(MENAFN- Asia Times)
MANILA-Donald Trump's re-election and the formation of a more hawkish national security team have inspired key allies to double down on their defense cooperation with America.
Trump has repeatedly stated that he expects allies to step up their defense spending and more directly contribute to preserving a US-led international security order.
The Philippines, which has been actively resisting China's assertiveness in adjacent waters, appears ready to answer that call.
Having already acquired supersonic anti-ship BrahMos missile launchers from India, the Southeast Asian nation is now setting its sights on acquiring the much-vaunted US Mid-Range Capability (MRC)“Typhon” missile system.
Capable of launching both SM-6 and Tomahawk missiles, the Typhon is a mobile and land-based missile system that has a range of up to 2,500 kilometers.
That puts China's military facilities, including its anti-cruise ballistic missiles (ACBMS), across both its southern provinces as well as the South China Sea, well within its crosshairs in the event of any contingency.
By hosting the Typhon system, the Philippines would be indispensable to any American military intervention should China decide to engage in kinetic action against Taiwan or any rival claimant state in the South China Sea.
After months of equivocating on the missile system's status, Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano has made it clear that the Southeast Asian nation has not set any“timeline” for relinquishing Typhon, which is currently stationed in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr's home province of Ilocos Norte.
If anything, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr has emphasized the country's“right to acquire” the system outright in the near future. The system was deployed to the Philippines earlier this year for joint military exercises with the US.
In response, China's state-run Global Times tabloid warned that the Philippines is“on track to become a real troublemaker in the South China Sea” with negative implications for bilateral relations and regional stability.
Eager to enhance its own deterrence capability, Manila is unlikely to budge under Beijing's pressure. If anything, the Philippines has stepped up its efforts to assert its claims in adjacent waters.
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