Super Typhoon Champi disrupts Keen Sword drills across southern Japan

Super Typhoon Champi, the strongest storm of 2026, has forced U.S. and Japanese forces to scale back parts of Keen Sword, a major defense exercise. Members of Marine Aircraft Group 36 prepare to board a CH-53 Sea Stallion for a Keen Sword "elephant walk" at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Oct. 20, 2026. (Ryan M. Breeden/ Stars and Stripes) CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The strongest storm on the planet so far this year is forcing U.S. and Japanese military commanders to scale back or cancel portions of Keen Sword, a major exercise involving tens of thousands of troops across Japan. Super Typhoon Champi — a Category 5-equivalent storm — was moving toward Japan’s southwestern islands Wednesday, threatening training areas where U.S.

and Japanese forces had planned drills. Exercise commanders are adjusting activities daily as they monitor the typhoon’s path, Keen Sword spokesman Maj. Ephesian Poinsette said by email Wednesday. Champi became the strongest storm to form this year, CNN reported Wednesday. A satellite image of Super Typhoon Champi shows it east of the Philippines and southeast of Taiwan at 9 a.m. Oct. 21, 2026. (Joint Typhoon Warning Center) At noon Wednesday, the typhoon was about 600 miles southeast of Kadena Air Base, moving west-northwest with maximum sustained winds of about 178 mph and gusts reaching 218 mph, according to