Japan Submarine Torpedoes USS Juneau in Valiant Shield 2026 SINKEX

3 articles · Updated · DVIDS · Jun 24

More than 200 nautical miles off Guam, a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine fired a torpedo at the decommissioned USS Juneau during a live-fire sinking exercise in the Philippine Sea.
The strike formed part of Valiant Shield 2026, a biennial Western Pacific drill designed to sharpen weapons employment and target-engagement skills under realistic conditions that simulators cannot fully replicate.
Air, surface and subsurface forces joined the coordinated attack on the former amphibious transport dock, giving crews practice in joint, multi-axis operations across domains.
USS Juneau served in the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm before its 2008 decommissioning, while Valiant Shield showcases U.S. and partner-nation integration in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.