Army clarifies US missile system not yet leaving PH

The armies of US and the Philippines conduct subject matter expert exchange about Typhon midrange capability missile last June 27 in Laoag, Ilocos Norte. PHOTO FROM THE US ARMY PACIFIC

The US midrange missile system that was brought into the country in April — and cited by Russian President Vladimir Putin last week — is not leaving the Philippines just yet.

Col. Louie Dema-ala, the Philippine Army spokesperson, said the Mid-Range Capability (MRC) system, which was used in recent “Balikatan” war games between Filipino and American troops, was still being used for “Salaknib,” another set of exercises that is still ongoing.

This was to clarify Dema-ala’s statement on July 3 that the missile system was to be “shipped out by September.”

READ: US missile system spotted in Ilocos Norte

In a message to the Inquirer on Thursday night, Dema-ala said the missile system would remain in the country, without giving a new timetable for its removal.A Facebook post by the US Army Pacific Command on Thursday showed that the MRC was in Laoag City in Ilocos Norte, the home province of President Marcos, last week.

According to the post, the launch system also known as “Typhon” was used during the bilateral training of Philippine and US armies on June 27.

Still needed in PH

Dema-ala on Thursday explained that “the employment and redeployment of the MRC” would depend on whether the objectives of this year’s Salaknib, which will end in September this year, had been met.

“As long as we have not met these objectives, we will still need the MRC here in the country,” he said. “We plan to maximize our personnel training takeaways with this capability for us to be a responsive army.”

The MRC’s arrival in the country on April 11 angered Beijing, with China’s Defense Minister Qu Qian saying the United States and the Philippines “brought huge risks of war into the region.”

Speaking on Russian television on Friday last week, Putin said Moscow would resume production of intermediate- and shorter-range nuclear-capable missiles, citing Washington’s deployment of midrange missile systems in the Philippines.

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