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Pia Lee-Brago - The Philippine Star
June 14, 2025 | 12:00am
US INDO-PACIFIC COMMAND, Hawaii — The United States will deploy its Typhon missile launchers, which can fire multi-purpose missiles up to thousands of kilometers, in the Philippines if Manila agrees to the deployment, a US defense official said.
The official, authorized to speak on the mid-range missile system deployment, said the US is ready to deploy the Typhon Mid-Range Capability missile system that the Philippines planned to acquire as part of a push to secure its maritime interests.
The US Army deployed the mid-range missile system in northern Philippines last year for annual joint military exercises with its longtime ally.
“If the Philippine government agrees to it, I would say the answer is yes,” the official said at a briefing here for a small group of Philippine and Japanese journalists on the US Department of State’s first “The Friends, Partners, Allies Program.”
“If they say no, thanks, then the answer will be no,” the official added.
The Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System or NMESIS, an advanced anti-ship missile system developed to provide the US Marine Corps with the ability to strike surface vessels from land-based positions, was also used in the Balikatan exercises this year.?
“We think, ultimately, the deployment of Typhon or NMESIS or Japanese hypersonics is a very positive thing towards deterrence and war avoidance,” the official said.
The US missile deployment in the Philippines during military drills angered China, which warned that it brought huge risks of war into the region.?China’s Defense Ministry said China remained highly vigilant and opposed the deployment, the first in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said no country or foreign entity can dictate on the Philippines, especially on defense and security matters, as it assailed China for raising a howl over the deployment of the Typhon missile launchers, while deploying its own warships and coast guard vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
The defense official also called China’s plan of declaring an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) “very plausible.”
“The biggest question is timing. In order to effectively implement an ADIZ, you have to have enforcement capability,” the official said.
Meanwhile, United States Ambassador MaryKay Carlson thanked President Marcos yesterday for welcoming and engaging in productive talks with US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard last week.
While details of the closed-door meeting are not being revealed, the discussions included matters of mutual interest for both nations.
“Thank you President for hosting (Gabbard) for a productive discussion on the importance of our intelligence partnerships,” Carlson said in a post on X.
Carlson said Gabbard also met with National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. and Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla.
Tarriela hits VP
Meanwhile, Philippine Coast Guard Commodore Jay Tarriela took a swipe at Vice President Sara Duterte, saying Filipinos should not give in to “traitors” who remain silent amid China’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea.
In a post on his X account on June 12, Independence Day, Tarriela shared an online story that contained an appeal by the Vice President for Filipinos to “not surrender this freedom to traitors.”
“We proudly showcased Filipino freedom to the world. Let us not surrender this freedom to traitors and those who have no concern for our people and our nation,” Duterte said in her Independence Day message.
Tarriela said he agreed with Duterte’s insights.
“We must not relinquish our freedom to traitors, particularly to those public officials who remain silent in the face of China’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea,” he said. — Michael Punongbayan, Ghio Ong
