US, Japan agree to establish missile production facility under ‘Operation Supercharge’
Washington DC The United States and Japan have reportedly reached an agreement to establish a facility in Japan for the final assembly and check-out of advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAMs), as the two allies move to strengthen defence industrial cooperation amid growing regional security concerns.
The agreement is part of a joint defence production effort called ‘Operation Supercharge’, according to a post shared by the US House of Representatives Select Committee on China on X on Thursday (local time). In the statement shared alongside the post, Chairman of the Select Committee on China, US Representative John Moolenaar, welcomed the agreement, saying that the United States and its allies and partners in the Pacific must deepen defence cooperation to ensure peace and protect freedom of navigation and the rule of law in the region.
“America and its allies and partners in the Pacific agree that we must deepen defense cooperation to ensure peace and protect freedom of navigation and rule of law in the region. The Chinese Communist Party’s aggression toward its neighbors must be taken seriously and Secretary Hegseth and the Trump Administration deserve significant credit for shepherding this agreement across the finish line,” Moolenaar said.
He further stressed the importance of securing critical supply chains and rebuilding the defence industrial base to ensure that the United States and its allies have the resources required to counter what he termed aggression by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
“Expanding our defense alliance with Japan sends a clear message on where U.S. policy stands to protect our interests and our national security,” he added.
The development comes as, according to The Japan Times, Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also agreed to expand defence industrial cooperation, including plans to increase production of SM-3 Block IIA missiles.
The two defence chiefs announced the agreement on the AMRAAM facility during their meeting on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) defence chiefs’ summit on Wednesday, held on the Philippine island of Cebu.
The missile production agreement comes as the United States has seen a significant depletion of its missile arsenals amid its ongoing war against Iran. Analysts have also pointed to a decline in its stockpile of SM-3 interceptors, as per the Japan Times.
In another statement, Hegseth highlighted the US-Japan alliance as “indispensable”. Both defence chiefs underscored the importance of increased defence investment and continued strategic alignment to strengthen deterrence and implement an effective denial defence in the First Island Chain, stretching from Japan to Borneo.
In a post on X, Hegseth said the discussions had focused on advancing a “shared vision of peace through strength”. “Our strategic alignment is essential to building a credible denial defense — supported by increased investment, greater access, more realistic training, and stronger production of the munitions our forces need,” he said.
