Trilateral Freedom Edge drills conducted without US aircraft carrier
This photo shows fighter jets parked on the USS George Washington aircraft carrier during a trilateral Freedom Edge exercise between South Korea, the United States and Japan, Nov. 14, 2024. Courtesy of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
A U.S. aircraft carrier is not expected to join this year's trilateral military exercise among South Korea, the United States and Japan, officials said Tuesday.
The three countries launched the multidomain Freedom Edge exercise for a five-day run on Monday in international waters east and south of South Korea's southern island of Jeju.
The ongoing exercise marks the third round of the trilateral drills, following previous rounds of the drills conducted in June and November last year, respectively.
The inaugural exercise was joined by the U.S. Navy's USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, while the second round of the drills involved the USS George Washington aircraft carrier.
A military official raised the possibility of scheduling issues, noting how U.S. carrier strike groups have been assigned to the Middle East.
But the absence of a U.S. aircraft carrier also comes at a time when Seoul and Washington have been seeking to resume dialogue with North Korea.
North Korea has strongly protested against joint drills among the three nations, which it labeled as an attempt to strengthen a "U.S.-led military bloc," and warned of military action against such drills.
The North has especially reacted furiously to the deployment of U.S. strategic assets, such as aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines and strategic bombers, to the Korean Peninsula.
On Sunday, Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, condemned the drill plans and warned the "reckless muscle-flexing" would bring unfavorable consequences.