Seoul, Korea
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This week, the US, South Korea and Japan are conducting “advanced” trilateral air and naval exercises in East Asia less than two weeks after Russia, China and North Korean leaders issued an unprecedented challenge to the US-led world order.
The Freedom Edge 2025 exercise, which is taking place around South Korea’s southern Jeju Island, is aimed at countering the nuclear and missile threats of North Korea and protecting peace and stability in the region.
The Indo-Pacific Command of the US military in Hawaii said the exercise will be used to “improve ballistic missile defense” between the US and its two important Asian allies, representing “the most advanced demonstration of trilateral defense cooperation to date.”
The five-day Freedom Edge Drill comes at the same time as the Resolute Dragon, the US major US bilateral movement, which has seen Washington deploy missile launchers in the extent that hit mainland China on Japan.
The exercise is planned in advance, but it took place less than two weeks after China, Russia and North Korea side by side in Beijing for a military parade that will showcase Chinese modern weapons, including new ballistic missiles, and showcase unprecedented solidarity between three nuclear-armed authoritarian partners.
With increased direct cooperation with Russia, North Korea sent troops and arms to support the war in Ukraine, while Pyongyang and Moscow signed mutual defense agreements.
Many observers predict that North Korea may benefit from Russian missile technology to promote its nuclear missile programme.
Meanwhile, in reading the talks between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Beijing’s North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un, China did not mention the denuclearization of the South Korean peninsula or its long-standing goals. Analysts say Xi is showing an implicit acceptance of North Korea as nuclear power.
Both Freedom Edge and Resolute Dragon have been garnering criticism from their enemies.
A statement from North Korea’s Central Military Commission is called Freedom Edge, “the most comprehensive and offensive war training for attacks in terms of scale, content and nature.”
“The United States and its allies are gradually weakening the security environment on the South Korean Peninsula,” said a statement from Park Jung-Chong, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission.
For some of this, China last month urged the US not to send its Tita missile system to Japan for decisive dragon training.
Analysts pointed to the important differences between the scenes of the military parade in Beijing and the current exercises taking place in the US and its allies.
“Kim, Putin and XI sent clear geopolitical signals by appearing from shoulder to shoulder in a massive military parade at Tiananmen Square, representing a common willingness to advance power and interests against external pressure.”
“In contrast, the trilateral defense exercises between the US and South Korea are more practical cooperation than political theatres,” Easley said.
And they are enduring, said Hong Min, a senior researcher at the National Unification Institute in Seoul.
“Security cooperation between South Korea and the US and South Korea has been introduced by the US and Japan before economic issues emerged between Seoul and Washington,” Hong said. He added that the three share the view that “a consistent response to North Korea and messaging and stable and continuous exercises are needed.”
In South Korea, these economic issues include migrant raids at a Hyundai factory in Georgia, where hundreds of Koreans were detained. And in Japan, the trade agreement with Washington has led some analysts to lean in the US favor.
Robert Ward, chairman of the Institute for International Strategy, said the resolute Dragon exercise “sends an important strategic message to China on the depth and breadth of US security cooperation.”
This year’s version of annual exercises is the largest since it began in 2021, Ward said.
“This is doubly important given the uncertainty about US trade policy,” he added.
Exercises in Korea and Japan may draw headlines at this point, but it is worth noting that they are just two long lists of US exercises and deployments around the region.
Last weekend, the US, Japanese and Philippine troops completed their second set of pilots in the South China Sea in a month and “reaffirmed their defence cooperation as tensions rise over China’s move to strengthen grip in contested waters,” a press release from the Philippine forces said.
And last Friday, the US and British warships steamed the Taiwan Strait.
The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command has denounced US and British warships of “troublemaking and provocation.”
However, the US military said they are wiping rights and freedoms in what is an international waterway.
In summary, the series of exercises shows that the military solidarity that Washington often calls “iron-covered” appears to be exactly as it is.
“This exercise series represents the latest indicators of increased cooperation and interoperability among American allies in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Carl Schuster, former director of the Joint Intelligence Research Center at the US Pacific Command.
And specifically, the US Indo-Pacific Command agrees to the trilateral exercise off the coast of Korea.
“The continued cooperation of all three countries will enhance the deterrence of the Asia-Pacific region by clearly indicating our strength and unwavering commitment to the defense of our important interests against shared threats and strengthening the military convicted of combat.”
CNN’s Yoonjung SEO contributed to this report.
