Japanese, US marines practice airborne assaults in sign of deepening cooperation
Editor’s note: Center Senior Fellow Grant Newsham was quoted in this piece by Reuters
TOKYO, March 15 (Reuters) – In a sign of deepening military cooperation between Japan and the United States, amphibious Japanese troops and U.S. Marines on Tuesday practised airborne landing assaults together for the first time.
Japan is revising a decade-old national security strategy this year in the face of China’s growing military assertiveness. The upgrade to defence policy guidelines is expected to call for the country to take a more active role alongside Washington in regional security.
The drills in the foothills of Mount Fuji on Tuesday involved 400 troops from Japan’s Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade (ARDB), and 600 U.S. marines, and is part of a three-week joint exercise to hone interoperability between the allies. Tilt-rotor Osprey troop carriers were used during the drills.
- China’s threat to energy security requires state-level action - June 25, 2024
- China outshines US as global scramble for bases heats up - January 3, 2023
- Japan’s manpower-light defense strategy is a flawed ‘paper plan,’ officers say - December 21, 2022