This summer, South Korea, Japan, and the United States have agreed to conduct a trilateral military exercise spanning aerial, naval, and cyber domains, marking the inception of a new multi-domain drill with the aim of showcasing their commitment to collective security and readiness in the face of evolving challenges.
At the sidelines of Asia’s largest defense summit, the Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore, South Korea’s Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, Japan’s Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin convened for a trilateral ministerial meeting. In a joint statement, the three defense ministers announced the launch of a new cross-domain trilateral exercise named “Freedom Edge,” which is set to be repeated in the years to come.
Local news outlets report that the Freedom Edge exercise will span multiple domains, including air, sea, underwater, space, and cyber. The name “Freedom Edge” is a fusion of two separate military drills conducted by South Korea and the U.S., namely “Freedom Shield,” and Japan and the U.S.’s annual exercise, “Keen Edge.”
The Readable contacted South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense to inquire about specific details regarding the Freedom Edge exercise, such as the date of its commencement. However, the ministry clarified that they are currently in discussions regarding the exercise’s specifics and thus unable to disclose further information at this time.
The three nations are deepening their collaboration, having initiated their inaugural joint aerial training in October of the previous year, followed by their first joint naval exercise in January of this year. This concerted effort aligns with the trilateral agreement reached last year, aimed at bolstering security cooperation in response to evolving threats, notably from North Korea. Following a summit at Camp David in August of the same year, the leaders of these nations declared their intention to conduct an “annual, named, multi-domain trilateral exercise” to fortify their collective defensive capabilities.
Furthermore, in a press release issued on June 2nd, the South Korean ministry announced that the three nations will engage in a trilateral tabletop exercise (TTX). This exercise aims to facilitate discussions on regional security challenges and formulate effective strategies to address the diverse threats confronting the Korean peninsula and the broader Indo-Pacific region. Additionally, the countries will collaborate on establishing a trilateral security cooperation framework within the year to formalize the details of their mutually beneficial relationship.
