The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group carried out trilateral naval drills from this week in the East China Sea with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Republic of Korea Navy. It’s the first time this year that the U.S., Japan and South Korea have conducted a joint maritime drill together.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the U.S. and South Korea wrapped up Exercise Freedom Shield 2025 and Seoul lodged a protest with Russia over the repeated entries over a period of ten days of Russian military aircraft into the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone without prior notification.
A U.S Indo-Pacific Command release on Thursday stated that Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1, led by aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) together with ROKN and JMSDF units carried out a trilateral naval exercise this week.
The release stated that the multi-domain exercise included group sails, advanced maritime communications, maritime interdiction operations training, air combat drills, staff exchanges and other integration, and serves to further strengthen the combined capabilities of the participating navies, “Enhancing trilateral security cooperation with the ROKN and JMSDF ensures our militaries and self-defense forces can operate together against any threat.”, read the release.
The release also stated that the drills builds upon the regular, increasingly complex trilateral cooperation of the three nations, including the January 2025 trilateral bomber escort flights, as the three nations continue integration across the Joint Force and that the last trilateral naval exercise between the U.S., ROK and Japan was conducted in November 2024 during the second iteration of Freedom Edge, “This current activity builds on previous exercises like Freedom Edge and our continuing operations together, advancing doctrine as well as tactics, techniques and procedures among our combined forces. “, stated the release.
The JMSDF’s release on the exercise stated the location as being in the East China Sea and that JMSDF destroyer JS Ikazuchi (DD-107) drilled with the Carl Vinson CSG comprising of Carl Vinson, cruiser USS Princeton (CG-59) and destroyers USS Sterett (DDG-104) and USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110) and ROKN destroyers ROKS Sejong the Great (DDG-991) and ROKS Dae Jo-yeong (DDH-977). The release also stated that the activities carried out included Search and Rescue exercise (SAREX) anti-surface, anti-air and anti-submarine drills.
South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense (MND)’s release on the exercise stated that it took place south of South Korea’s Jeju Island and that the drills focused on enhancing trilateral cooperation to improve the deterrence and response capabilities of the United States, South Korea, and Japan against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and underwater threats, and to strengthen maritime security capabilities, including maritime interdiction against the maritime transportation of weapons of mass destruction.
South Korea, the U.S., and Japan conduct maritime exercises regularly in accordance with a multi-year trilateral exercise plan jointly established by the three defense authorities in December last year.
“The three countries will continue to work closely together to deter and jointly respond to threats from North Korea through trilateral exercises,” the release concluded.
On Thursday, the U.S. and South Korea wrapped up Exercise Freedom Shield 25, which began on March 10, a U.S Forces Korea release stated that the exercise featured multi-domain operations across land, sea, air, cyber, and space, reinforcing the U.S.-South Korea alliance’s ability to respond to evolving threats and security challenges.
“Exercises like Freedom Shield 25 ensure that our forces remain ready to respond to any threat, reaffirming our shared commitment to regional security,” said Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, in the release. “This year’s training tested our ability to execute combined, joint all domain operations under realistic conditions, further strengthening our interoperability and reinforcing deterrence against regional adversaries.”
The Eighth Army, as the ground component of U.S. Forces Korea and Combined Forces Command, conducted extensive combined training across South Korea’s ranges and operations centers and that field training events during FS 25 included urban combat operations, field hospital operations, mass casualty treatment and evacuation, field artillery exercises, air assault training, wet gap crossing, air defense artillery deployment and validation, and a joint assault exercise with the U.S. Marine Corps.
The release also stated for the first time in a Freedom Shield exercise, U.S. Air Force, Republic of Korea Air Force, and U.S. Navy F-35s trained together while four fighter squadrons forward deployed to South Korea, executing over 1,000 combat training sorties in a five-day live-fly exercise, incorporating air interdiction, close air support, static and dynamic targeting, and combat air patrol training.
Units from III Marine Expeditionary Force and 1st Marine Division integrated with the ROK Marine Corps to form a Combined Marine Corps Component, according to the release with their training focused on improving combined command and control, air assault operations, amphibious readiness, and joint mission execution. Freedom Shield also included joint special operations activities with U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Air Force Special Operations Command, and Naval Special Warfare Command personnel training alongside ROK Special Operations Forces (SOF), conducting military freefall and static line jumps, special reconnaissance, counter-WMD training, staff planning, and direct-action missions.
Also on Thursday, South Korea’s MND summoned Russia’s defense attache to the country to protest against Russia’s repeated entries without notification into the KADIZ. An Air Defence Identification Zone is an area designated by a country where it tries to identify, locate, and control aircraft in the interest of its security and air defense. ADIZs are not recognized or supported by international law hence many countries ignore such restrictions, claiming the right of free passage through international airspace.
On the same day, Russian military aircraft entered the KADIZ several times without prior notice and flew as close as 20 kilometers outside South Korean territorial airspace without responding to communications from South Korea’s military. The MND stated that Russian military aircraft entered the KADIZ eight times between March 11 and Thursday, and the South Korean military took active countermeasures to protect South Korea’s airspace in compliance with international law.
The release stated that the MND met with the Russian defense attache at 4.30 p.m. that day to lodge a protest and urged the defense attache to prevent further recurrence of such incidents, “Our military will continue to actively respond to the activities of neighboring countries’ aircraft in the KADIZ in compliance with international law to protect our airspace,” concluded the release.
Earlier on Saturday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported that multiple Russian military aircraft had entered the KADIZ over the East Sea that morning, entering consecutively from 9.20 a.m. and departing at the eastern and northern of the KADIZ. The JCS stated that ROKAF fighter jets were scrambled and communications established with the Russian aircraft confirmed that the Russians were conducting training. No violations of South Korean airspace occurred, stated the JCS.
