The newly inaugurated Freedom Edge exercise is wrapping up in the East China Sea, having brought together Japanese, South Korean and American naval assets for multidomain maneuvers for the first time. It is foreseen as an annual drill, a critical development as Washington looks to strengthen its partnerships and military alliances in the Indo-Pacific to counter growingly assertive postures from both China and North Korea. One analyst says South Korea and Japan have the largest militaries among American allies in East Asia and have the sophistication to integrate operations with the U.S.
