When and where will South Korea, the United States and Japan hold the Freedom Edge drills in 2026?

The trilateral exercise is scheduled for Sept. 7-11 in international waters east and south of Jeju Island. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the drills will be held off South Korea’s southern coast.

What changes will this year’s Freedom Edge exercise include?

The U.S. Pacific Command said the drill will expand trilateral interoperability through enhanced real-time data sharing and synchronized coordination. It will also add multi-national maritime and aviation capabilities, enhanced air defense scenarios, medical evacuation training and maritime interdiction operations.

S. Korea, US, Japan to conduct Freedom Edge joint drills in early September

Q: Why are South Korea, the United States and Japan conducting Freedom Edge?

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the exercise is defensive and is held annually to counter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and safeguard regional peace and stability. The U.S. Pacific Command also said it shows the three nations’ commitment to security in a free and open Indo-Pacific.

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Summary

South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold Freedom Edge off South Korea’s southern coast from Sept. 7-11, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday. The annual drill in international waters east and south of Jeju Island is meant to counter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and safeguard regional peace and stability. The U.S. Pacific Command said this year’s exercise will expand trilateral interoperability with enhanced real-time data sharing and synchronized coordination. The allies are also expected to add air defense, medical evacuation and maritime interdiction training.

Key Facts

The exercise will take place in international waters east and south of Jeju Island from Sept. 7-11.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff described Freedom Edge as a defensive annual drill aimed at countering North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.
The U.S. Pacific Command said this year’s exercise will feature enhanced real-time data sharing and synchronized coordination among the three nations.
The drill will incorporate multi-national maritime and aviation capabilities, along with enhanced air defense scenarios, medical evacuation training and maritime interdiction operations.
Freedom Edge was one of the key outcomes of the trilateral Camp David summit in August 2023.

By Yonhap

Published Aug 28, 2026 9:18 am KST
Updated Aug 28, 2026 12:00 pm KST

South Korean and U.S. warships participate in the Freedom Edge exercise in international waters south of Jeju Island on Sept. 16, 2025. Courtesy of Joint Chiefs of Staff

South Korea, the United States and Japan will conduct their trilateral military exercise off South Korea's southern coast early next month, Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Friday.

The multi-domain Freedom Edge exercise will take place from Sept. 7-11 in international waters east and south of Jeju Island, the JCS said in a message to media.

"The exercise is defensive in nature, which is held by the three nations annually to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and to safeguard regional peace and stability," the JCS said.

This year's exercise will expand trilateral interoperability, featuring enhanced real-time data sharing and synchronized coordination among the three nations to defend against evolving regional threats, the U.S. Pacific Command said in a readout released by the U.S. Forces Japan.

"The growth of this exercise and the continued collaboration of all three nations demonstrate our collective strength, high level of interoperability, and an unwavering commitment to the defense of our nations and the security of a free and open Indo-Pacific," it said.

"The exercise will also incorporate multi-national maritime and aviation capabilities, and introduce enhanced air defense scenarios, medical evacuation training, and maritime interdiction operations," it added.

The upcoming drills come after Seoul and Washington scaled down their bilateral Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise by half last week, following U.S. President Donald Trump's order to reduce the drills in a move seen as a conciliatory gesture toward North Korea.

Given the scaling back of the UFS drills, whether the allies would hold their trilateral exercise with Tokyo this year had been a point of attention.

The U.S. Pacific Command told Yonhap News Agency earlier this week that the three countries were coordinating to prepare for Freedom Edge, signaling that the exercise will be carried out as planned.

Pyongyang has long denounced military drills involving South Korea and the U.S. as rehearsals for invasion, rejecting the allies' position that they are of a defensive nature.

Trump instructed the Pentagon to adjust the UFS, describing the drills as potentially sending an "inappropriate and hostile" message to Pyongyang. His remarks came as he renewed his push to resume dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this year.

It remains to be seen what key U.S. military assets will participate in this year's Freedom Edge. Last year's drills were held without a U.S. aircraft carrier, its first absence since the inaugural drills, as U.S. carrier strike groups were deployed to the Middle East.

"The scale and scope of the exercise will roughly be on par with previous years," a JCS official told reporters.

The Freedom Edge exercise was one of the key outcomes from the trilateral Camp David summit of the three countries' leaders in August 2023, marking a significant step forward in institutionalizing the three-way security cooperation among the U.S. and its key Asian allies.

The three previous Freedom Edge exercises were held in June and November of 2024, and in September last year.

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