The United States is preparing to conduct a trilateral military exercise with South Korea and Japan, the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) said Wednesday, suggesting that the drills are on track despite the recent scaling back of a Seoul-Washington combined exercise at U.S. President Donald Trump's directive. "In close coordination with the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, U.S. Pacific Command is preparing for the 2026 iteration of exercise Freedom Edge," Lt. Cmdr. Chloe Morgan, a PACOM spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency via email. "This premier multi-domain exercise will continue to reinforce our shared values, enhance our shared interoperability and further strengthen our defense partnerships to ensure peace and stability throughout the Pacific," Morgan said. She declined to provide further details, including whether this year's Freedom Edge will be carried out at the same scope and scale as those of the three previous drills, held in June and November of 2024, and in September last year. The Freedom Edge exercise was one of the key outcomes from the tri