On 15 September 2025, the Freedom Edge trilateral military exercise will start in which the armed forces of South Korea, the United States, and Japan participate in a five-day military operation at international waters off Jeju Island. It is the third round of the exercise after previous exercises in June and November 24, and indicates an increase in strategic collaboration between the three allies.
Focus of the Exercise
The Freedom Edge exercises are aimed at increasing trilateral interoperability and readiness by training in the multi-domain. The activities include:
- Air defence operations and ballistic missile defence.
- Sea interdiction drills.
- Medical evacuation drills
The operations are one of the best illustrated examples of defence coordination between the three countries with an aim of countering the new threats and providing collective preparedness.
Strategic Importance
The drill is timely as people in the Asia-Pacific region are increasingly worried about security especially with the growing missile and nuclear power of North Korea. The US, South Korea and Japan renew their determination to deterrence, region and rules based order by staging these drills. The program also makes them more capable of engaging in collective action during crisis.
North Korea's Reaction
The exercise has been severely criticised by Pyongyang. The exercises were branded a dangerous notion and an irresponsible show of power by Kim Yo Jong, a sister of North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un. She warned that this may have dire effects as it shows the attitude of North Korea that these exercises interfere with their sovereignty.
Other Military Operations.
Simultaneously, the US and South Korea will conduct the Iron Mace tabletop exercise involving both conventional and nuclear deterrence using the nuclear deterrence as the back-up to the conventional methods. This is the first exercise of this kind in the current leadership of the two countries. Interestingly, some 28500 US troops still remain in South Korea, a testimony to the closeness of the defence relationship between the two nations.
Geopolitical Context
The action occurs in the backdrop of the increasing association between North Korea and Russia as well as China. Pyongyang is said to have sent its troops to aid the war in Ukraine by Russia and recently strengthened its relations with Beijing. North Korean president Kim Jong Un also attending a Chinese military parade with Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin also points to this three-way alliance, making the security situation in the region even more complicated.
Grassroots and Local Reaction.
Although the exercises have drawn protests in Seoul and criticism in North Korea, governments in the region justify them as the means of deterring the region and being ready. They are an indication of a continued attempt to work a balance between diplomacy and deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, which sends a strong message of cohesion and determination between South Korea, Japan, and the United States.
Month: Current Affairs - September 18, 2025
Category: current affairs daily