The Philippines’ top defense official said the nation plans to acquire a medium-range missile system, while defending Manila’s April 2024 deployment of a United States missile system amid escalating confrontations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the South China Sea.
“Any deployment and procurement of assets related to the Philippines’ security and defense fall within its own sovereign prerogative and are not subject to any foreign veto,” Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro stated in late December 2024, dismissing Beijing’s objections. The deployment of the Typhon missile assets for joint exercises was “legitimate, legal, and beyond reproach,” he added.
Manila plans to acquire a missile system with mid-range capabilities, Philippine Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Roy Galido said, adding “there are negotiations because we see its feasibility and adaptability.”
The Typhon system, which can be equipped with cruise missiles capable of striking PRC targets, was deployed in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, for the multilateral Balikatan military exercise and has remained there. The land-based system can fire the Standard Missile-6 and Tomahawk Land Attack missiles, The Associated Press reported.
Tensions have risen in recent years between the Philippines and the PRC over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. China Coast Guard vessels have blocked and fired water cannons at Philippine boats and performed other dangerous maneuvers that have injured Philippine Sailors and damaged supply vessels. The confrontations have strengthened defense ties between longtime allies Manila and Washington.
Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea despite a 2016 international tribunal ruling that its assertion is legally invalid. The U.S. is obligated by treaty to defend the Philippines if the Southeast Asian nation’s forces come under attack.
Galido in late December 2024 praised the missile system’s “feasibility and its functionality in our concept of archipelagic defense implementation.”
“I’m happy to report to our fellow countrymen that your Army is developing this capability for the interest of protecting our sovereignty,” he said.
