Overview

• At the 22nd Trilateral Chiefs of Defense meeting, Adm. Kim Myung-soo, Gen. Dan Caine and Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida agreed to broaden the Freedom Edge multi-domain exercise
• The three commanders issued a joint condemnation of North Korea’s ongoing nuclear and missile programs and its deepening military ties with Russia
• For the first deployment this year, a U.S. B-52H strategic bomber flew alongside South Korean and Japanese fighter jets in a tri-service air drill over international waters near Jeju Island
• Gen. Dan Caine committed to reviewing the size and role of U.S. Forces Korea and U.S. troops in Japan, with plans to offer recommendations on their Indo-Pacific posture
• The defense chiefs emphasized the need for higher allied defense spending and reinforced trilateral coordination to address evolving North Korean and Chinese threats