U.S. and Philippine troops fired a high-mobility artillery rocket system during a live-fire exercise during a joint U.S.-Philippine Army exercise in Raul, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, March 31, 2023.
Ezra Akayan | Getty Images News | Getty Images
The United States has no immediate plans to withdraw its medium-range missile system deployed in the Philippines and is testing the feasibility of using the system in a regional conflict, people familiar with the matter said.
The two countries said at the time that they had introduced the Typhon system, which can be equipped with cruise missiles capable of striking Chinese targets, for joint exercises earlier this year, but it remains there.
The Southeast Asian archipelago is Taiwan’s southern neighbor. important part It is an important part of the US strategy in Asia and will become an indispensable relay station for military aid to Taipei if China launches an attack.
China and Russia have condemned the first deployment of the system in the Indo-Pacific region, accusing Washington of fueling an arms race.
China’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it was very concerned about plans to retain the system.
“This seriously threatens regional national security and intensifies geopolitical confrontation,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a press conference.
The deployment, some details of which have not been previously reported, comes as China and the Philippines, a U.S. defense treaty ally conflict Parts of the hotly contested South China Sea. The strategic waterway has seen a series of naval and air confrontations in recent months.
Philippine officials said Philippine and U.S. forces continued to conduct training using the missile system, which is located on the northern island of Luzon facing the South China Sea and close to the Taiwan Strait. They said they were unaware of immediate plans to return it, although joint exercises are set to end this month.
Philippine Army spokesman Col. Louis Demaara said on Wednesday that training was ongoing and it was up to Philippine authorities and U.S. Army Pacific to determine how long the missile system would stay.
“It’s up to the higher headquarters to decide whether to stay, most importantly U.S. Pacific Command, because they own this and it’s not our capability,” he told Reuters.
A USARPAC public affairs official said that the Philippine Army has said that Typhon may stay until after September, and soldiers began training with the system last week. “Discussions are ongoing to use the system with a focus on integrating the host’s support”.
The United States and the Philippines are testing the feasibility of using the system in the event of conflict and its operation in that environment, a senior Philippine government official and another person familiar with the matter said. Both spoke on condition of anonymity.
The government official said the Typhon, which is designed to be mobile and move as needed, is in the Philippines “to test the feasibility of deploying it in the country so that it can be easily deployed here if the need arises.”
The office of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did not respond to a request for comment.
In April, the U.S. Army launched Typhon missiles, which can fire missiles including SM-6 missiles and Tomahawks, to the Philippines with a range of more than 1,600 kilometers (994 miles), in what was called a “historic first ” and “a major step forward in our strategy.” Partnership with the Philippines”.
Satellite images captured by commercial satellite company Planet Labs and reviewed by Reuters on Wednesday showed the typhoon at Laoag International Airport in Ilocos Norte province.
Senior government officials who spoke to Reuters said there were no immediate plans to withdraw the program.
“If it will be removed, it will be because the objective has been achieved and it will probably be taken back after all repairs or construction are completed,” the official said, adding that it had strategic value. Deter China.
“We want to give them sleepless nights.”
According to Reuters, the United States has been amassing a variety of anti-ship weapons in Asia as Washington attempts to quickly catch up in China’s leading Indo-Pacific missile race. report.
Although the U.S. military has declined to say how many SM-6 missiles will be deployed in the Indo-Pacific region, more than 800 SM-6 missiles will be purchased over the next five years, according to government documents outlining military procurement. Documents show there are thousands of tomahawks in U.S. stockpiles.
China has repeatedly condemned the deployment of the Typhon, including in May when Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said that Manila and Washington posed a “huge risk of war” to the region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned the deployment in June when he announced that Russia would resume production of intermediate- and short-range nuclear bombs.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo assured his Chinese counterpart in July that the presence of missile systems in the Philippines would not pose a threat to China or destabilize the region.
The United States says China has fully militarized at least three of the islands it has built in the South China Sea, most of which it controls despite a 2016 arbitration ruling in favor of the Philippines and equipping them with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles. Have sovereignty.
China says its military installations in the Spratly Islands are purely defensive and that it can do whatever it wants on its own territory.
