South Korea, the United States and Japan concluded their trilateral multidomain Freedom Edge exercise on Friday after a three-day run.

According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS), this year’s second Freedom Edge exercise involved an aerial drill, maritime missile defense, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, maritime interdiction, defensive cyber training and an anti-piracy drill. 

In accordance with the agreement reached during the Camp David summit in August last year, the three nations conducted their first-ever trilateral multidomain exercise in June. 

This year, the exercise included anti-surface warfare and anti-piracy exercises that were not part of the inaugural drill last year. 

The JCS said this year’s exercise was carried out to defend peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and surrounding regions amid growing security threats, including North Korea’s ICBM launch and stronger military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. 

The JCS noted that South Korean and American F-35 stealth jets, capable of infiltrating into North Korea and carrying out precision strikes on key facilities, had taken part in the exercise for the first time. 

The three countries plan to hold the Freedom Edge exercise on a regular basis.