US Bolsters Presence Alongside Taiwan
In a show of force in the wake of increasing tensions in East Asia, the US military has stationed its cutting-edge Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) at Batan Island, Philippines just a stone’s throw away from Taiwan. This is the first time the US has sent an advanced anti-ship missile launcher to the region, amidst mounting military activity with China.
Military Exercises Send Clear Message
The troop deployment is part of the annual Balikatan military maneuvers, which this year have a record 9,000 American soldiers, 5,000 Filipino troops, and observers from Australia, Japan, and other countries. The exercises include live-fire training on target drones in Zambales province and extend across strategic areas close to disputed areas.
US Marine Lt. Gen. Michael Cederholm emphasized that the operations were purely defensive. “We’re not practising a war plan,” he said, without specifying if the missile system would remain post-exercises, which conclude on May 9.
China on Edge Over Strategic Moves
Even if Washington and Manila officials assert that the drills are not aimed at any particular country, China decried the activities as fanning regional tensions. Chinese naval activities, such as the sighting of an aircraft carrier off Batanes, in a close succession with the US deployment off the strategic Bashi Channel, crucial for global shipping and military planning, followed.
To Beijing’s alarm, the US previously stationed a mid-range missile defense system in the Philippines that can fire Tomahawk missiles. That system has since been moved closer to the disputed Scarborough Shoal, where tensions between China and the Philippines are running higher.
