Philippines faces ‘strategic quandary’ by hosting US Typhon missile system indefinitely

China has called for the Typhon’s removal from the Philippines as it sees the system as a threat in the region, analysts say

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US Army soldiers test launch a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile from the Mid-Range Capability (MRC aka Typhon) launcher at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California last year. Photo: Handout via US Army/RCCTO

Published: 6:45pm, 24 Sep 2024Updated: 7:45am, 25 Sep 2024

The United States’ decision to indefinitely base its advanced Typhon missile system in the Philippines is a risky gamble that could strengthen Manila’s deterrence capabilities while simultaneously exposing it to heightened risks from China, analysts say.

“It’s a strategic quandary,” said Vincent Kyle Parada, a former defence analyst for the Philippine Navy. “If the US and the Philippines keep the Typhon in place, China will see it as a threat to its neighbourhood.”

“If they remove the system, they acquiesce to Beijing’s demands and forfeit tactical and strategic advantages,” said Parada, a graduate student at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. “But right now, it’s clear that Washington and Manila want to keep the Typhon as part of any cost-benefit calculus for Chinese escalation.”

With its capability to strike targets over 2,500km (1,550 miles) away, the Typhon missile system – also known as the Mid-Range Capability (MRC) launcher – could reach critical regions in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait. Deployed in April during joint exercises in Northern Luzon, the system now serves to familiarise Philippine troops with its operations.

Although Manila indicated two months ago that the system could be withdrawn as soon as September, recent reports suggest the US has no immediate plans to remove it, despite Beijing’s objections.

Sherwin Ona, a political-science professor at De La Salle University in Manila, said the Typhon’s deployment underscores the security alliance between the Philippines and the US, potentially activating their Mutual Defence Treaty that calls on both sides to help each other in times of aggression by an external power.