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Japan and US expand drills near Taiwan with more troops and assets
The Keen Sword 27 exercise runs Oct. 19 to 29 and will include about 12,000 US troops, alongside a broader Japan force than in 2024.
Japan and the United States will hold expanded military exercises near Taiwan this month, rehearsing how to deploy anti-ship missiles, air defenses and communications networks onto islands, in a move analysts say could affect Beijing’s planning for a Taiwan or East China Sea conflict.
The drills, Keen Sword 27, run from October 19 to 29 and will involve about 45,000 Japanese personnel, 6,100 vehicles, 40 ships and 260 aircraft, which is higher than 2024 levels of about 33,000 personnel, 30 ships and 250 aircraft.
About 12,000 US troops are reportedly expected to take part, and several countries that were observers in 2024 are now listed as participants, including France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the Philippines, with Australia and Canada also participating.
Christopher Hughes, a professor at the University of Warwick, said Japan and the US are expanding a strategy he described as building out a “wall” approach in the East China Sea, according to SCMP Economy.