The United States Marine Corps deployed an advanced radar on a Japanese island near Taiwan for the first time during the recent Resolute Dragon 24 exercise.
The exercise, hosted by the U.S. III Marine Expeditionary Force and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's Western Army, began on July 28 and ended on Wednesday. It aimed to strengthen the capabilities of both forces by rehearsing operations over key maritime terrain.
Resolute Dragon 24, the fourth iteration of the bilateral exercise, took place across Japan, including Okinawa, the country's southernmost and westernmost prefecture. On July 29, the U.S. Marine Corps deployed an AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar to Japan's westernmost island, Yonaguni in Okinawa prefecture.
The Japanese island lies 67 miles from the east coast of Taiwan, between the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea. The narrow waterway between the two islands is known as the "Yonaguni Gap," which has been transited by Russian and Chinese naval vessels and military aircraft.
China views Taiwan as a breakaway province and its air and naval forces have been patrolling and conducting exercises around the self-ruled island on a daily basis. The heightened tensions in the Taiwan Strait have turned Yonaguni into a front-line island, causing great concern in Tokyo.
Yonaguni's defense capabilities are being upgraded with an electronic combat unit and will become a deployment site for surface-to-air missiles, according to local media.
The AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar has been deployed with the Marines' expeditionary force since 2018. It can detect, identify, and track airborne threats, including manned and unmanned aircraft, cruise missiles and rocket, artillery, and mortar fire.
The Marine Corps said the radar, which replaced five older systems, provides increased accuracy, tactical mobility and reliability. Its major features include interoperability with the Navy's systems, and transportability which makes it easier to deploy.
The radar deployment aimed to enhance operational readiness in the Indo-Pacific region, the U.S. Marine Corps said in a statement, which also underscored the force's commitment to maintaining peace and security in the region through realistic training with innovative and proven technology.
At a ceremony marking the end of the exercise on Wednesday, Lt. Gen. Roger Turner, commander of the III Marine Expeditionary Force, said the drills "marked a major advancement in our ability to deter and defend against any threat in key maritime areas."
It was the first time that the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment had participated in a Resolute Dragon exercise since its re-designation in November. The unit, which is forward-deployed in Okinawa, specializes in conducting operations on remote islands in the Western Pacific.
Okinawa forms part of the so-called first island chain, which starts from Japan in the north and extends southward to Taiwan and the Philippines. Japan seeks to contain Chinese naval activities in the region, but Beijing's warships have already expanded their operations beyond this choke point.
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