The U.S. kicked off this week multinational exercise Valiant Shield 2026 and Marine Corps-Japan Ground Self-Defense Force exercise Resolute Dragon 26, two major Western Pacific exercises.
Led by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Valiant Shield 2026 began Monday and will run through July 1, taking place in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Japan, and at sea around the Mariana Islands Range Complex. The biennial field training exercise is focused on integrating interoperability training in a multi-domain environment and will allow forces across the Indo-Pacific the opportunity to integrate Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Space Force, and allies to train in precise multi-axis, multi-domain effects, according to a news release from the command.
VS26 prepares the joint and combined force to rapidly respond to crises and contingencies across the spectrum of operations from humanitarian assistance and disaster response to armed conflict along with also assisting U.S., allied and partner forces in developing regional and global power projection capabilities.
“Valiant Shield demonstrates our enduring commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Adm. Steve Koehler, commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, said in the release. “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.”
This year marks the 11th iteration of Exercise Valiant Shield, which first began in 2006 as a unilateral U.S. exercise. The exercise has since evolved with demands of the security environment, incorporating new technology and strategies. In 2024, Valiant Shield became a multilateral joint field training exercise to further integrate allies and partners in the multi-domain environment. VS26 is only the second time the Japan Self-Defense Forces has been heavily integrated in Valiant Shield planning and execution.
The U.S. military has not disclosed the units participating in Valiant Shield, though Pentagon imagery shows the George Washington Carrier Strike Group and Guam-based attack submarine USS Minnesota (SSN-783) began drills on Sunday in the Philippine Sea with Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer carrier JS Kaga (DDH-184), destroyer JS Fuyuzuki (DD-118), and submarine JS Jingei (SS-515) and U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft.
The George Washington CSG includes aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) with embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG-62) and destroyers USS Benfold (DDG-65) and USS Shoup (DDG-86). The carrier strike group previously pulled into Guam together with Kaga and Fuyuzuki on June 16 for a port visit. The group departed May 23 from Yokosuka for its first patrol of the year. George Washington is currently the only Navy carrier operating in the Indo-Pacific
Kaga, Fuyuzuki and fleet oiler JS Mashu (AOE-425) form the 2nd Surface Unit of the JMSDF Indo-Pacific Deployment 2026 and departed on June 9 from Japan for the deployment. IPD is the JMSDF’s annual regional and presence deployment in the Indo-Pacific. Prior to arriving in Guam, the George Washington CSG, Kaga and Fuyuzuki carried out joint training.
VS26 will also see the deployment of the containerized Typhon missile system in Japan, according to a Japan Ministry of Defense (MOD) notification to the Kanoya City Council in late May. The Typhon Missile System and High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) will be deployed at Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Kanoya Air Base for Valiant Shield, as well as Exercise Orient Shield in September. Both systems will be withdrawn from Kanoya in mid-October for storage at U.S. bases in Japan.
The Typhon and HIMARS will participate in the Joint Integrated Anti-Ship Warfare training carried out in the waters around Kanoya and Amami Oshima Island, according to the MOD notification. No live firing is scheduled to be conducted by either system while deployed at Kanoya.
Australia announced on Wednesday that it will participate in VS26 with Japan, Canada and New Zealand also joining the drills. According to an Australian Defence Department news release, 80 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel will deploy across Japan, Hawaii, Guam and Australia. Australia will also deploy a Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft, exercise control staff and personnel embedded within participating Air Battlespace Management and Integrated Air and Missile Defence units.
ADF aviator observers will also integrate with the U.S.-led MQ-28A Ghost Bat Collaborative Combat Aircraft for VS26. The Ghost Bat is under development by Boeing Australia for the Royal Australian Air Force. Boeing announced on May 28 that the MQ-28 completed three operational flight tests on the Point Mugu Sea Range in California to validate autonomous operations and demonstrate rapid deployment and sustained operations from an allied location.
Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Charlottetown (FFH339), which is currently on deployment in the Indo-Pacific, will conduct anti-submarine warfare training in VS26, according to a Tuesday release from the Canadian Armed Forces. Land-based personnel in Guam, Hawaii and Japan will enhance proficiency to detect, track and engage threats across sea, air, land and cyberspace while contributing to planning and coordination efforts that strengthen interoperability and partnership, reads the release. Additionally, personnel from Royal Canadian Air Force 2 Wing Bagotville will participate in multinational Airfield Damage Repair training in Guam.
On Saturday, the III Marine Expeditionary Force and Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force Western Army held the opening ceremony for exercise Resolute Dragon 2026 at JGSDF Camp Kengun on the main island of Kyushu.
“Through this exercise, we will improve bilateral interoperability for island defense operations and further strengthen our bilateral deterrence and response capabilities,” reads a JGSDF social media post.
The exercise will run until June 30. JGSDF bases and training areas in Oita, Saga, and Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures on the main island of Kyushu, as well as Tokuno and Amami Oshima islands, will host the drills. JGSDF bases on Okinawa, Miyako Island, Ishigaki Island and Yonaguni Island and Japan Air Self-Defense Force Naha Air Base on Okinawa will host the exercise. Drills will also take place on U.S. Marine Corps bases and training areas on Okinawa.
III MEF will the 3rd Marine Division, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, 1st Marine Air Wing, 12th Marine Littoral Regiment, along with other units under U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific. The U.S. Army’s 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force, U.S. Navy 7th Fleet and the U.S. Air Force 18th Wing will take part in Resolute Dragon 26.
The 3rd Marine Division in a release on Sunday stated that 12th MLR had formally received both the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction Systems (NMESIS) and Marine Air Defense Integrated Systems (MADIS) this month.
“These systems provide Okinawa-based 3rd Marine Division Marines with cutting-edge, land-based anti-ship and anti-sUAS capabilities tailored for the complex littoral environment,” reads the release.
The 3rd Marine Division’s 3rd MLR based in Oahu, Hawaii, received the NMESIS in November 2024 and the MADIS in December 2024. The 3rd Marine Division deployed the NMESIS and MADIS to the Philippines in support of Exercise Balikatan 25 and 26 along with the NMESIS and MADIS also supporting Resolute Dragon 2025.
