South Korea, the United States and Japan may hold the "Freedom Blade" trilateral multi-domain joint exercise again in September

A South Korean military source said that South Korea, the United States and Japan plan to hold the "Freedom Blade" joint multi-domain exercise in September. The three parties are expected to reach a final agreement on this at the Chief of Staff meeting to be held in Seoul this week.

Yonhap News Agency reported that a South Korean military source disclosed the news on Thursday (July 10). The three countries of South Korea, the United States and Japan will attend a meeting of the Chiefs of General Staff in Seoul on Friday (the 11th), and it is expected that they will reach a final consensus on this joint exercise.

The report pointed out that if the joint exercise plan is advanced, it will be the first exercise of the "Freedom Edge" multi-domain joint exercise in 10 months and also the first exercise since US President Trump began his second term and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung took office. Analysis suggests that the plan by South Korea, the United States and Japan to carry out the "Freedom Blade" joint exercise reflects the determination of the three parties to maintain trilateral security cooperation.

The "Freedom Blade" is a routine exercise covering multiple fields such as airspace, sea areas, and cyber domains. The first two joint exercises were conducted from June 27th to 29th and from November 13th to 15th last year respectively.

It is reported that South Korea, the United States and Japan usually conduct one-time joint military exercises in one combat area such as at sea or in the air. The "Freedom Blade" is the first regular joint exercise that covers multiple combat domains simultaneously.

The chiefs of general staff of South Korea, the United States and Japan held bilateral talks respectively on Thursday. During the South Korea-US talks, the two sides evaluated the regional security situation, including the movements of the North Korean military, and exchanged views on issues such as strengthening cooperation within the South Korea-US alliance.

South Korea and the United States also exchanged views on the issue of regional instability exacerbated by factors such as military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, but did not discuss the recent matters proposed by the US side, such as the reduction of the US troops stationed in South Korea and the increase in South Korea's share of defense costs.

During the Korea-Japan talks, the two sides exchanged views on the movements of the North Korean military and jointly discussed plans for deepening security cooperation between the two countries.