Hegseth Dangles Second Typhon Missile System For Philippines

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Moreover, special forces from both sides are also slated to conduct joint exercises in Batanes, the Philippines' northernmost province facing Taiwan. Despite the ongoing freeze on US overseas aid, Hagseth also reassured his hosts of the $500-million commitment in foreign military financing this year to help modernize the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

The two sides also announced further improvements to military facilities used by rotational US forces in the Philippines under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

“We will enhance our current EDCA locations and we will make improvements. Mind you, these are Philippine bases of which we have to invest in. We will enhance them for logistical support,” Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr said during a joint press conference with his American counterpart.

Most crucially, in a move that will deliberately irk China, Hegseth's visit paved the way for the United States Indo-Pacific Command (Indopacom) to deploy a second mid-range Typhon Missile System battery to the Philippines for upcoming joint exercises.

The current Typhon system is capable of striking strategic targets within a 500 to 2,000-kilometer range, which means it could conceivably hit many of China's southern military bases. It was first deployed to the Philippines as part of joint exercises last year but was not removed after the drills were completed.

China has strongly protested the highly mobile system's deployment to the Philippines, claiming that the US is fueling a regional arms race. The Wall Street Journal noted it marked the first time since the Cold War that the US military has deployed a land-based launching system with such a long range outside its borders.

The Lockheed Martin-built system , which has four launchers, a battery operations center, modified trailers and prime movers, boasts a vertical launch system that utilizes Tomahawk and Raytheon-built Standard Missile-6 missiles.

In the event of a conflict in the South China Sea or neighboring Taiwan, the Typhon missile could counter China's famed“DF” anti-cruise ballistic missile (ASBM) launchers.

Accordingly, the vaunted American medium-range mobile missile system provides a tremendous deterrence effect, especially if deployed on a large scale and across strategic locations in the Philippines.

“This is a welcome development for the Armed Forces of the Philippines. We can say that the more the merrier. So the more assets that we have, the more also that we are able to train more personnel on our part. So we accept this willingly,” AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla told reporters after the announcement of the potential deployment of an additional Typhon missile battery as part of joint exercises this year.

“We welcome events like this because this would help our personnel train faster. So we welcome if it will arrive,” Philippine Army spokesperson Colonel Louie Dema-ala said. Last year, Philippine officials welcomed the 'permanent' stationing of the weapons system in EDCA facilities and, down the road, even direct acquisition for the AFP.

The US Army's 3rd MDTF, headquartered in Hawaii, is also slated to soon receive its own Typhon battery , underscoring the growing importance of advanced missile systems in America's regional defense strategy.

“We're constantly looking for opportunities to exercise capability like that forward in theater...We learn enormous lessons by bringing capability into the theater,” Col. Michael Rose, the 3rd MDTF commander, told reporters recently.

Crucially, the US official confirmed that the Typhon deployment will undirgird Operation Pathways , a series of year-round exercises aimed at establishing an“integrated deterrence” strategy with Asian allies to counter China's rising power.

Before Hegseth's visit, China hoped to steer the second Trump administration away from closer defense cooperation with Manila.