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Updated August 9th, 2022 at 08:39 IST

US kicks off Exercise Fortune Guard 2022 to curb flow of weapons of mass destruction

The US on Monday launched the PSI Exercise Fortune Guard 22 aiming to curtail the rapid increase in number of weapons of mass destruction.

Reported by: Dipaneeta Das
US
IMAGE: AP | Image:self
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The US on Monday kicked off the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) Exercise Fortune Guard 22 aiming to curtail the rapid increase in the number of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). The drills which are taking place in Honolulu, Hawaii will continue till August 12. The exercise seeks to bring together at least 21 counties to address the interdiction-related activities against the proliferation of WMDs, the US State Department said in a statement.

It is to mention that South Korea, the United States and 19 other nations are holding a US hosted exercise. The exercise is a part of the counterproliferation series including various nations in the Indo-Pacific region. It is aimed at developing the best tactics against proliferators, the State Department emphasised, adding that such forums provide a platform for the nations to express their intentions to act against proliferators and enhance capacity and capabilities.

What is Asia-Pacific Exercise Rotation?

It is pertinent to mention that the Asia-Pacific Exercise Rotation is an annual drill initiated by the US in 2003. It focuses on impeding the transfer of WMDs, their delivery systems, and related materials flowing to and from states and non-state actors. As per the US State Department, nearly 107 states have endorsed the PSI Statement of Interdiction Principles, further committing to taking required steps to curb the transfer and delivery of WMDs, abiding by the international order. Further, the participating states have worked with the US to streamline rapid information exchange and bolster the framework to exercise more pressing control on the issue.

What is PSI Fortune Guard 22?

As explained by the US State Department, the Fortune Guard 22 is part of the PSI’s Asia-Pacific Exercise Rotation series, which was added to the PSI in 2014. The US State Department highlighted that the Fortune Guard 22 will feature expert briefs; a scenario-based tabletop discussion; a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear response subject-matter-expert information exchange; and live exercises to demonstrate Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) interdiction capabilities.

Each of the Asia-Pacific Exercise Rotation host countries hosts its own exercises: Pacific Protector in Australia; Pacific Shield in Japan; Maru in New Zealand; Deep Sabre in Singapore; and Eastern Endeavor in the Republic of Korea. This comes as the transportation of WMDs among proliferators have become much more frequent but harder to track. According to US Indo-Pacific Command, these exercises are a way to disseminate current and comprehensive information to help countries counter potential threats given the tense geopolitical landscape.

(Image: AP)

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Published August 9th, 2022 at 08:39 IST

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