours, and deploying LNOs forward with the CJTSC, we were able to maintain enterprise connectivity and act as a reliable enabler,” he said. “TS25 validated our ability to support multinational operations while remaining flexible in the face of a rapidly evolving mission scope.”
An innovation that strengthened situational awareness across these nodes was the Maven Smart System (MSS) - an AI-powered platform originally developed by the Department of Defense to accelerate intelligence analysis and targeting workflows. While its roots lie in geospatial processing and sensor fusion for fires and situational awareness, Maven has since been adapted for logistics support, emergency response, and operational planning.
During TS25, the 402nd used Maven to integrate logistics and sustainment inputs - such as supply flow, equipment readiness, and maintenance activity - into a real-time Common Operating Picture (COP), giving planners an intuitive tool to track enterprise sustainment actions across the battlespace.
“At the end of the exercise, we successfully integrated MAVEN as a common operating picture tool,” said Loellke. “It gave our team the visibility needed to track enterprise sustainment actions across dispersed locations - exactly the type of mission the 402nd is built for.”
From theater visualization and LCMC integration to AI-driven sustainment tracking and forward support, TS25 reaffirmed the 402nd AFSB’s ability to deliver responsive, combat-ready logistics across the Indo-Pacific - strengthening joint readiness and deepening interoperability with allied partners.
The 402nd ensures that Soldiers have the equipment, repairs, and supplies they need - no matter where they are in the Pacific.
Efforts like these ensure America’s forces can respond to any crisis, maintain peace, and reassure our allies in a rapidly changing region.
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