South Korea, the United States, and Japan will begin a joint ballistic missile defence exercise in waters off Hawaii this week, as part of increased security coordination against North Korea’s “evolving military threats,” according to a media outlet citing sources.
According to sources, the biennial Pacific Dragon exercise will take place from Monday to August 14. Australia and Canada will join the exercise in addition to the three countries, according to Yonhap news agency.
The exercise, which includes the mobilisation of eight warships and two aircraft, aims to improve cooperation among participating countries in detecting, tracking, and reporting ballistic missile targets.
The exercise was planned after the defence chiefs of South Korea, the United States, and Japan agreed to strengthen their security coordination during a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 11.
During the talks, the three agreed to conduct missile warning exercises between South Korea, the United States, and Japan, as well as ballistic missile search and tracking exercises. Since 2018, the trainings have been conducted in a low-key manner to facilitate diplomacy with North Korea.
The three countries have recently closed ranks amid fears that the North will “ratchet up tensions” by conducting its seventh nuclear test or other provocative acts.
