South Korea, US, Japan to Hold 'Freedom Edge' Exercise East-South of Jeju from September 7–11

South Korea, the United States, and Japan will conduct the multi-domain "2026 Freedom Edge" exercise in international waters east and south of Jeju from September 7 to 11.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced today (the 28th) that the upcoming exercise is an annual, defensive multi-domain exercise conducted by the three countries to respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and to safeguard regional peace and stability.

Freedom Edge, which takes place in waters around the Korean Peninsula to strengthen trilateral security cooperation, has been held three times previously: in June and November 2024, and in September of last year.

This upcoming exercise will take place approximately one year after the third exercise, which was held from September 15 to 19 of last year.

South Korea, the U.S., and Japan agreed to hold regular multi-domain exercises during the trilateral summit at Camp David in 2023.

Subsequently, the three countries' defense ministers announced the implementation of Freedom Edge in June of the following year.

Previous Freedom Edge exercises have included maritime missile defense, air and air defense exercises, anti-submarine warfare, and cyber defense training.

It is reported that this upcoming exercise will also feature content and levels similar to previous years.

This exercise will be held immediately after the U.S., while pursuing the resumption of dialogue with North Korea, significantly scaled down the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), this month.

Continuing the trilateral Freedom Edge exercise despite the scaling down of the bilateral UFS joint exercise is also interpreted as a demonstration of commitment to trilateral security cooperation.

Major Chloe Morgan, spokesperson for the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (PACOM), stated on the 26th, "We are preparing for the regular implementation of this year's Freedom Edge exercise."

Spokesperson Morgan explained, "The exercise will continue to solidify our shared values, enhance interoperability, and further strengthen our defense cooperative relationship to ensure peace and stability across the Pacific."

While the South Korean JCS emphasized the aspect of responding to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, some analyses have suggested that the U.S. places heavier weight on using trilateral cooperation, including Freedom Edge, to check against China.

However, as with the previous third Freedom Edge exercise, the possibility has been raised that a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier will not participate.

Amid the prolonged war in Iran, the Donald Trump administration recently redeployed the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington, previously stationed in Japan, to the Middle East.

As the USS George Washington moved to the Middle East, concerns have also emerged in some quarters regarding a security vacuum in the Northeast Asian region.

(Photo provided by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.