Published 22:26 IST, October 26th 2020

US & Japan commence 'Keen Sword 21' military exercise amid China threat

US-Japan biennial military exercise (KS21) is Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed and scheduled by US Indo-Pacific Command in the South China Sea.

World News
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On October 25, the US Indo-Pacific Command forces and units from the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) commenced Keen Sword 21 (KS21) military exercises with scores of warships, hundreds of aircraft, and 46,000 soldiers, sailors, and Marines at Okinawa prefecture, mainland Japan and surrounding territorial waters. The biennial military exercise (KS21), which was directed by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and scheduled by US Indo-Pacific Command in the South China Sea, is the first big military drill after Yoshihide Suga assumed office as Japan’s prime minister in September.

In a joint operative maritime, ground, and air events drills the US-Japanese defense forces drew the attention of China that recently upped its military presence in the East China Sea to effectuate its expansionist agenda against the smaller island nations.

Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) and the US Indo-Pacific Command mustered close to 46,000 troops with the JSDF and Royal Canadian Navy, including amphibious landings on several Japanese islands. According to a report by the Washington-based think-tank Hudson Institute, lately, China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has deployed scores of warplanes in an attempt to encroach Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ).

[US Navy ships assigned to Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group join ships of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Escort Flotilla 1, Escort Flotilla 4, and the Royal Canadian Navy, in formation during Keen Sword 21.]

[US Navy ships assigned to the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group join ships of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Escort Flotilla 1, Escort Flotilla 4, and the Royal Canadian Navy in formation while aircraft from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, JMSDF and Japan Air Self-Defense Force fly overhead during exercise Keen Sword.]

[Keen Sword is an example of the strength of the US-Japan Alliance, the foundation of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region for almost 60 years.]

A Chinese aircraft carrier battle group was dispatched via Miyako Strait that conducted military drills near Taiwan Strait, as per Washington think tank's report. Seth Cropsey, a former naval officer, speculated in the sensitive document that the developments were not merely a "complex form of political-signalling,” but were the preparations to encroach Taiwan with goals to “subjugate it before the US and its allies can respond”. Sources also sensed a rising threat from China on Taiwan around Nov.3, during the 2020 US Presidential elections.

Lt. Gen. Kevin Schneider, commander, U.S. Forces Japan said in an official statement, “As we develop new and better ways to operate and integrate, exercises like this clearly demonstrate the growing strength of the US-Japan Alliance.”

He added, "In spite of the immense global impact from COVID, the U.S.-Japan Alliance did not falter and we have remained ready to fight and win.”

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20 war vessels, 170 fighter jets

JSDF will exercise a wide range of warfighting capabilities with US defense forces to demonstrate the inherent flexibility and capability of the US and Japanese militaries. As many as 20 war vessels, and 170 fighter jets, and more than 9,000 defense troops from the US Navy, Marine Corps, Army, and Air Force were landed on the island, including a Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate. Ships from the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group and more than 100 aircraft from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, USS Ashland (LSD 48), HMCS Winnipeg (FFH 338), Commander Task Force 72, and 5th Air Force joined the military drill.