Exercises Valiant Shield and Resolute Dragon are large-scale, multi-domain military drills led by the United States and Indo-Pacific allies. They deploy advanced technologies like AI-drones and coastal missile systems to strengthen regional deterrence, enhance combat readiness, and secure maritime trade.
Why In News?
The United States Pacific Fleet launched the Valiant Shield 2026 and the bilateral Resolute Dragon 26 across Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Japan.
What are Valiant Shield and Resolute Dragon?
These large-scale military drills synchronize sea, air, land, space, and cyberspace operations to enhance interoperability between the United States and its core allies.
Evolution: Valiant Shield began in 2006 as a unilateral U.S. drill and evolved by 2024 into a multilateral platform. Resolute Dragon functions as an annual U.S.-Japan bilateral field training exercise.
Objectives: Allied forces aim to detect, track, and engage enemy units, rehearse complex maneuver tactics, and defend critical maritime trade routes against regional militarization.
Significance
Island Defense: The exercises secure the Miyako, Ishigaki, and Yonaguni islands, creating a defensive shield near Taiwan.
Environmental Compliance: Operations adhere to the National Environmental Policy Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act, including the removal of hazardous materials like PCBs before live-fire events.
Deterrence: The drills integrate deep-sensing and electronic warfare to dismantle Anti-Access/Area-Denial (A2/AD) networks.
Strategic Signalling: The U.S. and its allies project combined combat power to deter unilateral attempts to alter the geopolitical status quo.
Source: NEWS
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PRACTICE QUESTION Q. With reference to the military exercises 'Valiant Shield' and 'Resolute Dragon', consider the following statements: 1. Valiant Shield is an annual, unilateral exercise exclusively conducted by the United States Armed Forces. 2. The 2026 iteration of Valiant Shield witnessed the integration of the MQ-28A Ghost Bat, an AI-enabled collaborative combat aircraft. 3. Resolute Dragon is a bilateral field training exercise conducted primarily between the armed forces of the United States and Japan. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? A) 1 and 2 only B) 2 and 3 only C) 1 and 3 only D) 1, 2, and 3 Answer: B Explanation: Statement 1 is incorrect: Valiant Shield is a biennial (occurring every two years), not annual, field training exercise. Statement 2 is correct: The 2026 iteration of Valiant Shield featured the integration of the MQ-28A Ghost Bat, an AI-enabled collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) developed by Boeing Defence Australia. Statement 3 is correct: Resolute Dragon is an annual bilateral field training exercise conducted between the U.S. Marine Corps (and other U.S. forces) and the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF). |
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