US missile system not leaving PH yet

‘LANDMARK DEPLOYMENT’ The US Army’s Typhon Mid-Range Capability missile system arrived at an undisclosed location in northern Luzon on April 11 for the “Salaknib” exercises. —USARPAC

MANILA, Philippines — The United States’ mid-range missile launcher deployed to the country in April for annual war games between Filipino and American troops will remain in the Philippines until further notice, the Philippine Army said on Tuesday.

Col. Reynaldo Balido Jr., deputy chief of the Philippine Army Chief Public Affairs, said the mid-range capability (MRC) or “Typhon” system was still being used for military training in the country.

The missile system will only be removed upon determination by both the Philippine and US governments, Balido said.

READ: Brawner: AFP wants US-made Typhon midrange capability missile

“As of now, we are still conducting training, so not yet,” he told reporters at a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, when asked about the timetable for Typhon’s removal.

At the same briefing, Col. Xerxes Trinidad, chief of the public affairs office of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said the ground-based missile system would remain in the country “as long as this is being used for training.”

Col. Louie Dema-ala, the Philippine Army spokesperson, earlier told the Inquirer that the MRC system, capable of firing Tomahawk and SM-6 missiles, was stationed in an undisclosed area in northern Luzon.

The missile system arrived in the country on April 11 and was used during the joint “Balikatan” (should-to-shoulder) Philippines-US exercises from April to May, as well as during the “Salaknib” (shield in Ilocano) drills between the armies of the two allies, also in April.

In July, President Vladimir Putin said Russia would resume production of intermediate- and shorter-range nuclear-capable missiles, citing the US deployment of the MRC system to the Philippines.

China’s Defense Minister Qu Qian also earlier said Manila and Washington “brought huge risks of war into the region” with the deployment of the missile launcher in the country.