Seoul, South Korea, The United States and Japan have begun two weeks of large-scale military exercises, featuring advanced missile systems capable of reaching mainland China, in a move Beijing has condemned as a threat to regional security.
The drills, known as Resolute Dragon, started less than two days after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held his first video call with Chinese Defense Minister Adm. Dong Jun. The Pentagon described the exchange as “candid and constructive,” while Beijing emphasized its concerns over U.S. actions in Asia.
The timing of the exercises is significant. They come just a week after China staged a massive military parade in Beijing, where the People’s Liberation Army showcased new missile systems under the watchful eye of President Xi Jinping. The event was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, signaling closer ties among the three nations.
According to a U.S. Marine Corps statement, the drills will include the Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) system, the Naval Strike Missile system (NMESIS), and Japan’s upgraded Type 12 surface,to,surface missiles. Together, the weapons create a layered missile defense and strike capability designed to protect waterways, defend territory, and project power across the region.
Beijing has been especially vocal about the deployment of the Typhon, which it calls “a substantial threat to strategic security.” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun urged Washington and Tokyo to respect other countries’ security concerns and avoid introducing the system.
The Typhon is a versatile launcher capable of firing both the SM,6 missile, which can intercept ballistic missiles, aircraft, and ships at ranges up to 230 miles, and the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, a cruise missile with a 1,000-mile range. The system was first tested in the Pacific during exercises in the Philippines last year, drawing similar criticism from Beijing. For Resolute Dragon, the Typhon will be deployed at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni on Japan’s main island of Honshu.
Other systems will operate from Japan’s Southwest Islands, which lie just 70 miles from Taiwan’s coast. The NMESIS has a shorter range of 115 miles and is designed for precision strikes against naval targets, while Japan’s newly modernized Type 12 missile extends its reach up to 900 kilometers (560 miles), strengthening Tokyo’s deterrence posture.
The exercises highlight deepening U.S.-Japan defense cooperation amid rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. During his call with Dong, Hegseth stressed that Washington does not seek conflict or regime change in China but underscored that the U.S. will “resolutely protect” its interests in the Asia,Pacific. In turn, Dong pressed the U.S. to respect China’s “core interests,” including its claims over Taiwan.
The drills also unfold against a backdrop of renewed diplomatic activity between Washington and Beijing. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently spoke with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and a bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation is set to visit China later this month,the first in over six years. Meanwhile, preparations are underway for a potential meeting between Xi Jinping and former U.S. President Donald Trump at the Asia,Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea this October, a possible milestone in managing the fraught U.S. China relationship.
