Philippine Army spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala —photo from the AFP spokesperson’s Facebook page
MANILA, Philippines — The powerful US midrange missile system, which saw action in recent large-scale military exercises between Filipino and American troops, remains in the Philippines but will be “shipped out of the country” this September, according to a Philippine military official.
“The Mid-Range Capability (MRC) system is still in the country. It was used during the last training with the Army Artillery Regiment last June 27,” Col. Louie Dema-ala, the Philippine Army spokesperson, said in a message to the Inquirer on Wednesday.
“As planned, it will be shipped out of the country by September. Its capability was used only for training purposes,” according to Dema-ala.
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The ground-based missile system, which is capable of firing Tomahawk and SM-6 missiles, is at an undisclosed area in northern Luzon, he added.
The missile system arrived in the country on April 11.
7 bases
American forces currently have access to seven Philippine military bases in Luzon under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca).
These Edca sites are the Naval Base Camilo Osias in Sta. Ana, Cagayan; Lal-lo Airport in Lal-lo, Cagayan; Camp Melchor dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela; Basa Air Base in Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija; and Balabac Island and Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan.
‘Landmark deployment’
The agreement between Manila and Washington allows American troops to be rotated for extended stays in the country. The United States may also build and operate facilities in local bases for both US and Philippine use.
READ: New US missile system ‘Typhon’ debuts in PH but fixed deployment unsure
The MRC was used during the “Balikatan” (shoulder-to-shoulder) war games conducted by the Philippines and the United States from April to May and during the “Salaknib” (shield in Ilocano), another annual exercise between the armies of the security allies.
In April this year, the US Army said the arrival of the MRC, also called “Typhon,” was a “landmark deployment [that] marks a significant milestone for the new capability while enhancing interoperability, readiness and defense capabilities in coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines.”
Putin’s plans
In a statement the following month, China’s Defense Minister Qu Qian said the United States and the Philippines “brought huge risks of war into the region” with the deployment of the missile system in the country.
On Friday last week, President Vladimir Putin said Russia would resume production of intermediate- and shorter-range nuclear-capable missiles, citing the US deployment of midrange missile systems in the Philippines.
No comment
“Today, it is known that the United States not only produces these missile systems, but has already brought them to Europe for exercises, to Denmark. Quite recently, it was announced that they are in the Philippines,” Putin said in a report by Reuters.
“Apparently, we need to start manufacturing these strike systems and then, based on the actual situation, make decisions about where—if necessary to ensure our safety—to place them,” he added.
Col. Francel Margareth Padilla, the spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, did not comment on the issue when asked by reporters on Tuesday.
“This is not a matter for the AFP to comment on, we defer this to our higher agencies,” Padilla told reporters on Tuesday.
“As far as the AFP is concerned, it was used during Balikatan and other exercises. As to its further disposition, that would be answered by higher authorities, higher levels from the AFP,” she added.