According to reports on December 2, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) participated in a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) joint military exercise in November.
From November 7 to 28, the JGSDF’s 1st Airborne Brigade under the Ground Component Command took part in the NATO Allied Airborne Exercise “MANGUSTA 25.”
Troops from eight countries—including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Poland—participated in the exercise.
Meanwhile, in the same month, France, Germany, Italy, and Poland joined the annual joint exercise between the Self-Defense Forces and the British Army held in Hokkaido, Japan.
Some observers predicted an expansion of joint exercises between the Self-Defense Forces and NATO forces, noting that the Air Self-Defense Force participated—for the first time since its establishment—in a NATO joint air force drill held in September–October, dispatching fighter jets, transport aircraft, aerial refueling aircraft, and around 180 personnel to air bases in North America and Europe.
