The United States and South Korea have begun their first combined naval war games in five years near the peninsula a day after North Korea carried out another ballistic missile launch amid growing tensions.

A US aircraft carrier and warships from its strike group have arrived in South Korea for the first time in nearly five years to participate in joint war games in a show of force at North Korea.

Thousands of South Korean unionists and their progressive supporters rallied in downtown Seoul to protest against joint US-South Korea war games planned for later this month.

New revelations show the US was heavily defeated in a wargame the Pentagon designed two decades ago to simulate what a war with Iran would be like.

Various Palestinian resistance groups in the Gaza Strip have ordered in increase in their alert level after the Israeli army began a month-long war exercise in the occupied territories.

North Korea has slammed the US and South Korea for going ahead with military exercises, saying they will counter such aggression with their own “substantial deterrent.”

India deploys warships to the South China Sea in what New Delhi proclaims to be a bid to expand security ties with “friendly countries” and in an apparent move to join and play a bigger role in a US-led scheme to counter China near Chinese territorial waters.

The United States and Japan have been conducting “top secret” war games as possible preparation for conflict with China over self-ruled Chinese Taipei, a report says.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu says actions by the United States and NATO in Europe are contributing to an increased military threat to Russia.

US-South Korea military drills planned to run for 9 days in March should be cancelled, peace activists told hundreds of participants in an online forum. They highlighted the risk posed by the war games, and pointed out the drills had been cancelled before, leading to talks and a reduction in tension.