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The United States, Japan, and South Korea have completed a trilateral military exercise in the East China Sea.

What’s the deal: The trilateral exercise, dubbed “Freedom Edge 24-2,” was a large-scale military exercise conducted from November 13 to 15 in the East China Sea. The exercise included over 7,000 military personnel, seven warships, and more than 20 advanced aircraft from the United States, Japan, and South Korea. According to the Navy, the exercise focused on enhancing joint operational capabilities in key areas such as ballistic missile defense, air defense, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, maritime interdiction, and cyber defense.  

In a joint statement released by PACOM, “Freedom Edge demonstrates the defensive posture and unbreakable will of Japan, the ROK, and the U.S. to promote trilateral multi-domain interoperability, safeguard freedom and ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, including the Korean Peninsula.”

Assets involved: According to PACOM, the exercise involved a wide array of naval and aerial assets from the United States, ROK, and Japan. From the US, assets included the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, guided-missile destroyers USS McCampbell, USS Higgins, and USS Dewey, along with P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, F-35 Lightning II, F/A-18 Hornet fighters, and KC-135 Stratotankers.

The ROK contributed the destroyers ROKS Seoae-Ryu-Seong-ryong and ROKS Chungmugong-Yi-Sun-sin, alongside P-3 maritime patrol aircraft and advanced fighters such as the F-35 and F-15.

Japan brought the destroyer JS Haguro, P-3 aircraft, F-15 and F-2 fighters, and the E-767 airborne warning and control aircraft.