U.S. military drills in Philippines end — but anti-ship missile system stays
The U.S. military has kept another advanced weapons system in the Philippines following recent joint drills, suggesting the Pentagon is using exercises to de facto deploy key weapons to the region amid growing tensions with China.
The U.S. Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), an advanced mobile anti-ship missile platform, 'is still within the country, and it will continue to be used by the Philippine Marine Corps for training purposes,' local media quoted Philippine Navy spokesperson Capt. John Percie Alcos as saying Tuesday after the NMESIS was used in this year's Balikatan and Kamandag joint exercises.
The Balikatan drills ran from April 21 to May 9, while the Kamandag exercises took place from May 26 to June 6.
The spokesperson declined to disclose the weapon's current location, citing operational security reasons, but the remarks are the first to suggest that the NMESIS, which was last spotted on the island of Batanes — located between the Philippines' Luzon island and Taiwan — could remain in the Southeast Asian country indefinitely.
Leaving it with the U.S. ally would replicate a similar decision with the Typhon midrange missile system, which the Pentagon originally deployed for drills back in April 2024.
Composed of an uncrewed vehicle mounting two launchers for the Naval Strike Missile, which has a range of up to 185 kilometers, the NMESIS is a coastal defense system that could be used to keep Chinese warships at bay in the event of not only conflict with the Philippines, but also with nearby Taiwan.
Alcos said the NMESIS deployment should not be viewed as a threat to China, which is embroiled in increasingly heated maritime and territorial disputes in parts of the South China Sea with the Philippines.
'The presence of the NMESIS in our country is only a deterrent to anybody who intends to conduct illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive actions against the Philippines,' the spokesman said. 'Otherwise, it's just military equipment that we use for training.'
A Typhon midrange capability launcher arrives on northern Luzon island, in the Philippines, on April 8, 2024, in the capability's first deployment into the theater. |
U.S. ARMY
Still, confirmation that the weapon will remain in the Philippines is likely to anger Beijing, which has already been calling for the removal of the Typhon, arguing that this weapon, in particular, is a 'strategic' and 'offensive' system.
Should the Typhon and NMESIS remain on Philippine soil, China's state-owned Global Times newspaper warned in April, they would become 'a constant source of tension in the region.'
According to Philippine Army chief Lt. Gen. Roy Galido, the country's armed forces have been using the Typhon to familiarize themselves with such a capability, with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro recently telling The Japan Times that Manila has already secured funding to acquire either this or another type of midrange capability.
'We are still learning, we are still training. Just like any equipment you have, you just don't learn it one time. You have to be well-versed with the equipment,' local media quoted Galido as saying Tuesday.
'It's still our desire to have one, and we have proposed to have similar, if not that platform, within the inventory of the army,' he added.
The U.S. has also deployed other advanced military systems for joint exercises with the Philippines this year. These include the HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, maritime and aerial drones such as uncrewed solar-powered surveillance vehicles and a microwave-based directed energy weapon system designed to counter drone swarms.
It's unclear how many of these systems will also remain in the country, but the Philippine Navy is already known to field a unit dedicated to operating uncrewed surface vehicles after receiving a handful of U.S.-made Mantas T12 and Devil Ray T38 maritime drones.
It is likely that Washington will provide additional advanced systems to Manila as it seeks to reassure its oldest ally in Asia of its 'ironclad' commitment amid tensions with China.
The U.S. is also looking at greater defense-industrial cooperation with the Philippines, saying earlier this year that the allies have identified a number of areas, including uncrewed systems, ammunition components and logistical support, as well as ship and aircraft maintenance and repair.
The U.S. Navy even revealed recently that one of its destroyers had participated in a simulated wartime repair activity at the Philippines' Subic Bay in January.
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