USS George Washington (CVN-73) with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Kongo-class guided-missile destroyer JS Kirishima (DDG-174) on Nov. 18, 2014. US Navy Photo
The cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved the purchase of two Aegis Ashore missile defense systems this week to counter the threat of ballistic missiles from North Korea, though Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera told reporters that many specific details are still yet to be determined. Read More
Undated photo of Lt. Steven D. Hopkins, USN. He was identified as the sailor who went missing from USS Stethem (DDG-63) on Aug. 1, 2017. US Navy Photo
The sailor who went missing from guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem (DDG-63) earlier this week in the South China Sea has been identified as Lt. Steven D. Hopkins, according to a statement from U.S. 7th Fleet. Read More
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Stethem (DDG 63), left, and USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) participate in a photo exercise during Exercise Foal Eagle on March 22, 2017. US Navy photo.
The Navy suspended its search for a missile sailor assigned to guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem (DDG-63) at 4 p.m. Japan Standard Time (3 a.m. EST) on Aug. 4, after more than three days of continuous search with U.S., Japanese and Chinese ships and aircraft. Read More
Military representatives from NATO, the European Union and the U.K. observe flight operations aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) on July 25, 2017. US Navy photo.
U.S. naval forces will embark on a pair of naval exercises with regional Pacific and North Atlantic partners this week, practicing anti-submarine and air combat operations. Read More
The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group and Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group operate in the Sea of Japan on June 1, 2017, alongside Japan Maritime Self Defense Force ships JS Hyuga (DDH-181) and JS Ashigara (DDG-178). U.S. ships include USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), USS Lake Champlain (CG-57), USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG-108) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112) in the Vinson CSG, and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), USS Shiloh (CG-67), USS Barry (DDG-52), USS McCampbell (DDG-85), USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62), and USS Mustin (DDG-89) in the Reagan CSG. Read More
Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Complex in Devesulu, Romania. MDA Photo
THE PENTAGON — Japan is giving further consideration to acquiring the Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense system following the Sunday test of a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile, Japan’s defense minister told a Diet committee this week. Read More
A Sailor assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem (DDG 63), stands watch while the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), left, and USS McCampbell (DDG 85) steam nearby during MultiSail 17. US Navy photo.
The U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) fleets took their interoperability to a new level this month, conducting two parts swaps to show their ability to logistically support one another. Read More
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Mustin (DDG 89), USS McCampbell (DDG 85), and USS Barry (DDG 52) maneuver near the USS Stethem (DDG 63) during a surface exercise in waters south of Japan on Feb. 27, 2017. The destroyers eventually sailed to Guam to participate in the Multisail 2017 exercise with Japanese forces. US Navy photo.
The U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force began their annual bilateral training Multisail exercise today, which will this year include at-sea training hosted by the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center. Read More
Sailors launch Marines assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31st MEU) and soldiers assigned the Japan Ground Self Defense Force from the well-deck of the amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay (LPD 20) during amphibious assault training in June 2015. US Navy photo.
Japan is boosting its amphibious and coastal defense capabilities, shifting security personnel to outer islands and converting ground forces into amphibious units capable of defending those islands from attack. Read More
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reviews members of Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) Oct. 26, 2014. Reuters Photo
The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has proposed major changes in Japan’s defense policy, with strong implications for the United States and U.S. armed forces in the Pacific. The changes, designed to shift Japan away from an isolated, pacifistic defense posture to a more dynamic one based on bilateral and even multilateral relationships, are controversial but not uncommon to most nations. Read More
