Shigaki, Okinawa; October 2026: The multilateral exercise Keen Sword (KS) 2027 began with an opening ceremony on Ishigaki Island. KS27 is the 18th iteration of the routine, biennial field training exercise. Training activities include air and missile defence, facility protection and repair, logistics and resupply, casualty evacuation and maritime operations.
Approximately 45,000 Japan Self-Defence Force, 11,000 U.S. service members and forces from Seven (07) other nations from the Indo-Pacific region and Europe Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the Philippines are participating alongside observers from the Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom throughout the duration of the exercise from October 19th - October 29th.
“Today, it is a great privilege and significance to commence Keen Sword 27 in Ishigaki, Japan’s western-most point”, said Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force Admiral Tawara Tateki, commander of the JSDF Joint Operations Command. “Those gathered here today are under different national flags and represent different cultures, yet we share the same fundamentals, values of freedom and rules of law. We also share a common responsibility to preserve these values for future generations. In this sense, we are truly, like-minded partners. Keen Sword 27 is an exercise dedicated to preserving peace and stability. It is essential that Japan, U.S., and participating like-minded countries leverage each other’s strengths and transform our militaries into the capabilities and readiness to be able to act precisely in times of need”, he has asserted.
The exercise’s bilateral and multilateral training scenarios provide opportunities to improve interoperability, information sharing and defensive coordination across multiple domains under realistic conditions.
“Today, four decades strong, Keen Sword stands as the absolute pinnacle of combat ready exercises in the Pacific, with the most capable and consequential alliance in the world training alongside our international partners”, said U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General George Rowell, deputy commander of U.S. Pacific Command and keynote speaker. “Over the coming days, I have no doubt that we will train as one team to test our concepts, refine our command and control, and validate our ability to deter aggression and prevail in crisis or conflict. Deterrence in the 21st Century is not built on words or declarations, it is built through demonstrated competence, cohesion and warfighting readiness”, he added. “Keep drilling, keep learning and remain ready, together”.
Multilateral exercises like Keen Sword 27 provide participating forces with opportunities to train together in realistic, complex scenarios while refining the coordination required to respond to regional security challenges. These events ensure that when conditions demand action, partner forces are prepared to communicate, operate and support one another as a cohesive and integrated force.
Japan considers China’s rapidly growing military activities in and around Japan, including in the Pacific Ocean, as a threat and has fortified its southwestern region with longer-range missiles and interceptors in recent years.
Japan's ties with China came under strain following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comment a year ago, when she said Chinese military action on Taiwan could justify Japanese involvement. Her remarks angered China and led to tensions that have spilled over into the economy.
The drills include amphibious landing, air and missile defence, mine sweeping, as well as intelligence gathering, logistics and resupply and casualty evacuation on several remote islands, including Tanegashima.
One of the key locations for the exercise is Yonaguni, Japan’s westernmost island just 110 kilometres east of Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing calls its own territory.
Japan's Self-Defence Force has introduced its first long-range Type-25 land-to-ship missile to Yonaguni during the drill, though no test-firing is planned. The missile has a range of about 1,000 kilometres and is capable of reaching mainland China.
NMESIS, a U.S. ground-based offensive anti-ship missile system, and MADIS, a short-range surface-to-air system, are also deployed to Yonaguni for the first time for the exercise. A mobile rocket launching system, HIMARS, has been deployed on the nearby island of Ishigaki.
General Hiroaki Uchikura, Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff, denied that the exercises target a specific country.
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