Japan and US to hold massive military drills near Russia and North Korea
Photo: The US and Japan conduct the Freedom Edge military exercise (wikimedia.org)
The annual trilateral military exercises Freedom Edge, involving the armed forces of South Korea, the United States, and Japan, will take place from September 15 to 19 near the coasts of North Korea and Russia, Yonhap reports.
According to the media outlet, the participants plan to strengthen “operational capabilities in areas including the sea, air, and cyberspace,” as well as “enhance their interoperability to maintain a solid and stable trilateral cooperation.”
The Freedom Edge exercises are being held for the third time, with the first taking place in June 2024. The exercises are always aimed at deepening security cooperation amid North Korea’s military threats.
North Korea has already claimed that the joint US-South Korea military exercises demonstrate Washington’s intent to occupy the Korean Peninsula and allegedly target rival countries in the region.
Freedom Edge exercises
Previous international Freedom Edge exercises were held in November of last year in international waters south of South Korea’s resort island of Jeju.
In the second round of Freedom Edge exercises, various naval ships and aircraft participated, including the US aircraft carrier George Washington, the South Korean ROKS Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong destroyer, and Japan's JS Haguro destroyer.
The exercises will cover a number of areas, including air defense, missile defense, anti-submarine warfare, maritime interdiction, and cyber defense.
