21 Aug 25. U.S., South Korea Kick Off Ulchi Freedom Shield 25. The 7th Air Force and other U.S. forces are partnering with South Korea to conduct Ulchi Freedom Shield 25, which began Aug. 18 and continues through Aug. 28. This annual exercise aims to enhance the combined, joint, all-domain and interagency operating environment, thereby strengthening the regional alliance’s response capabilities. Freedom Shield 25 is a defense-oriented exercise featuring live-fire, constructive and field training exercises that engage alliance forces and governmental agencies. Key aspects of the training focus on conducting all-domain operations leveraging component assets. Key players in these large-scale, live-fire training events include Combined Forces Command, U.S. Forces Korea, United Nations Command, the South Korean joint chiefs of staff, the South Korean government, the 8th Army, 7th Air Force, and Space Force. Each entity’s role leads to strengthening interoperability, reinforcing a combined defense posture and increasing combat readiness. Several United Nations Command member states are slated to contribute personnel and participate in various capacities. During the exercise, USFK will participate in space-related elements, reflecting modern warfare challenges. U.S. guardians will also integrate space-based capabilities with terrestrial targeteers, logisticians and cyber capacities. Members of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, Sweden and Switzerland, are observing the exercise. U.S. aircraft will integrate with South Korean aircraft for several live-fly exercise events. Integrated U.S. F-35A and F-35C Lightning IIs will enable the exercise to focus on complex scenarios, fifth and fourth-generation aircraft integration, and sustained, continuous air operations, enhancing interoperability between the two countries. Ulchi Freedom Shield 25 underscores the continuing military partnership between the U.S. and South Korea and is implemented in the spirit of the Oct. 1, 1953, mutual defense treaty. Additionally, the exercise is conducted in support of the Korean Armistice Agreement, fortifying the combined defense posture and enhancing response capabilities. It continues to reinforce the role of the alliance as the linchpin for regional peace and security, reaffirming the ironclad commitment between the U.S. and South Korea to defend their homelands. (Source: U.S. DoD)
20 Aug 25. Sharpening the Arctic Edge. Training in the Arctic means braving freezing winds, icy seas and rugged terrain. But for soldiers assigned to the 3rd Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) it’s just another day in the life. A joint force team of soldiers, Marines, airmen and Coast Guardsmen traveled to Anchorage, Alaska, to complete training in some of the world’s harshest conditions from July 31 to August 14. Exercise Arctic Edge, led by North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, demonstrates the U.S. military’s capabilities in extreme cold weather, joint force readiness and commitment to mutual strategic security interests in the Arctic region. The launch of a high-altitude balloon from the Malemute Drop Zone at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, contributed to the exercise’s focus on advancing technology and operational readiness in the Arctic’s challenging environment. The training focused on port operations. Because of strict tide schedules, training was held concurrently. Soldiers completed vessel docking and roll-on/roll-off procedures along with drivers’ training, reacting to indirect fire, and loading/unloading operations. Ultimately, the exercise is all about teamwork. Side-by-side, service members sharpen their ability to operate together. When the going gets tough, their bond gets tougher. (Source: U.S. DoD)
19 Aug 25. Northern Edge 2025 Kicks Off Across Alaska. More than 6,400 service members, 100 aircraft and seven U.S. and Canadian vessels are participating in Northern Edge 2025, a joint field-training exercise taking place at various locations in and around Alaska. The exercise, led by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, serves as a platform for joint, multidomain operations to deliver high-end, realistic warfighter training, strengthen joint interoperability and sharpen the air and sea-based combat readiness of U.S. and participating forces.
“Northern Edge 2025 brings together multidomain capabilities in high-end warfighting to ensure readiness to deter and, if necessary, defeat any adversary,” said Air Force Brig. Gen. Rick Goodman, the exercise director. “Additionally, NE25 allows the joint force to work through posture and sustainment, specifically here in Alaska.”
Beyond tactical execution, Northern Edge aims at larger operational priorities.
“One of the key objectives of [the exercise] is the cross-combatant command coordination between Indo-Pacom and [U.S. Northern Command],” Goodman added. “This highlights the criticality of Alaska as a key strategic geographic location important to homeland defense, as well as power projection, should we find ourselves in a conflict in the Indo-Pacific [region].”
Participants represent all U.S. armed services in multiple domains, including cyber operations with the Army. Additionally, the Royal Canadian Navy and Air Force will be fully integrated with U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force mission sets. Canadian assets include the Airbus CC-150 Polaris refueler and Halifax-class frigate HMCS Regina. The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln will participate in the exercise along with other elements of Carrier Strike Group 3, including Destroyer Squadron 21, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS O’Kane, USS Michael Murphy and USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. and the nine squadrons of fourth and fifth-generation aircraft of Carrier Air Wing 9.
“The mission of U.S. Navy carrier strike groups is to deliver sea control and power projection wherever the nation needs us,” said Navy Rear Adm. Todd Whalen, commander of Carrier Strike Group 3. “The sailors and Marines of [USS] Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group are excited to serve alongside our joint force counterparts to demonstrate our commitment to the region and our combined lethality.”
This year, Northern Edge coincides with Exercise Arctic Edge 2025, an annual exercise conducted by the North American Aerospace Defense Command and Northcom. For the first time, the two exercises will occur concurrently with activities spanning the Alaska theater of operations, from the Aleutians to Adak Island.
“Arctic Edge is focusing on the homeland defense here in Alaska, and Northern Edge is going to add on a very specific layer of power projection and that high-end warfighting capability,” Goodman said.
He added that by executing operations simultaneously, both commands can enhance cross-combatant command coordination, integrate missions and demonstrate the ability to position and sustain operations throughout the theater. (Source: U.S. DoD)
18 Aug 25. Russia, Belarus to hold joint military drill next month. Russia and Belarus are expected to conduct a joint military exercise next month involving nuclear weapons and Russian-made hypersonic missiles, the Belarusian defense minister said last week. During a recent press conference in Minsk, Viktor Khrenin declared that the planned “Zapad-2025″ training, to be held from September 12-16, would in part focus on operating the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile, used in Russian-launched attacks on Ukraine.
“This is an important element for our strategic deterrence – as the head of state demands, we must be prepared for anything,” Khrenin was quoted by Reuters as saying in an interview with the Belarusian state news agency Belta.
The first operational use of the Russian-manufactured missile was reported on November 21, 2024, after an attack on a Ukrainian industrial complex in Dnipro. The remarks from Khrenin were made only two days ahead of the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Alaska. The much-anticipated summit ended with a thud after the two leaders conceded they had failed to reach any agreements on how to end the Russia-Ukraine war. The joint exercise, which usually takes place every two years, is also planned to include the simulated use of nuclear weapons, although no specific details were given. Ukrainian officials have warned previously that similar events could be used as a potential cover-up for Russian troop deployments. The 2025 national threat assessment published by the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense noted that although there are currently no Russian ground maneuver units in Belarus, Russia has continued to utilize Belarusian airspace freely. Last year, Putin and his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, signed a treaty providing security guarantees to Minsk, including the potential deployment of Russian nuclear weapons to help fight off any attack. Nearby neighbour Lithuania, which shares a 679-kilometre border with Belarus, is also conducting its military drill, Arsus Vilkas 2025, taking place until August 22. The event was launched amid the arrival of Russian military equipment in Belarus for the upcoming exercise. The deployment of Russian hypersonic missiles has posed security concerns regarding their ability to travel at speeds much faster than conventional ballistic projectiles, allowing them to be more challenging to intercept. (Source: Defense News)
15 Aug 25. SANDF launches landmark Joint Basic Military Training for 11 000 new recruits. The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) will this month boost its personnel by 11 000 in a major Military Skills Development System (MSDS) intake to put more – trained – boots on the ground. An instruction (52/2025) by South Africa’s senior soldier, General Rudzani Maphwanya, signed 1 July, deals with “presentation of Joint Basic Military Training (JBMT) for MSDS”. This is a first in that it recruits 10 000 members to the four SANDF services as well as 1 000 for Reserve Force service, with the new members to all go through basic military training (BMT) at one venue – 3 SA Infantry (SAI) Battalion in Kimberley. Previously MSDS recruits underwent basic military training at the service they were assigned, with the SA Army topping the list at 1 591 for this year’s January intake. The maritime service was boosted by 460 MSDS recruits with the SA Air Force (SAAF) adding 337 and the SA Military Health Service 150 this year. On completion of service-specific BMT, a number of MSDS recruits moved to Defence Intelligence as well as the Military Police, Logistics and other specialist divisions. Explaining the imminent call-up of 11 000 new recruits, Maphwanya writes that the SANDF exit mechanism, together with normal attrition, is seeing an annual turnover of approximately 2 000 personnel. “The time it takes to have soldiers ready to deploy on operations makes it necessary to consider a more efficient system of young, agile and holistically trained individuals for the SANDF.”
“The aim of the intakes is to increase the force levels for the purposes of conducting successful military operations, as mandated, over the [three-year] Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period. The SANDF must develop a universal soldier that can operate in the current battle space, enhance interoperability in the SANDF and to have soldiers that are fit for purpose.”
The August 2025 intake will be an extension of the January 2025 intake, Maphwanya explained. “The purpose of the JBMT and combat readiness training is to develop and prepare the recruits of the aforementioned intake to deploy and function as fully-fledged members of any deploying formation and unit, prior to them returning to their respective services to proceed with their specialised and corps training.” The Chief of the SANDF stated that in an era marked by complex and multidimensional security challenges, the need for “a cohesive and interoperable defence force has never been more critical.” Joint Basic Military Training will “significantly enhance” the SANDF’s operational effectiveness and strategic capabilities. Training of MSDS recruits will take place from 25 August to 21 May 2026. “To enhance vigilance and responsiveness in border security, JBMT recruits will deploy for six months under all deployed battalions and companies on the Republic of South Africa (RSA) borderlines. With their physical fitness and agility, they can maintain high levels of vigilance and respond quickly to any security threats or breaches along the borders,” Maphwanya’s instruction states. Recruits will deploy on internal operations from 5 June 2026 to 5 February 2027. Maphwanya lists potential internal deployments as operations Corona (border safeguarding), Chariot (disaster relief and humanitarian assistance) and Prosper (safety and security). After this period, recruits will be handed over to difference services and divisions by March 2027. Service-specific training will take place between 9 March 2027 and 1 August 2027. Armscor has been tasked to source “various equipment” for the JBMT intake by way of tender ELWS/2025/45 issued on 4 August with a closing date of 18 August. Detailed tender information is not disclosed unless to a bona fide bidder with some, mostly electronics, projectors, microphones and smart screens, listed in the Maphwanya instruction as needing to be acquired. (Source: https://www.defenceweb.co.za/)