A MAJOR military exercise is unfolding across the Northern Pacific as the United States and its allies flex their muscles in a show of strength.
Exercise Valiant Shield has gathered elements of Australian, Canadian, Japanese, and New Zealand defence services who will test their skills for over a week in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Japan, and at sea around the Mariana Islands Range Complex.
Valiant Shield is a multinational, biennial field training exercise focused on integrating interoperability training in a multi-domain environment.
This training builds real-world proficiency in sustaining joint forces through detecting, locating, tracking, and engaging units at sea, in the air, in space, on land, and in cyberspace.
All Us military branches are represented on the exercise along with elements from Indo-Pacific Command, Pacific Fleet, US Pacific Air Forces, and Space Command.
The Japanese Self Defense Force has contributed two warships and a submarine –JS Kaga, JS Fuyuzuki, and JS Jingei.
Australia has deployed 80 personnel, a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and air battlespace management units while Canada has contributed the frigate HMCS Charlottetown.
New Zealand has provided additional personnel and assets to support multilateral integrated operations.
The exercise prepares the joint and combined forces to rapidly respond to crises and contingencies to any number of situations including humanitarian assistance, disaster response, and armed conflict.
“Valiant Shield demonstrates our enduring commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” said Admiral Steve Koehler, Commander, US Pacific Fleet.
“Exercising advanced multidomain capabilities with our allies ensures we continue to seamlessly innovate and operate together, project combat power together, and prevail over any challenge – together.”
