US holds missile defense drills with allies

South Korea and Japan joined in on the exercises, the first of their kind since 2017

Japan and South Korea joined US forces for missile defense drills off the coast of Hawaii, the first time the three countries have done so in several years, with the Pentagon saying the exercises were meant to respond to “challenges” posed by North Korea.

The Pentagon announced the nearly week-long drills on Monday, days after they concluded on August 14, saying the three allies “participated in a missile warning and ballistic missile search and tracking exercise” near the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii, part of the multinational ‘Pacific Dragon’ drill.

Though the Defense Department offered few other details about the exercises, it claimed they “demonstrated the commitment of the US, [South Korea] and Japan to furthering trilateral cooperation,” bolstering the “rules-based international order,” as well as responding to “DPRK challenges,”…