U.S. expands advanced missile systems deployment in northern Philippines

The United States is preparing to expand its reach Advanced missile systems In the northern Philippines, placing additional long-range strike capability within range of key Chinese military assets and strengthening Washington’s efforts to counter Beijing’s increasing aggression across the Indo-Pacific region.

US and Philippine officials announced plans to increase the deployment of “advanced missiles and unmanned systems” in the allied country, with both governments condemning what they described as China’s “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive activities” in the region. South China Sea.

This step comes as confrontations intensify between Chinese and Filipino ships in disputed waters and as Beijing continues to put pressure on Taiwan, increasing the risks in the most sensitive hotspots of tension in the region.

It depends on the publication US Army Typhoon missile system And in northern Luzon, Philippines, a ground-based launcher capable of launching Tomahawk cruise missiles that can travel more than 1,000 miles.

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The United States is preparing to expand the deployment of advanced missile systems in the northern Philippines. (Tim Kelly/Reuters)

The Tomahawks can travel more than 1,000 miles, a range that puts parts of southern China and major People’s Liberation Army (PLA) installations within easy reach of northern Luzon, Philippines. This location also allows the US and Philippine militaries to cover large areas of the South China Sea and the main sea lanes that connect it to the broader Pacific Ocean.

The United States first deployed the Typhoon system in Luzon, Philippines, in April 2024. An anti-ship missile launcher known as the Navy’s Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System was deployed in 2025 on Batan Island in the province of Batanes in the far north of the Philippines.

This island faces the Bashi Channel, a strategic waterway just south of Taiwan, which serves as a crucial transit route for commercial shipping and military ships moving between the South China Sea and the western Pacific Ocean. Control of that channel would be vital in any potential emergency in Taiwan.

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US and Philippine officials announced plans to increase the deployment of “advanced missile and unmanned systems” in the treaty ally, with both governments condemning what they described as China’s “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive activities” in the South China Sea. (Eloisa Lopez/Reuters)

Beijing urged Manila to withdraw US systems from its territory, but officials under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. rejected these demands.

“China has consistently stated its firm opposition to the US deployment of advanced weapons systems in the Philippines. The introduction of strategic and offensive weapons that increase regional tensions, fuel geopolitical confrontation, and risk provoking an arms race is extremely dangerous. Such actions are irresponsible toward the people of the Philippines, Southeast Asian countries, and regional security as a whole,” Liu Bingyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy, ​​told Fox News Digital. He added, “The United States is not a party to the disputes in the South China Sea and does not have the ability to interfere in maritime issues between China and the Philippines.”

Liu continued, “The Taiwan issue lies at the heart of China’s core interests. China’s determination to defend its national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity is unwavering. Any provocation that crosses Taiwan’s red lines will be met with resolute countermeasures, and any attempt to obstruct China’s reunification is doomed to failure.”

Neither side said how many additional systems would be sent or whether the deployments would be permanent, but Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez said US and Filipino defense officials have discussed deploying upgraded missile launchers that Manila may eventually seek to purchase.

“It’s kind of a very sophisticated system and it will be deployed here with the hope that in the future we can have our own system,” Romualdez told the Associated Press.

Romualdez stressed that the deployments are intended to serve as a deterrent.

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“It’s just a deterrent,” he added. “Every time the Chinese show any kind of aggression, it only strengthens our determination to acquire these species.”

China has repeatedly objected to Proliferation of missilesWarning that it threatens regional stability and accusing Washington of trying to contain its rise.

In a joint statement following annual bilateral talks in Manila, the United States and the Philippines affirmed their support for freedom of navigation and unhindered trade in the South China Sea – a vital global trade artery through which trillions of dollars worth of goods pass each year.

Members of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy march during training ahead of a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing, September 3, 2025. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

“Both sides condemned China’s illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive activities in the South China Sea, and recognized their negative impacts on regional peace and stability and the economies of the Indo-Pacific region and beyond,” the statement said.

China effectively claims the entire South China Sea despite an international court ruling in 2016 that invalidated many of its sweeping claims. In recent years, Chinese coast guard and maritime militia vessels have repeatedly clashed with Philippine ships near the disputed shoal, including the Second Thomas Shoal.

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The deployment of expanded missiles is also coming Pentagon Balances rising tensions in multiple theaters. In recent weeks, the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group – which had been operating in the Indo-Pacific region – was redirected towards the Middle East as the United States moved to strengthen its position amid escalating tensions with Iran.

The deployments also reflect a broader U.S. effort to bolster its military posture along the so-called “First Island Chain” — a chain of territory stretching from Japan through Taiwan and the Philippines that forms a natural barrier to Chinese maritime expansion in the Pacific.

Washington has deepened defense cooperation with Manila under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, expanding US access to Philippine bases, including sites in northern Luzon near Taiwan.

In May, China issued a national security report criticizing the deployment of a “medium-range missile system” in the region, which was widely seen as a reference to the US Typhoon launch pad in the Philippines. The document accused unnamed countries of reviving the “Cold War mentality” and forming “small military groups” that exacerbate regional tensions.

For American planners, deploying mobile ground-based missile systems across allied territory complicates Beijing’s military calculations. Instead of relying solely on ships and aircraft, the United States could deploy ground-based systems that are difficult to track and capable of endangering Chinese naval and air assets.

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However, for Beijing, these deployments reinforce its long-standing claim that the United States is encircling China militarily.

As tensions rise in both the South China Sea and around Taiwan, the placement of US long-range missile systems on Philippine soil highlights how the strategic competition between Washington and Beijing is increasingly defined by geography — and by which side can project credible deterrence across it.