The U.S.-Japan "Keen Sword 2027" multilateral exercise held its opening ceremony on Ishigaki Island in Japan, assembling about 58,000 officers and soldiers, and advanced anti-ship and air defense systems will be deployed.
The U.S.-Japan "Keen Sword 2027" exercise is being held from October 19 to October 29, with approximately 45,000 Japan Self-Defense Forces personnel and 12,000 U.S. military personnel participating, along with forces from multiple countries and observers in attendance.
According to Twitter user @__Inty__, the U.S. Army's 7th Infantry Division tested the Magura MV7 unmanned surface vehicle manufactured by the Ukrainian company UFORCE during the "Bayonet Quest 26" exercise held in Michigan. The U.S. military modified it into a floating maritime launch platform and successfully launched an aerial drone from the bow of the vessel. The test was primarily aimed at meeting coastal operational requirements in the Indo-Pacific region.
According to a video posted by the X account @clashreport, former US President Trump described the situation related to Iran as a “military exercise” when speaking about it. The remark has drawn attention to his stance on Iran policy and his assessment of the current situation in the Middle East.
Since October 12, the Chinese military has conducted live-fire shooting and military exercises in at least five sea areas, including the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea.
U.S. and Indian troops carried out a joint air assault exercise in the Himalayas, airlifting by helicopter to Oli and successfully seizing two objectives.
On September 18, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te traveled to Pingtung to inspect a joint precision missile firing exercise of the army, navy, and air force. The drill covered a number of domestically produced and U.S.-made missiles, rockets, and attack drones, including Hsiung Feng missiles and HIMARS. Lai affirmed the results of the exercise.
The CCP had previously publicized that China and Indonesia held a joint military exercise to jointly strike at Taiwan independence; Indonesia subsequently clarified that its frigate, while returning from Russia, merely politely sailed alongside Chinese warships for a stretch, with no joint military exercise involved.
The United States and South Korea announced that the end date of their annual joint military exercises will be moved up from August 27 to this Friday (August 21), with some activities changed to simulated drills.
Trump stated that North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un has responded to his dialogue proposal, following his order to significantly scale down joint US-South Korea military exercises.
In response to the non-cooperation of South Korea's Lee Jae-myung government on core interests such as the denuclearization of Iran, as well as its pro-communist tendencies, Trump instructed Secretary of War Hegseth to significantly cut the cost and scale of the ongoing US-South Korea joint military exercises.
US Deputy Secretary of War Colby met with Cambodian leader Hun Manet, where the two sides discussed restoring bilateral military exercises, while Pentagon officials visited the Ream Naval Base and pushed for warship visits to Cambodia.
On August 14, 2026, China’s Ministry of National Defense announced that the air forces of China and Egypt will hold a joint air combat training exercise codenamed “Eagle of Civilization 2026” in Egypt from mid-August to early September.
On August 12, 2026, vessels of the Chinese Navy and the Indonesian Navy completed a navigation exercise in the waters east of Taiwan. This marks the first time the Chinese Navy has conducted joint training with a foreign navy in the waters east of Taiwan.
On August 11, 2026, South Korean police announced the arrest of two Chinese nationals with military service experience in China — one suspected of setting up equipment in a hotel to eavesdrop on US and South Korean fighter jet communications, and the other suspected of bribing personnel at a US military base to obtain secrets about military exercises.