Seoul, 26 August (H.S.): The United States, South Korea and Japan are preparing for this year’s trilateral ‘Freedom Edge’ joint military exercise, the US Pacific Command (PACOM) confirmed on Wednesday. The development comes at a time when Washington and Seoul have scaled back the scope of some of their joint military drills following directives from US President Donald Trump.

According to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, PACOM spokesperson Lieutenant Commander Chloe Morgan said the US Pacific Command was working with the Japan Self-Defense Forces and South Korean armed forces to prepare for ‘Freedom Edge 2026’.

She said the exercise would be a major multi-domain drill aimed at reinforcing shared values among the three countries, enhancing military interoperability and strengthening defence cooperation to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

However, the US command did not clarify whether this year’s exercise would be conducted on the same large scale as the previous three editions or whether its size and duration would be modified.

The ‘Freedom Edge’ exercise was one of the key outcomes of the Camp David summit held by the leaders of the United States, South Korea and Japan in August 2023. It was intended to further institutionalise trilateral security cooperation among the three countries.

This year’s exercise is being closely watched because the United States and South Korea have reduced the duration and scale of their bilateral ‘Ulchi Freedom Shield’ exercise following directions from the Trump administration. Trump had previously described such drills as potentially sending an inappropriate and hostile message to North Korea.

North Korea has consistently opposed US-South Korean military exercises. Pyongyang views the drills as preparations for an attack and rejects the allies’ assertion that they are purely defensive in nature.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, has previously described such military exercises as irresponsible demonstrations of force and warned of serious consequences.

Meanwhile, Pak Jong-chon, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party of Korea, described ‘Freedom Edge’ last September as a military drill linked to preparations for aggression and warned of a strong response.

Previous editions of ‘Freedom Edge’ were conducted in international waters around Jeju, a southern island of South Korea. The exact scale, duration and operational area of this year’s exercise have yet to be disclosed.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar