S. Korea, U.S., Japan wrap up 1st trilateral ‘Freedom Edge’ exercise

SEOUL: South Korea, the United States and Japan are scheduled to conclude their first trilateral multidomian military exercise Saturday afternoon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, as the three countries looked to strengthen their deterrence against North Korean threats. Titled "Freedom Edge," the three-day exercise began Thursday in international waters south of South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju. Defense chiefs of the three nations had agreed to launch these drills earlier in June, in line with their leaders' agreement from last year. The drills mobilized various warships and aircraft from the three sides, including the U.S. Navy's USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, the South's ROKS Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong destroyer and Japan's JS Ise helicopter destroyer. "With Freedom Edge, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan enhanced our deterrence and response against North Korean nuclear and missile threats," the JCS said in a statement. "It was also significant that the three countries conducted cyber training together for the first time." The name of the exercise comes from bilateral exercises the U.S. holds regularly with the Asian neighbors -- Freedom Shield with South Korea and Keen Edge with Japan. The three have had combined maritime and aerial exercises before, but Freedom Edge was the first trilateral exercise held across multiple domains, including air, maritime, underwater and cyber. Source: Yonhap News Agency