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The U.S. is preparing to conduct the 2026 Freedom Edge military exercise with South Korea and Japan, U.S. Pacific Command said Wednesday, indicating that the trilateral drills remain on track despite the recent scaling back of separate U.S.-South Korea exercises.
“In close coordination with the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, U.S. Pacific Command is preparing for the 2026 iteration of exercise Freedom Edge,” command spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Chloe Morgan told Yonhap News Agency by email.
Morgan said the multi-domain exercise is designed to strengthen interoperability and defense cooperation among the three countries.
She did not provide details on when the exercise would take place or its planned scope and scale.
Freedom Edge emerged from the August 2023 Camp David summit as part of efforts by the U.S., South Korea and Japan to institutionalize trilateral security cooperation.
Previous editions of the exercise were held in June and November 2024 and in September 2025.
Questions over whether this year’s exercise would proceed followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s instruction to reduce the duration and scale of the separate bilateral Ulchi Freedom Shield drills conducted by the U.S. and South Korea.
Trump said large-scale military exercises could send what he described as an “inappropriate and hostile” message to North Korea as he seeks renewed dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Despite the reduction of the U.S.-South Korea exercise, preparations for Freedom Edge are continuing, according to U.S. Pacific Command.
North Korea has repeatedly rejected claims that such military drills are defensive.
Pyongyang describes the exercises as rehearsals for an invasion and has warned that it could respond with intensified countermeasures.
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