Stars and Stripes:

Naval forces from the United States, Japan and South Korea are set to carry out anti-submarine warfare drills in the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, for the first time in five years, the South’s Ministry of National Defense said Thursday.

The exercise scheduled for Friday is “defensive” in nature and is being conducted “to cope with the North Korean nuclear and missile threat,” the ministry said in a news release.

The South’s military noted that the drills would take place in international waters after considering North Korea’s submarine-launched ballistic missile threat.

A separate news release from U.S. Pacific Fleet on Wednesday described the trilateral exercise as “forward-leaning, reflective of our shared values, and resolute against those who challenge regional stability.”

Rear Adm. Michael “Buzz” Donnelly, commander of Carrier Strike Group 5 and Task Force 70, will be commanding the exercise, according to South Korea’s Defense Ministry.

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