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South Korea, U.S., Japan set to hold trilateral Freedom Edge drills in September

Published: 10 Jul. 2025, 14:57 Updated: 10 Jul. 2025, 18:40

Warships of South Korea, the United States and Japan, including the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, the South's destroyer ROKS Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong and Japan's destroyer JS Haguro, take part in the trilateral Freedom Edge exercise in international waters south of Jeju on Nov. 13, 2024. [NEWS1]

South Korea, the United States and Japan plan to hold their multi-domain Freedom Edge exercise in September, sources said Thursday, amid efforts by the three sides to continue their trilateral security cooperation.

The top generals of the three countries are expected to discuss the plan in their Trilateral Chiefs of Defense (Tri-Chod) gathering scheduled to take place at South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff headquarters on Friday, according to the sources.

If finalized, it would mark the third round of the trilateral exercise aimed at enhancing their interoperability across domains, including air, maritime, underwater and cyber amid joint efforts to better deter and respond to North Korea's provocations.

The exercise, which takes its name from key bilateral exercises the United States holds with the Asian neighbors -- Freedom Shield with South Korea and Keen Edge with Japan -- kicked off in June last year. The three sides conducted the second round of the exercise in November.

In addition to the exercise, top military officers are expected to discuss their security cooperation and North Korea's threats during Friday's meeting, which will be attended by Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Gen. Dan Caine and Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida, respectively.

Yonhap