World News | US, South Korea, Japan Kick off 3-way Military Exercise
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. The US, South Korea, and Japan launched a five-day trilateral "Freedom Edge" military exercise near Jeju Island. The defensive drills proceed on schedule to deter North Korean threats, even as separate bilateral US-South Korean exercises were recently scaled back by President Trump.
Seoul [South Korea], September 7 (ANI): The United States, South Korea and Japan commenced a five-day trilateral military exercise on Monday, proceeding as planned despite recent reductions to key Seoul-Washington exercises following directives from US President Donald Trump.
The multidomain Freedom Edge exercise initiated operations in international waters located east and south of Jeju Island, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced via an official press release.
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“The three nations will leverage the drills to enhance operational capabilities and joint response capabilities across multiple domains, including maritime, air and cyber, while maintaining a robust and stable cooperative relationship,” the JCS stated.
The manoeuvres deploy major naval and aerial units belonging to the armed forces of all three governments, supervised by a collective exercise control group established to ensure systematic and secure execution, the Korean military reported, as cited by Yonhap news agency.
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The JCS emphasised that the exercise represents an annual defensive operation organised under international legal frameworks and norms.
“It is aimed at enhancing deterrence and response capabilities against North Korean nuclear and missile threats, while safeguarding regional peace and stability,” it added.
Marking its fourth iteration since commencing in June 2024, the current instalment of Freedom Edge proceeds on schedule despite the reduction by half last month of the bilateral Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise between Washington and Seoul, according to Yonhap news agency reports.
The UFS adjustments occurred following orders from Trump scaling back manoeuvres as a gesture towards Pyongyang, which consistently condemns allied exercises as invasion rehearsals.
Although Monday's official statement omitted specific details regarding participating hardware, a JCS official previously confirmed that the current exercise matches previous iterations in operational scope and scale, as detailed by Yonhap news agency.
Earlier iterations of the Freedom Edge series took place in November 2024 and September of the preceding year. (ANI)
(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)