The United States will deploy ship-sinking missiles to the Luzon Strait, a choke point for Chinese naval access to the Pacific Ocean, during a military exercise with the Philippines.
Newsweek has reached out to the Chinese Defense Ministry for comment by email.
Why It Matters
The Philippines, one of America's oldest treaty allies in Asia, forms part of the first island chain under a U.S. maritime containment strategy seeking to restrict China's military access to the wider Western Pacific Ocean using U.S.-aligned territories such as Taiwan and Japan.
The Luzon Strait between southern Taiwan and the northern Philippines links the South China Sea to the Philippine Sea, a gateway for China's navy—the world's largest by hull count—beyond the first island chain.
China is expanding its military reach and presence across the Western Pacific Ocean in an attempt to challenge America's naval dominance in the region. The United States is countering the threat by arming its Pacific allies and partners with anti-ship missiles.
What To Know
The U.S. Marine Corps said on Wednesday that it had sent the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, also known as the NMESIS, to the Philippines, a move that followed an announcement by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during his visit to Manila in March
The NMESIS is a ground-based anti-ship missile launcher consisting of a remote-operated vehicle equipped with a pair of Naval Strike Missile containers. It is intended to facilitate sea denial and control by striking ships from a distance of over 100 nautical miles (115 miles).
Several NMESIS launchers were deployed to northern Luzon, the Philippines' largest island, for the 40th iteration of the Balikatan joint military exercise, the Marine Corps said. Balikatan is the largest annual drill between the U.S. and Philippines armed forces and this year will run from April 21 to May 9.
"This marks the inaugural deployment of the newly fielded Marine Corps weapon system to the Philippines," the Marine Corps said in a statement. A Facebook video appeared to show a truck unloading one of the NMESIS launchers at an undisclosed location in northern Luzon.
The exercise will execute Maritime Key Terrain Security Operations in northern Luzon and Batanes, a Philippine island group in the Luzon Strait. The NMESIS will be airlifted to the Batanes islands for "simulated fires missions," the Marine Corps said, meaning no live missiles will be launched.
In addition to the NMESIS, the Philippines has hosted a U.S. Army Mid-Range Capability ground-based missile system since April last year. It had also been deployed to northern Luzon for a joint exercise, and the two allies later decided to keep the launcher in the country indefinitely.
The Marine Corps said at a press conference on Tuesday that the NMESIS missile system would remain in the Philippines for future exercises if it was "appropriate and requested" by Manila. The Philippines' request to extend the deployment of the Mid-Range Capability, or Typhon, launcher has triggered repeated protests by China.
What People Are Saying
The U.S. Marine Corps said in a statement: "The NMESIS provides [the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment] with enhanced sea denial capability, deepens naval integration, and strengthens deterrence by extending the Joint Force's ability to target and engage from both land and sea. In the Philippines, the NMESIS will also aid in shaping defensive capabilities in accordance with the [Armed Forces of the Philippines'] coastal defense strategy."
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a press conference last month: "We agreed that the United States will deploy additional advanced capabilities to the Philippines. This includes using the NMESIS anti-ship missile system and highly capable unmanned surface vehicles in exercise Balikatan this April. These systems will enable U.S. forces and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to train together on using advanced capabilities to defend the Philippine's sovereignty."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether the U.S. military will deploy additional missile system to the Philippines for exercises. China has previously warned the Philippines it is "playing with fire" in its military cooperation with the U.S., urging the allies not to target any third party.
