USA, South Korea, Japan started the ‘Freedom Edge’ military exercise

To enhance trilateral defense cooperation against North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats, the United States, South Korea, and Japan launched the joint air and naval exercise "Freedom Edge" near South Korea’s Jeju Island.

• On September 15, 2025, the United States, South Korea, and Japan began their joint air and naval exercise "Freedom Edge" near South Korea’s Jeju Island.
• The objective of this large-scale exercise is to promote trilateral defense cooperation against North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats.
• According to the US Indo-Pacific Command, Freedom Edge includes ballistic missile defense, air defense drills, medical evacuation, and maritime operations training. It will also include US Marine Corps and Air Force aerial assets. The command called it "the most advanced demonstration of trilateral defense cooperation to date."
• The US Indo-Pacific Command confirmed the participation of US Marine and Air Force aerial assets and described it as the most advanced trilateral exercise to date. This exercise will continue until September 19, 2025.
• Recently, the United States and South Korea also conducted the Iron Mace tabletop exercise.

INS Nistar joined multinational exercise Pacific Reach 2025 in Singapore

• The Indian Navy’s latest indigenously designed and built Diving Support Vessel (DSV) INS Nistar is participating in the multinational exercise Pacific Reach 2025 in Singapore. The Ministry of Defence said that more than 40 countries will participate in this biennial exercise starting from September 16.
• The ministry said that as the mothership for Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicles, Nistar will participate in multinational submarine rescue exercises and subject matter expert exchanges with other participating countries in the coming week.
• The exercise will be conducted mainly in two phases, including the harbor and sea phases. The week-long harbor phase will include in-depth discussions on submarine rescue systems, subject matter expert exchanges (SMEE), a medical symposium, and cross-deck visits among the participating countries.
• In the sea phase of the exercise, INS Nistar and the Submarine Rescue Unit will engage in multiple intervention and rescue operations with participating assets in the South China Sea.
• INS Nistar operates under the Flag Officer Commanding of the Eastern Fleet. The vessel was formally commissioned into the Navy on July 18, 2025.