South Korea, US, And Japan Launch First Trilateral Multi-Domain Exercise

Japan, the Republic of Korea, and United States began the inaugural execution of exercise Freedom Edge, a trilateral multi-domain exercise, June 27. The execution of the exercise was announced at the Camp David Summit in August 2023 and at the Japan, ROK, and U.S. defense ministerial meeting, which took place in June during the Shangri-La Dialogue.

To promote trilateral interoperability

Freedom Edge expresses the will of Japan, ROK, and U.S. to promote trilateral interoperability and protect freedom for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, including the Korean Peninsula. Multiple ships and aircraft from Japan, ROK, and the U.S., participated in the exercise to include: Japan’s JS ISE, JS ATAGO, and P-1; Republic of Korea’s ROKS Seoae-Ryu-Seong-ryong, ROKS Kang-Gam-Chan, P-3, Lynx, and KF-16; and the United States’ USS Theodore Roosevelt, USS Halsey, USS Daniel Inouye, P-8, F/A-18, E-2D, and MH-60.

Focus on cooperative defence

The exercise will focus on cooperative Ballistic Missile Defense, Air Defense, Anti-Submarine Warfare, Search and Rescue, Maritime Interdiction, and Defensive Cyber training. Starting with this iteration, Japan, ROK, and U.S. will continue to expand the Freedom Edge exercise.

North Korean and Russia

Earlier, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a summit in Pyongyang, where they signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty that calls for military assistance if one of them is attacked.