Latest news with #Balikatan2025
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Marines, Army deploying missile systems to Luzon Strait
Marine Corps and Army missile systems are set to deploy to a key chokepoint in the Philippine Island chains for anti-ship drills during the military exercise known as KAMANDAG. The unmanned, anti-ship Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, or NMESIS, and the Army's High Mobility Rocket Artillery System will feature prominently in the exercise with their emplacement between Luzon and Taiwan, U.S. Naval Institute reported. The 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment's NMESIS is heading to Batanes, the northernmost portion of Philippine territory. The platform first reached the island of Basco and Batan for Balikatan 2025, a maritime security exercise. This unit will be the next to field the ship-killing missile system That was the first time the Marines deployed the anti-ship missile to the Luzon Strait. 'The insertion of the NMESIS on Batan during Exercise Balikatan 25's MKTSO was an achievement of a major milestone not just for 3rd MLR, but for the entire U.S. Marine Corps enterprise, signifying advancements in the service's equipment fielding to employment timelines,' said Col. John G. Lehane, commanding officer of the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment. 'In a matter of months, the NMESIS went from an experimental asset undergoing the rigorous initial operational testing and evaluation spearheaded by Marine Corps Systems Command and the program office, to a fully fielded weapon system capable of neutralizing the threat of adversarial vessels in contested littoral zones.' Marine Rotational Force-Darwin will conduct corps-level command and control. The 3rd MLR will deploy their missile battery to Batanes using KC-130J transport aircraft, USNI reported. 'KAMANDAG 9 is a clear demonstration of the strength of the U.S.-Philippine alliance and our ironclad commitment to regional security and combined readiness,' said Col. Jason C. Armas, commanding officer of the MRF-D 25.3 MAGTF. 'Training shoulder to shoulder with our Philippine Marine Corps partners isn't just about building interoperability — it's about forging trust in the crucible of shared hardship and preparing together to respond with speed and precision to any crisis, anywhere, anytime.' The exercise is scheduled to run from May 26 to June 6 and will take place across the Philippine archipelago, including Luzon, Batanes, Tawi-Tawi and Palawan, according to a release. Training events include maritime key terrain security operations, defensive counter-landing live-fire drills, littoral maneuver, amphibious operations and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, according to the release. Japanese and Korean forces are scheduled to conduct amphibious drills in the province of Palawan, which faces the South China Sea, a key area of control for any potential conflict with Beijing. The Army HIMARs will be transported by the Armed Forces of the Philippines alongside the Marine anti-ship systems. The service deployed the launchers during Balikatan 2024. The missile units will rehearse maritime strikes in the Luzon Strait. Those systems can cover the 250-kilometer-wide strait through fires and sensors, USNI reported. The 3rd MLR used a network of ground-based sensors and drones across Batanes and the Babuyan Islands during previous exercises. Those operations included the Philippine territory of Mavulis, less than 90 miles from Taiwan.
Epoch Times
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
From Balikatan to Taiwan: Why Firepower Beats Perfection
Commentary Balikatan 2025—the largest Indo-Pacific exercise in years—sent a clear message: the United States is preparing for a major regional fight. With anti-ship missile strikes, island defense scenarios, and Japanese ground forces participating, it was the most complex iteration yet. But exercises don't win wars. Firepower does. The Pentagon must face a hard truth: victory in the next conflict won't come from flawless, gold-plated systems. It will come from what we can deploy quickly, at scale, and under fire. Ukraine's Lesson: Volume and Speed Win Ukraine is showing the world how high-intensity warfare works in the 21st century. Their battlefield success hasn't come from perfect weapons. It's come from fielding what's ready—drones, loitering munitions, commercial communications tools, and artillery. Not because they're the best. Because they're available. Quantity wins. Mass drone strikes and heavy artillery have been more decisive than boutique precision systems. Speed wins more. The systems that arrived early—regardless of sophistication—changed the fight. Iteration matters. Ukraine's ability to adapt and repurpose tech in real time has saved lives and shifted momentum. While Western procurement measures in years, Ukraine adapts in weeks. That's the pace of modern war. INDOPACOM's Edge Will Come Early—or Not at All The Indo-Pacific is not Ukraine. Distances are longer. Logistics are harder. But the principle holds: the side that delivers effective firepower first will dominate the fight. A Taiwan Strait war wouldn't be measured in months. It would be decided in days. The U.S. won't have time to surge exquisite assets across the Pacific—or build new ones mid-conflict. Related Stories 5/8/2025 3/22/2025 If we're still waiting for 'perfect' systems to arrive, we'll lose the initiative. And possibly the war. Balikatan 2025 rehearsed island defense, long-range fires, and distributed C2. But behind the scenarios is a sobering question: do we have enough munitions, drones, and comms gear to fight for real? Buy What We Can Use Now Defense acquisition must evolve—fast. It's not just about improving the process. It's about buying the right things, at the right speed, and in the right quantity. Ukraine has repurposed commercial drones and Starlink terminals into ISR, targeting, and command tools. They didn't wait for five-year procurement cycles. They found what worked—and fielded it immediately. INDOPACOM should do the same. Especially when the opening days of conflict may define the next decade of global stability. Fix Procurement Before It's Too Late To prepare for a potential fight in the Indo-Pacific, we need to prioritize three things in acquisition: speed, scalability, and survivability. Here's what that looks like: 1. Fund what's fieldable now. Buy off-the-shelf drones, comms, loitering munitions, and ISR tools that can deploy immediately. 2. Build surge capacity before a crisis. Ukraine ran out of munitions fast. We can't. Stockpile and pre-position across the Pacific now. 3. Cut procurement timelines in half. If it takes five years to field, it won't help in Taiwan. Fast-track authorities must become the norm. 4. Empower those at the front. In Ukraine, warfighters influenced what got procured. We should embed their feedback into acquisition decisions. This isn't about throwing out the system—it's about adjusting it to meet the timeline of modern conflict. Balikatan's Warning Shot Exercises like Balikatan matter. They expose where we're falling short. And if we can't deliver munitions, drones, or comms gear quickly in peacetime, how will we do it under fire? Ukraine is already showing the answer: get adaptable systems to the field, in volume, now. The U.S. cannot afford to learn that lesson the hard way in INDOPACOM. Perfection Is a Peacetime Luxury The next war won't be won by the most beautiful system. It'll be won by the one that arrives first, hits hard, and keeps working. We must shift from a procurement mindset built for long-term savings to one optimized for near-term victory. As Balikatan winds down and strategic focus stays fixed on China, we should ask: are we building to win a contract—or to win a war? In the Indo-Pacific, we may only get one chance to get it right. From Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Miami Herald
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
US Trains To Sink Chinese Ships at Maritime Choke Point
World US Trains To Sink Chinese Ships at Maritime Choke Point U.S. Marine Corps Anti-Ship Missile System. The United States Marine Corps conducts a simulated fire-mission with the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System on Batan Island in the Philippines on April 26, 2025. Lance Cpl. Maksim Masloboev/U.S. Marine Corps The United States simulated anti-ship operations in a key Western Pacific Ocean waterway during a war game in the Philippines, amid an expanding Chinese naval presence in the region. Newsweek has reached out to the Chinese Defense Ministry for comment by email. Why It Matters The Philippines, which has signed a mutual defense treaty with Washington, forms part of the First Island Chain under a U.S. maritime containment strategy that seeks to restrict China's military access to the wider Pacific Ocean using America-aligned territories. The joint U.S.-Philippine military drill, code-named Balikatan 2025, saw the deployment of the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), a U.S. Marine Corpsanti-ship missile system, on the northern Philippine island of Batan in the Luzon Strait. The Luzon Strait, located between Taiwan in the north and the Philippines to the south, is a key gateway for the Chinese navy, which is currently the largest in the world by hull count, as it connects the contested South China Sea in the west and the Philippine Sea in the east. What To Know The U.S. Marine Corps revealed details of the NMESIS deployment on Sunday. Following the insertion of the ground-based missile system on Batan Island, the 3d Littoral Combat Team's Medium-Range Missile Battery simulated strikes on nearby vessels. The NMESIS consists of a pair of containers for launching the Naval Strike Missile, which are mounted on an unmanned vehicle. The missile is capable of striking enemy ships more than 100 nautical miles (115 miles) away. During the event, officially known as Maritime Key Terrain Security Operations, the U.S. Marine Corps and its Philippine counterparts conducted "sensing operations," which saw them establish radars on Batan and nearby islands to identify and observe passing ships. The NMESIS deployment in the Luzon Strait on April 26 comes after a Chinese aircraft carrier, CNS Shandong, passed through the strait as it reached the Philippine Sea from the South China Sea on April 23. It was spotted returning to the South China Sea two days later. Exercise Balikatan 2025, which is the 40th iteration of the annual war game between the two allies, is taking place from April 21 to May 9 in the Philippines, advancing what the U.S. Marine Corps calls "shared commitment to and support for a free and open Indo-Pacific region." The Chinese Defense Ministry previously said military cooperation between the U.S. and the Philippines should not "target or hurt" the interests of other countries, warning that the East Asian power will "resolutely safeguard" the country's sovereignty, rights and interests. What People Are Saying U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General Michael Cederholm, commander of the U.S. Joint Task Force, said: "The training we conduct during Exercise Balikatan continues to validate our modernization efforts and improves our ability to defend our shared interests within the region." Philippine Army Brigadier General Mike Logico, Exercise Balikatan spokesperson, said: "Every country big or small has an absolute and inalienable right to defend itself. Maritime Key Terrain Security Operations training increases our combined ability to secure and defend our territories." What Happens Next It remains to be seen whether the NMESIS will remain in the Philippines following the conclusion of Exercise Balikatan 2025. Another U.S. missile system, the U.S. Army Mid-Range Capability, remained in the Southeast Asian country after the end of a drill last year. Related Articles 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC. This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 11:38 AM.
Newsweek
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
US Trains To Sink Chinese Ships at Maritime Choke Point
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The United States simulated anti-ship operations in a key Western Pacific Ocean waterway during a war game in the Philippines, amid an expanding Chinese naval presence in the region. Newsweek has reached out to the Chinese Defense Ministry for comment by email. Why It Matters The Philippines, which has signed a mutual defense treaty with Washington, forms part of the First Island Chain under a U.S. maritime containment strategy that seeks to restrict China's military access to the wider Pacific Ocean using America-aligned territories. The joint U.S.-Philippine military drill, code-named Balikatan 2025, saw the deployment of the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), a U.S. Marine Corps anti-ship missile system, on the northern Philippine island of Batan in the Luzon Strait. The Luzon Strait, located between Taiwan in the north and the Philippines to the south, is a key gateway for the Chinese navy, which is currently the largest in the world by hull count, as it connects the contested South China Sea in the west and the Philippine Sea in the east. What To Know The U.S. Marine Corps revealed details of the NMESIS deployment on Sunday. Following the insertion of the ground-based missile system on Batan Island, the 3d Littoral Combat Team's Medium-Range Missile Battery simulated strikes on nearby vessels. The United States Marine Corps conducts a simulated fire-mission with the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System on Batan Island in the Philippines on April 26, 2025. The United States Marine Corps conducts a simulated fire-mission with the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System on Batan Island in the Philippines on April 26, 2025. Lance Cpl. Maksim Masloboev/U.S. Marine Corps The NMESIS consists of a pair of containers for launching the Naval Strike Missile, which are mounted on an unmanned vehicle. The missile is capable of striking enemy ships more than 100 nautical miles (115 miles) away. During the event, officially known as Maritime Key Terrain Security Operations, the U.S. Marine Corps and its Philippine counterparts conducted "sensing operations," which saw them establish radars on Batan and nearby islands to identify and observe passing ships. The NMESIS deployment in the Luzon Strait on April 26 comes after a Chinese aircraft carrier, CNS Shandong, passed through the strait as it reached the Philippine Sea from the South China Sea on April 23. It was spotted returning to the South China Sea two days later. Exercise Balikatan 2025, which is the 40th iteration of the annual war game between the two allies, is taking place from April 21 to May 9 in the Philippines, advancing what the U.S. Marine Corps calls "shared commitment to and support for a free and open Indo-Pacific region." The Chinese Defense Ministry previously said military cooperation between the U.S. and the Philippines should not "target or hurt" the interests of other countries, warning that the East Asian power will "resolutely safeguard" the country's sovereignty, rights and interests. What People Are Saying U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General Michael Cederholm, commander of the U.S. Joint Task Force, said: "The training we conduct during Exercise Balikatan continues to validate our modernization efforts and improves our ability to defend our shared interests within the region." Philippine Army Brigadier General Mike Logico, Exercise Balikatan spokesperson, said: "Every country big or small has an absolute and inalienable right to defend itself. Maritime Key Terrain Security Operations training increases our combined ability to secure and defend our territories." What Happens Next It remains to be seen whether the NMESIS will remain in the Philippines following the conclusion of Exercise Balikatan 2025. Another U.S. missile system, the U.S. Army Mid-Range Capability, remained in the Southeast Asian country after the end of a drill last year.
Newsweek
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
US Anti-Ship Missiles Challenge Nearby Chinese Aircraft Carrier
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The United States deployed anti-ship missiles on a strategic Philippine island during a drill while a Chinese aircraft carrier staged a show of force against the allies in the nearby waters. Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Defense Ministry for comment by email. Why It Matters The Philippines, a U.S. ally that has territorial disputes with China over the South China Sea, forms the first island chain with Taiwan and Japan under a U.S. containment strategy that seeks to restrict China's military access to the Pacific Ocean using Washington-aligned territories. The Chinese military—which has the world's largest navy by hull count—has been expanding its reach and presence beyond the first island chain. The U.S. is arming its regional allies and partners with ship-sinking missiles to counter China's navy. What To Know The Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) was deployed for the first time during a bilateral exercise, code-named Balikatan 2025, on Batan Island in the northern Philippines on April 26, the U.S. Marine Corps announced on Sunday. A United States Marine Corps Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System staged on Batan Island in the Philippines on April 26. A United States Marine Corps Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System staged on Batan Island in the Philippines on April 26. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Trent Randolph/U.S. Marine Corps The NMESIS is a ground-based launcher. It consists of a remote-operated vehicle equipped with two Naval Strike Missile containers and is designed for facilitating sea denial and sea control by striking enemy ships from a distance of more than 100 nautical miles (115 miles). Batan Island is north of the Luzon Strait, which is an important waterway for China's navy to accomplish a breakthrough of the first island chain. The strait is situated between Taiwan and the Philippines, linking the South China Sea and the Philippine Sea. The American anti-ship weapon held a simulated fire mission during the deployment. "We're not here practicing a war plan. We're practicing for the defense of the Philippines," U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General Michael Cederholm told reporters. Washington and Manila signed a mutual defense treaty in 1951, which says an attack on either side in the Pacific region would prompt the partnered countries to take action. This includes attacks on Philippine military, public vessels or aircraft in the South China Sea. Meanwhile, the Japanese Defense Ministry reported that a Chinese naval strike group, which was led by the aircraft carrier CNS Shandong, sailed toward the South China Sea on Friday, following its deployment to east of Luzon, an island in the northern Philippines, on Wednesday. The Shandong and three escorting warships transited the Luzon Strait as they were spotted 323 miles south of Yonaguni Island in southwestern Japan, a map by Newsweek shows. During its three-day deployment in the Philippine Sea, the Shandong's carrier-based fighter jets and helicopters conducted 70 and 60 takeoffs and landings, respectively, Tokyo added. What People Are Saying U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General Michael Cederholm said: "We don't broadcast when we're going in, when we're coming out and how long things are going to stay. All I'll say is we're here at the invitation and with the support of the Philippine government." Philippine Brigadier General Michael Logico said: "A peaceful region can only be maintained through a proper balance of strength between opposing forces until such time that … both countries decide that it's not going to be worth it to fight over this area." What Happens Next It remains to be seen whether the NMESIS will stay behind following the conclusion of the exercise. Another American missile system, the U.S. Army Mid-Range Capability, has been stationed in the Philippines since April 2024, which was deployed for drills at first.
