The execution of the exercise was announced at the Camp David Summit in August 2023 and at the Japan, ROK, and U.S. defense ministerial meeting, which took place in June during the Shangri-La Dialogue.

Freedom Edge expresses the will of Japan, ROK, and U.S. to promote trilateral interoperability and protect freedom for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, including the Korean Peninsula.

Multiple ships and aircraft from Japan, ROK, and the U.S., participated in the exercise to include: Japan’s JS ISE, JS ATAGO, and P-1; Republic of Korea’s ROKS Seoae-Ryu-Seong-ryong, ROKS Kang-Gam-Chan, P-3, Lynx, and KF-16; and the United States’ USS Theodore Roosevelt, USS Halsey, USS Daniel Inouye, P-8, F/A-18, E-2D, and MH-60.

The exercise will focus on cooperative Ballistic Missile Defense, Air Defense, Anti-Submarine Warfare, Search and Rescue, Maritime Interdiction, and Defensive Cyber training.

Starting with this iteration, Japan, ROK, and U.S. will continue to expand the Freedom Edge exercise.