MAKO Sentry 2025-2: Generating Warfighting Capability and Lethality in the Pacific

18 April 2025

From Capt. Christopher Lopez, U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs

CORONADO, Calif. – Over 300 Navy Reserve Component Sailors on staff at U.S. Pacific Fleet (PACFLT), U.S. 7th Fleet, U.S. 3rd Fleet and U.S. 10th Fleet participated in MAKO Sentry 2025-2 in Coronado, California, and other Department of Defense locations including Norfolk, Virginia, Denver, Colorado, Fort Worth, Texas, and Los Angeles, April 10–13.

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Vice Adm. John Wade, commander, U.S. Third Fleet, delivers remarks at the Navy Reserve Operational Level of War (OLW) Center of Excellence during Exercise MAKO Global 2025 onboard Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, Apr. 11, 2025. The MAKO series provides Reserve Sailors and officers hands-on experience within an OLW exercise, including a Maritime Operations Center (MOC) scenarios to better prepare and support the active-duty component during missions and real-world situations. An integral part of U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. 3rd Fleet operates naval forces in the Indo-Pacific and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary to execute the U.S. Navy’s role across the full spectrum of military operations - from combat operations to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Madysson Ritter)

“MAKO is essential for honing skills that enable seamless integration with active duty at the operational level of war,” said Chief of Navy Reserve Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore while addressing the group of 325 participants. “As the Reserve Force trains to mass mobilize up to 50,000 Sailors within 30 days, this training event ensures those Sailors are warfighting ready on day one.”

Most Sailors participated from Expeditionary Warfare Training Group, Pacific, on Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, Calif. – located in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations. “Our Navy exists to deter and prevent conflict, but we must also be ready to respond to crises and contingencies,” said Vice Adm. John Wade, commander of U.S. 3rd Fleet. “The Navy Reserve provides strategic depth to our operational forces. Training events like MAKO are essential to building and sustaining our warfighting readiness.”

MAKO Sentry 2025-2 is the second Navy reserve component-led training event in fiscal year 2025 that focuses on increasing the readiness of U.S. fleets in the Indo Pacific area of responsibility. The main objective of MAKO is training reservists to ‘fight from the Maritime Operations Centers (MOCs)’ as a team, which is a key component of the Navy’s strategic guidance. Sailors across the Navy enterprise train together like they would fight together in a high-end conflict – from a MOC. Additionally, for the first time, information warfare Sailors participated from six locations to exercise the systems and processes they would use in an actual crisis – from the sites where they would be located. This made the training scenarios more realistic than previous iterations of MAKO.

Navy reserve units and specialties have always trained well, but rarely together – or as a complete team. “In football, that’s like the quarterback not practicing with the receivers or offensive line until game day – which no good coach would do,” said Rear Adm. Kenneth Blackmon, vice commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command. “The MAKO series is a game changer for the Navy Reserves, as it enables Sailors across all designators and rates to train together in the same way we would operate together in a MOC in a time of crisis or conflict.”

At PACFLT, warfighting readiness is driven by a comprehensive, data driven metric for each Sailor. This includes MOC simulations (like MAKO), specific job qualification requirements, on-the-job training in a Sailor’s mobilization position, medical and administrative readiness, academics, etc. This framework helps reserve component leaders develop individual training plans for each Sailor that prioritizes time, funding, and effort toward activities that directly contribute to their warfighting readiness. “We saw a significant bump in warfighting readiness following this MAKO event, which indicates an exceptional return on investment,” said Rear Adm. Eric Ruttenberg, reserve deputy commander of PACFLT. “This assures our active-duty counterparts and fleet commanders that we are laying the foundation, generating and sustaining the competencies needed to make warfighting from the MOC a reality in times of competition and conflict.”