Submarine Torpedo Sinks Decommissioned US Ship During Multinational Pacific Drill

During the Valiant Shield exercise (June 22–July 1), a JMSDF submarine fired a torpedo at the decommissioned USS Juneau (LPD-10), sinking it about 200 nautical miles off the Mariana Islands. The Juneau, commissioned in 1969 and decommissioned in 2008, was used as a SINKEX target to train joint forces across sea, air, space, land and cyberspace; extensive environmental cleanup and safety checks were completed prior to sinking. Valiant Shield is a biennial multinational drill involving the U.S., Japan, Australia, Canada and New Zealand to build real-world maritime proficiency.