The Air Self-Defense Force and the South Korean Air Force will take part in the U.S. Air Force’s Red Flag exercise in Alaska, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Friday.
This will be the first large-scale military exercise involving Japan, the United States and South Korea under the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, according to South Korean media.
The exercise, set to start Thursday, will include around 1,500 U.S. military personnel and more than 100 aircraft as well as 300 people from Japan and South Korea, according to Kirby.
The training is an example of the importance of trilateral cooperation that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed during his recent trip to Japan and South Korea, Kirby said.
The exercise is important “for improving our interoperability with our allies,” he said.