Accra:Seoul South Korea is participating as an observer in a large-scale multinational military exercise involving approximately 56,000 U.S. and Japanese troops in Japan, as reported by the Pentagon on Tuesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the exercise, named Keen Sword 2027, commenced on Monday with an opening ceremony on Ishigaki Island, Japan, and is scheduled to continue through October 29.
The exercise involves about 45,000 personnel from the Japan Self-Defense Forces and 11,000 U.S. service members, alongside forces from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the Philippines. South Korea and Britain are participating as observers.
The event marks the 18th iteration of this biennial field training exercise, which focuses on air and missile defense, facility protection and repair, logistics and resupply, casualty evacuation, and maritime operations. The training aims to enhance interoperability, information sharing, and defensive coordination among the participating forces through various bilateral and multilateral scenarios conducted under realistic conditions.
U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. George Rowell, deputy commander of U.S. Pacific Command, emphasized that the exercise would strengthen the participating forces' ability to deter aggression and respond to potential conflicts. "Over the coming days, I have no doubt that we will train as one team to test our concepts, refine our command and control, and validate our ability to deter aggression and prevail in crisis or conflict," Rowell stated.