U.S., Japanese Forces to Rehearse Defense of Japan’s Southwest Islands

U.S. and Japanese forces will amass in Japan’s southwest region to rehearse island defense as part of the annual Keen Sword exercise later this month.

Exercise Keen Sword, which runs from Oct. 19-29, will see integrated air and missile defense, surface warfare, amphibious landing, airborne operations, island deployment and reinforcement and live fire drills, according to documents released Friday by the Japan Ministry of Defense. The island defense exercise has been conducted on a mostly annual basis since 1985.

“Through this exercise, the JSDF (Japan Self-Defense Force) and U.S. Forces will maintain and strengthen the posture and capabilities necessary to actively contribute to regional peace and stability,” Japan’s Joint Staff Office said in a news release. 

Japan will deploy 45,000 personnel, 6,100 vehicles, 40 vessels and 260 aircraft for the exercise.

Details on U.S. participation and assets have not been released. In past Keen Sword iterations, the U.S has headlined the exercise with a forward-deployed carrier strike group with the Ronald Reagan CSG leading Keen Sword in 2022 and the George Washington CSG leading Keen Sword in 2024. 

It is unclear if a U.S. carrier strike group will participate in this year’s drill as the GWCSG has been operating in the Middle East since July.

The drills will be led by Adm. Tateki Tawara, commander of Japan Joint Operations Command and Adm. Steve Koehler, commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, according to the release. Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand and the Philippines will join the exercise as observers or as active participants in some drills, according to documents released by Japan.

The documents show that the majority of activities will be carried out in Japan’s southwest region. Additionally, an Integrated Air and Missile Defense drill will be conducted in the Sea of Japan west of southwest Hokkaido and northwest Honshu. An IAMD drill will also be held in the waters south of Shikoku and to the east of Kyushu. The details did not disclose the deployment of the Typhon system that is currently stored at Kadena Air Base on Okinawa.

Joint integrated anti-ship training involving ships, aircraft and mobile ground based anti-ship missile launchers will take place south of Shikoku and also in the East China Sea southwest of Kyushu. Both the IAMD and anti-ship drills are not expected to involve live firing.

A significant portion of the Keen Sword drills in the southwest region revolve around island defense and reinforcements of the islands by sea and air. Security of Japan’s southwest islands has been a major concern, particularly the disputed Senkaku Islands held by Japan but claimed by China and Taiwan. At the same time, there are concerns over the proximity of the southwest islands to Taiwan and the possibility that an invasion of Taiwan by China could spill over to nearby Japanese islands.

Yonaguni Island, which lies around 67 miles east of Taiwan, will see 60 Japan Ground Self-Defense Force personnel with the Type 88 Surface to Surface Missile launcher, Type 03 Medium Range Surface to Air Missile launcher and CH-47 helicopters. Additionally, 60 U.S. Army and 12th Marine Littoral Regiment personnel with the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), Marine Air Defense Integrated System, TPS-80 radar, CH-53 helicopter and a Landing Craft Unit joining the island garrison. A Japan Air Self-Defense Force C-2 transport and C-130H transport aircraft will also deploy to the island.

Ishigaki Island –161 miles east of northeast Taiwan – will see 50 JGSDF personnel with Type 12 and Type 88 SSMs, Type 03 MR-SAMs, CH-47 helicopter and V-22 Osprey. Another 60 U.S. Army and 12th MLR personnel with NMESIS, MADIS, High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), TPS-80, CH-53. MV-22 Ospreys and 1 LCU will deploy to the island. A JASDF C-2 and a C-130H together with a U.S. Air Force C-130 will provide transportation to the island.

On Miyako Island, 120 Marines from the 12th MLR with TPS-80 radar, CH-53 helicopters and MV-22 Ospreys and a LCU and 70 JGSDF personnel with Type 12 and Type 88 SSMs, Type 03 MR-SAMs, Type 11 Short Range SAM (SR-SAM) CH-47 helicopter and V-22 Osprey will gather at the island. JASDF C-2 and C-130 and U.S. Air Force C-130 transport aircraft will deploy to the island.

Beyond island defense drills, an integrated logistics operations drill will also be carried out, which will see transportation of JGSDF personnel and equipment from Hokkaido and Kyushu. The personnel and equipment will be transported to various southwest islands by Private Finance Initiative chartered ships, landing support vessel Yoko (LSV-4101) and landing craft utility Nihonbare (LCU-4151) of the JSDF Maritime Transport Group. A task group of helicopter destroyer JS Hyuga (DDH-181) and destroyers JS Setogiri (DD-156) and JS Fuyuzuki (DD-118) will escort the ships.

The JGSDF Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade will conduct amphibious landing drills at Kin Blue Beach and Camp Hansen on Okinawa from Oct. 20-23. The landing drill will involve 400 personnel, 25 Combat Rubber Raiding Raft and 12 AAV-7s amphibious assault vehicles, as well as two JGSDF AH-64D Apache attack helicopters, two CH-47 helicopters and five V-22 Ospreys. The JMSDF will deploy a Hyuga-class helicopter destroyer, two destroyers, a Mogami-class frigate, two Osumi-class landing ship tank amphibious ships, a minesweeper and two landing craft air cushions.

Around 400 Marines will join 1,500 JGSDF personnel for a variety of drills on Tanegashima Island. The JGSDF will deploy its SSMs and SAMs on the island. The Marines will also be supported by an LCU and an expeditionary fast transport.

The JASDF will also carry out alternate base deployment training, simulating the disability of Naha Air Base to disperse four F-15 fighter jets each to Tokunoshima Airport on the island of Tokunoshima, Amami Airport on the island of Amami Oshima and Kadena Air Base on Okinawa.

A French frigate will conduct Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure training with the JMSDF around Amami Oshima Island, according to the documents released by Japan. The JMSDF will deploy two Mogami-class frigates, two Haybusa-class fast attack craft, a Hiuchi-class multipurpose support ship and a YOT class tanker for the drills.

The Royal Australian Air Force will deploy a P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa for joint maritime surveillance operations with a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon and a JMSDF P-1 MPA from Oct. 19-29 off the coast of Shikoku and east of Okinawa as part of Keen Sword.