Will a US missile system in the Philippines make northern Luzon a ‘high value target’ for China?

Activists have denounced the deployment of the Typhon missile system to the country’s north, warning it could make the region a priority target for Beijing

The system’s deployment could escalate tensions with China, but note Manila is already upgrading its own capabilities, analysts say

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The US Army’s new medium-range missile launch system, the Typhon. The system was deployed to the Philippines last month as part of the Balikatan joint military exercises. Photo: US Army

Published: 12:00pm, 17 May 2024Updated: 12:06pm, 17 May 2024

A protest by Philippine activists against the deployment of a US mid-range missile system in the northern part of the country has cast a spotlight on the security systems Manila is using from other nations to deter Chinese aggression.

Members of the newly formed leftist movement P1NAS (Filipinos United for Sovereignty) have called for President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr to reconsider the deployment of the US Army’s Typhon missile system in northern Luzon, arguing it could make the region a priority target for Beijing.

Analysts say it would be “no surprise” if the deployment provoked China to retaliatory action, sparking a game of “brinkmanship”. On the other hand, Manila could be accused of contradicting itself if it rejects the US defence system while accepting a recent batch of missiles it bought from India that have similar deterrence capabilities.

The uproar centres on the US Typhon Weapon System, which is capable of firing both SM-6 anti-aircraft missiles and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles, with operational ranges of more than 240km (150 miles) and 2,500km, respectively.

The Typhon was first deployed to the Philippines in April for use in the Balikatan, the annual US-Philippines joint military exercises. The military has confirmed the system is still in Luzon but has not said how long it will remain there.

Philippine army personnel fire a self-propelled gun system during a joint military exercise with the US in Laoag on Luzon island’s northwest coast on May 8. Photo: AFP

Lieutenant General Michael Cederholm, commander of the US 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, told reporters last month that the Typhon would only remain deployed in the Philippines for exercises to understand the new system’s capabilities.

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