The first trilateral multi-domain military drill on the Korean Peninsula has commenced with the participation of the United States, Japan, and South Korea, according to a report by news.
Named “Freedom Edge,” the three-day exercise began early Thursday on South Korea’s southern resort island of Jeju, as confirmed by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. The JCS emphasized that Freedom Edge underscores the commitment of the Republic of Korea, United States, and Japan to enhance trilateral interoperability and safeguard peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, including the Korean Peninsula.
Participants in the drill will focus on various military exercises such as ballistic missile defense, air defense, anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue operations, maritime interdiction, and defensive cyber training.
The exercise takes place amid heightened military activities on the Korean Peninsula, where both South Korea and North Korea are strengthening alliances with Western powers and Russia.
The agreement to conduct this inaugural trilateral drill was reached last August during the Camp David summit involving US President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. They agreed to hold regular, annual, and named multidomain trilateral exercises.
Participating assets include the US Navy’s nuclear-powered USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, South Korea’s ROKS Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong destroyer, and Japan’s JS Ise helicopter destroyer. The arrival of USS Theodore Roosevelt marks the first visit of a US aircraft carrier to South Korea in seven months, following the visit of USS Carl Vinson in November.
