Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States completed the third iteration of their trilateral multi-domain exercise, “Freedom Edge 25”, which ran from September 15 to 19.
In a statement, the US Navy said the exercise expanded on previous trilateral drills to enhance capabilities across multiple domains.
The five-day exercise incorporated air and maritime training with cyber warfare and special operations to further enhance multi-domain capabilities.
The drills included ballistic missile defence, defensive counter-air, anti-surface warfare, and maritime interdiction operations.
The stated goal of the exercise was to promote the three nations' shared commitment to “security and freedom” on the Korean Peninsula and throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
US Air Force Colonel Craig Rumble, the lead planner for the exercise, stated that "Freedom Edge" is a continuing effort among the three nations to make information sharing and interoperability "routine, repeatable, and real". He added that the exercise, "turns policy into procedures, and procedures into muscle memory".