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Tag: Iron Fist 26

Iron Fist 26: U.S., Japanese forces hold bilateral drills to increase readiness - Japan Ground Self-Defense Force service members post security during an amphibious landing during exercise Iron Fist 26 at Kushi Crossing, Okinawa, Japan, March 4, 2026. Iron Fist is an annual bilateral exercise designed to increase operational integration and strengthen the relationships between the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Navy, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Eadan Avramidis)

Iron Fist 26: U.S., Japanese forces hold bilateral drills to increase readiness

U.S. Marines, Sailors, and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force personnel conducted large-scale amphibious landings on Tanegashima and Okinawa on March 2 and 4 as part of Iron Fist 26. The training integrated forces from the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, and Japan’s Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade to strengthen interoperability, readiness, and combined amphibious capabilities. The exercise also marked the first Iron Fist operations on Tanegashima and the final certification of Japan’s 3rd Amphibious Rapid Deployment Regiment, reinforcing the U.S.-Japan Alliance’s ability to rapidly respond to regional contingencies in the Indo-Pacific.

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