US-led Pacific drills include Japan island exercise and 31‑nation RIMPAC 2026

U.S. and Japanese forces carried out the annual "Steadfast Dragon‑26" exercise on Japan’s Kyushu and Okinawa islands, rehearsing the seizure and defence of disputed islands. About 90 U.S. Marines and 300 Japanese Ground Self‑Defense Force personnel practiced live‑fire drills with small arms, mortars, Japanese 19‑type howitzers and 16‑type combat vehicles, and employed Neros Archer FPV and Stalker VXE‑30 reconnaissance drones. Observers from the United Kingdom, the Philippines, France and Australia attended.

Separately, the 2026 RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific) exercise began on 24 June from Hawaii, marking the largest multilateral naval drill this year. Over 31 nations are taking part, deploying more than 30,000 personnel, 30 surface ships, five submarines and 206 aircraft for a 38‑day period. The exercise features air‑defence, anti‑submarine, amphibious landing and cyber‑warfare training, and for the first time places a South Korean navy commander in charge of the joint sea force. The U.S. Navy’s USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier leads the task force, with participation from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Mexico, Spain and others.