{"id":2224335,"date":"2024-04-18T14:59:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T18:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mega-drills-us-and-philippines-test-missile-deployments-to-counter-china\/"},"modified":"2024-04-18T15:04:51","modified_gmt":"2024-04-18T19:04:51","slug":"mega-drills-us-and-philippines-test-missile-deployments-to-counter-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mega-drills-us-and-philippines-test-missile-deployments-to-counter-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Joint US-Philippines Military Drills Showcase Missile Deployment Against China"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmega-drills-us-and-philippines-test-missile-deployments-to-counter-china%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2224335&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>U.S. officials are considering converting naval missile\u200b systems \u200binto\u2064 land-based platforms in the\u200b Philippines\u200b amid tensions with \u200cChina. The \u2064move, \u200dconfirmed by Philippine Army \u2064Col. Logico,\u2063 coincides with joint military exercises involving the \u2062U.S., Australia, and France\u200d in the South China Sea.\u2062 The\u200d drills aim to enhance security cooperation and \u2063feature the deployment of advanced\u200b missile systems. U.S. officials are exploring the conversion of naval missile systems\u2064 into land-based \u2064platforms in the Philippines during \u2062heightened tensions with China. Philippine Army \u200bCol. Logico&#8217;s confirmation \u200baligns \u2064with joint\u2062 military exercises with the U.S., Australia, and France\u200d in the South China Sea.\u2062 These drills \u2062focus on boosting security cooperation and deploying advanced missile systems.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>U.S. officials are \u201ctesting the feasibility\u201d of converting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/navy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"naval\">naval<\/a> missile systems into land-based platforms in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Philippines\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Philippines<\/a>, an American ally that faces a tense territorial dispute with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/china\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>China<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are testing the feasibility of bringing this weapon system by air and offloading [it] into a secure and established space,\u201d Philippine Army Col. Michael Logico told reporters this week.<\/p>\n<p>Logico offered that insight as Philippine forces prepare for a major joint military exercise with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/United-States\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>United States<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Australia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Australia<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/France\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>France<\/a>. The annual drill, known as Balikatan, will take place in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/south-china-sea\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>South China Sea<\/a> after weeks of confrontations with Chinese Coast Guard and militia vessels that have blocked Philippine forces from delivering supplies to outposts in the disputed area \u2014 a context not lost on Chinese officials, who warned the Philippines not to coordinate with the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAttempts to bring in external forces to safeguard its so-called security will only lead to greater insecurity for itself,\u201d Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2024\/apr\/18\/china-warning-balikatan-exercise-2024-philippines-us-military-drills\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a> on Thursday.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>In this photo provided by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, from left, Australian Navy ship HMAS Warramunga, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces ship JS Akebono, and United States Navy ship USS Mobile (LCD-26) maneuver during the first Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity at the disputed South China Sea on Sunday, April 7, 2024. (Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Philippine officials dismissed Beijing\u2019s complaints and countered that the communist regime\u2019s attempt to assert sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, even in areas where that vast waterway approaches Philippine beaches, has driven the potential for conflict.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe source of tension in our region is well known to all. China should reflect upon its own actions in the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea,\u201d the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pna.gov.ph\/articles\/1222887\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>announced<\/a> on Thursday. \u201cIt is China\u2019s excessive maritime claims and aggressive behavior, including its militarization of reclaimed features, that are undermining regional peace and stability and raising tensions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chinese Coast Guard vessels have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2938044\/china-threatens-more-clashes-after-damaging-philippine-vessel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>damaged<\/a> Philippine vessels in recent weeks while blocking supply deliveries to a military outpost in the Second Thomas Shoal. The upcoming exercises will be in a different region of the South China Sea, but Philippine officials didn\u2019t miss the opportunity to warn against any \u201cintrusion\u201d by foreign forces.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere will be no interlopers \u2026 who are entering the training area, for their safety, of course,\u201d Logico <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/week-asia\/politics\/article\/3259385\/balikatan-military-drills-philippines-says-sinking-china-made-ship-not-intentional?module=top_story&#038;pgtype=homepage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a>, per the <em>South China Morning Post<\/em>. \u201cAn intrusion into our exercise area is a possibility, but that will pose more of a problem for the people who want to enter the exercise area, not us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The drills will include about 16,000 military personnel who will operate together between April 22 and May 8 off the northern coast of the Philippines. \u201cIt will be the first time the mega drills are being carried out beyond Philippine territorial waters,\u201d Logico <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/asia\/china\/philippines-us-drills-china-balikatan-b2530691.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>The exercises point to the allies\u2019 desire to base a variety of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/steps-the-u-s-can-take-to-defend-against-chinas-missiles\/\" title=\"Steps the U.S. Can Take to Defend Against China\u2019s Missiles\">land-based missile systems<\/a> in the Philippines. The system that will be in the spotlight during Balikatan 2024 is an SM-6, \u201cthe only missile that supports anti-air warfare, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chinas-navy-set-to-expand-to-400-ships-by-2025-pentagon\/\" title=\"China\u2019s Navy Set to Expand to 400 Ships by 2025: Pentagon\">anti-surface warfare<\/a> and sea-based terminal ballistic missile defense in one solution,\u201d according to a Raytheon description. <\/p>\n<p>The attempt to deploy it on land comes just days after U.S. Army officials announced the deployment of another land-based, mid-range capability missile system to the northern Philippines.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a significant step in our partnership with the Philippines, our oldest treaty ally in the region,\u201d U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Bernard Harrington <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usarpac.army.mil\/Our-Story\/Our-News\/Article-Display\/Article\/3740807\/us-armys-mid-range-capability-makes-its-first-deployment-in-the-philippines-for\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>announced<\/a> on Monday. \u201cWe\u2019re grateful to our partners in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and we\u2019re excited to expand our security cooperation as we bring this new capability to Luzon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chinese officials warned the Philippines to \u201cthink twice\u201d about hosting such missile systems. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cChina strongly opposes the U.S. deploying medium-range ballistic missiles in the Asia-Pacific and strengthening forward deployment at China\u2019s doorstep to seek unilateral military advantage,\u201d Lin said. \u201cThe Philippines needs to see and be mindful of what the U.S. is truly after and the consequence of going along with the U.S. on deploying MRBMs. The Philippines needs to think twice about being a cat\u2019s paw for the U.S. at the expense of its own security interests, and stop sliding down the wrong path.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The SM-6, which can be fired from the mid-range capability system, could mitigate the threat of Chinese missile attacks. Chinese forces have developed an array of land-based missile systems with the range to strike U.S. positions as far away as Guam. Some of those missiles are designed to target U.S. Navy ships \u2014 one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-china-builds-mockups-of-u-s-navy-ships-for-missile-target-practice\/\" title=\"Report: China Builds Mockups of U.S. Navy Ships for Missile Target Practice\">anti-ship ballistic missile<\/a>, the DF-21, is known as a \u201ccarrier killer,\u201d a moniker justified in part by China\u2019s construction of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stripes.com\/branches\/navy\/2024-01-09\/china-mock-carrier-target-practice-12606011.html#:~:text=China%20has%20built%20another%20mock,1.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>carrier-shaped targets<\/a> at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/government-agencies-are-buying-cell-phone-and-internet-data-to-track-americans\/\" title=\"Government Agencies Are Buying Cell Phone and Internet Data to Track Americans\">missile test sites<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Raytheon announced last month that an SM-6 battery \u201cintercepted a medium-range ballistic missile target at sea in its final seconds of flight.\u201d The deployment of such a capability to the Philippines suggests that Washington and Manila are developing land-based planes to counter those attacks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe purpose of an armed forces, why we exist, is to prepare for war,\u201d Logico <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gmanetwork.com\/news\/topstories\/nation\/903973\/ph-us-balikatan-drills-to-take-place-near-taiwan\/story\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"said\">said<\/a>. \u201cThere\u2019s no sugarcoating it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. officials are exploring the possibility of transforming naval missile systems into land-based platforms in the Philippines, a key American ally embroiled in territorial tensions with China. Philippine Army Col. Michael Logico confirmed the testing of air transport and deployment of the weapon system to secure locations<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2743,"featured_media":2224336,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/philippines-1024x683.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2224335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/philippines-1024x683.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2224335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2743"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2224335"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2224335\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2224336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2224335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2224335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2224335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}