U.S. Pacific Command Preparing for Trilateral Freedom Edge Exercise
2 sources · South Korea · 1 of them is linked to a state
Who reported this
- Yonhap
- The Korea Herald
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- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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Every source for this story reports from South Korea.
The U.S. Pacific Command announced on Wednesday that the United States is preparing for the 2026 iteration of exercise Freedom Edge, a trilateral military drill involving South Korea and Japan. Lt. Cmdr. Chloe Morgan, a PACOM spokesperson, stated that the multi domain exercise aims to reinforce shared values, enhance interoperability, and strengthen defense partnerships to ensure peace and stability in the Pacific.
The announcement comes amid questions regarding the scale of this year's drills. This follows a directive from U.S. President Donald Trump to scale back the bilateral Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise by half in length and scale. President Trump described that specific exercise as potentially sending an inappropriate and hostile message to North Korea while he sought to resume dialogue with leader Kim Jong-un.
Freedom Edge was established following the trilateral Camp David summit in August 2023 to institutionalize security cooperation between the U.S. and its Asian allies. Previous iterations of the drill took place in international waters off Jeju island in September of last year, as well as in June and November of 2024. PACOM declined to provide details on whether the current year's scope will remain consistent with previous drills.
North Korea has consistently condemned these exercises. Kim Yo-jong, sister of the North Korean leader, called the drills a reckless show of strength. Additionally, Pak Jong-chon, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, described Freedom Edge as the most offensive war drill for aggression and threatened intensified counteraction.
How each side framed it
- Centre
- The report presented the military preparations and North Korean reactions as factual developments without adding interpretive framing.
- Centre-right
- The report mirrored the factual reporting of the center outlet, focusing on the strategic necessity of the trilateral partnership.
Sources
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