Getty
The Philippines said on Monday it planned to acquire the US Typhon missile system as part of an effort to secure its maritime interests, prompting warnings from China about an “arms race.”
The US Army used the medium-range missile system in the northern Philippines earlier this year for annual military exercises with its longtime ally and decided to leave it there despite criticism from Beijing that it destabilizes Asia.
Philippine Army Chief of Staff Roy Galido told a press conference on Monday that the missile system “will be acquired because we see its feasibility and in our opinion the implementation of the defense of islands.” “
“I am happy to inform our fellow countrymen that your army is developing this capability to protect the interest of our sovereignty,” he said, adding that the total cost of construction would depend on “economics.”
The presence of the US missile launcher had angered Beijing, whose navy and coast guard have been embroiled in an escalating conflict with the Philippines in recent months over disputed reefs and waters. in the South China Sea.
Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a major global shipping lane, despite an international ruling that its claim has no legal basis.
Manila and Washington, longtime treaty allies, have deepened theirs defense cooperation since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos took office in 2022 and began pushing back on Beijing's claims to the South China Sea.
The US has no claim in the South China Sea but has warned that it does duty to defend the Philippines if his forces are attacked there, and has declared that freedom of navigation is among his main national interests.
And on Monday, China quickly condemned the decision to acquire the system as a “provocative and dangerous move” and warned it risked fueling an “arms race”.
“It is an extremely irresponsible choice for the history of its own people and the people of Southeast Asia, as well as regional security,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Mao Ning said on Monday.
“The region needs peace and prosperity, not missiles and conflict,” she said, urging Manila to “correct its wrong practices as soon as possible.”
As a rule, it will take at least two years or more for the Philippine military to get a new weapon system from the planning stage, Galido said on Monday, adding that it was not yet budgeted for 2025.
It took Manila five years to deliver the BrahMos cruise missile last year, he said.
The land-based Typhon “medium range capability” missile launcher, developed by Lockheed Martin for the US Army, has a range of 300 miles, although a longer version is under development.
Galido said the Typhon system would allow the military to project a “projectile force” up to 200 nautical miles, which is the limit of the island nation's maritime rights under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“You have to take into account that at 200 nautical miles, there is no land and the army cannot go there,” he said.
The Typhon platform “protects our floating assets,” he said, referring to Philippine navy and coast guard vessels and other vessels.
China's Defense Minister Dong Jun warned in June that the use of the Typhon was “severely damaging to regional security and stability.” “
But Galido dismissed the criticism of the Typhon system in the Philippines.
“We should not be concerned with other people's insecurities because we have no plans to go beyond the interests of our country,” he said.
