Asia-Pacific

US, Japan, South Korea Set To Hold Fourth Freedom Edge Exercises

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The US says it is preparing for new trilateral military exercises with South Korea and Japan, the fourth iteration of the Freedom Edge drills since they launched in 2024. The exercises come amid increased North Korean weapons testing. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump scaled back bilateral drills with South Korea, saying they were hostile to Pyongyang. The US says the next trilateral exercises are intended to strengthen cooperation among the three militaries and help ensure peace in the Pacific. No further details have been released about the planned drills, including when or where they will take place or what they will involve.

Trilateral Military Exercises

REPORTER:  
The US says it’s preparing for trilateral drills with South Korea and Japan.

They would be the fourth iteration of Freedom Edge exercises since launching in 2024. The drills come amid increased North Korean weapons testing. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump scaled back two-way drills with South Korea, saying they were overly hostile to Pyongyang. The US says these next exercises aim to enhance cooperation between the three militaries and ensure peace in the Pacific. No further details have been released.

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US-South Korea-Japan Drills

REPORTER:  
The United States is preparing for annual trilateral drills with South Korea and Japan, despite recent cutbacks to similar drills.

The Freedom Edge exercise, as it’s known, was a key takeaway from the landmark 2023 Camp David summit. It was meant to boost 3-way defense cooperation amid increased North Korean weapons testing. However, earlier this month the US cut back on separate bilateral drills in the region, with Trump calling them costly and overly hostile to Pyongyang. South Korea gave no further details about this year's Freedom Edge exercise, including scope, location, or if there would be similar cuts in scale.