Discussions regarding the Philippine defense always come at the limits of only covering the aspects of the recent armaments of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, whereby it is highly justified as it is always at the Philippine military's mandate in defending the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
But that does not mean dismissing the efforts made by the alliance-at-large, particularly the treaty ally the United States military, as they deployed a geopolitically altering platform in the country that bolsters not only that of the alliance but also the efforts made by both countries in ensuring order in the Indo-Pacific region.
AS DESCRIBED IN THE HEADLINES
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| A single battery of Typhon MRC composes of four (4) launchers and a command post. Image Source. |
The bilateral relations of both the Philippines and the United States has becoming stronger than ever since the former’s independence from the latter in 1946 and subsequently the forging of the Mutual Defense Treaty in 1951, whereby there is a renewed share of national interest in ensuring the defense and security in the region remains at a status quo, the one that has constantly under challenge by a regional power like China in both the West Philippine Sea and Taiwan.
This strong bilateral relation between both countries in terms of national security gets exhibited further with the United States Army’s first deployment of the Typhon Mid-Range Capability Missile System in the Philippines, a platform that has the capability of firing the Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 anti-ballistic missile (with anti-ship capabilities being the secondary role) that took place on April 2024 as part of the year’s Joint Exercise Salaknib between both countries’ respective armies.
Both the armies from the Philippines and the United States see this as a milestone for the both nation’s strong ties, emphasizing the coordination and interoperability between both countries’ armed forces in terms of both countries’ readiness for defense capabilities, while it provide some dual points in both the geopolitical implication of this deployment in the region while providing the Philippines some added deterrence aside from the ones it purchased under the Revised AFP Modernization Program.
However, this welcoming development does not guarantee for a permanent presence of the advanced Mid-Range Capability Missile System platforms like the Typhon MRC in the country, as prolonged deployment of the system is not in the plans of the United States Armed Forces at the moment the system deployment released in the news is not in the plans of the United States Armed Forces at the moment the system deployment released in the news, although it might mean that it has the chance of getting redeployed again, at the discretion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines just like the current arrangement on EDCA bases.
Despite the lack of guarantees, the capabilities possessed by the mid-range capability missile system deployed by the United States Army come not only as a symbolic strengthening of defense ties between both countries forged by the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, but also showcasing of how this capability impact the balance of power in the region, which strengthens not only the defense capabilities of the Philippines but also effectively restricts movement of the regional aggressor within the first island chain.
As this is the first for the Philippines to host such an advanced missile system in a bilateral exercise, discussing it comes with the relevance that it affects the country’s defense posture, even though this capability is not generic to the Armed Forces of the Philippines but deployed rather by the current global superpower and ally of the country that sees concern to the increasing assertiveness of countries like China in the region. That alone suffices the points that are about to discuss in this entry.
For this topic, things will continuously delve into the usual details, such as the origin of the platform’s development and the specifications provided for both the launcher and the munitions presented. Also, the discussion also delves into the comprehensive details surrounding its implication not only to the overall defense posture of the Philippines but also regarding the resolve of mounting sufficient deterrence meant for opposition forces or OPFOR to have second thoughts before conducting any adventurous activities.
WEAPONS DEVELOPMENT
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| A Typhon MRC Launcher in full deployment mode. Image Source. |
The inception of the Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) Missile System of the United States Army served as a testament to the United States’ continuous technological advancement, revolutionizing the use of existing technology into new types of configurations and capabilities that has now enabled the country to flex and deploy into the Philippines. This platform, among others, counts as an essential component to ensure the security and stability for countries along the first island chain.
The existing technology that is referring here primarily focuses on the munitions that the Typhon Mid-Range Capability Missile System is capable of, such as the Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 missiles, with the missile system battery only the new ones developed from this standpoint.
Inception and development of a mid-range capable missile system concept for the United States Armed Forces started when the U.S. government, under President Trump in 2019, announced the country’s exit from the INF treaty.
From 2019, the first prototype of the Typhon MRCs has a deadline for the United States Army to evaluate and to get fielded within the year 2023, of which this gets ultimately achieved when Lockheed Martin did the delivery a year earlier, dated December 2022.
And since then, it took the United States Army a year and several months for the newest strategic missile platform to get deployed in the Indo-Pacific region, specifically to the Philippines under the joint bilateral exercise Salaknib 2024.
Under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force or INF treaty, countries like the United States agreed not to develop and field ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 kilometers and 5,500 kilometers. With the restrictions removed, the United States Army now has an impetus to develop this new capability, designed both as a power projection and as a deterrent against a foreign adversary that agitates and attempts into tipping the balance of power in the region, challenging the current status quo.
The early delivery made by Lockheed Martin to the United States Army relating to the Typhon MRC platform exhibited the quick deployment and technological advancement of the organization, especially since the country’s departure from the agreed Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force or INF treaty in 2019 that other countries like Russia followed suit. Hence, this tit for tat reaction between both signatories of the treaty becomes more justified as Russia becomes an aggressor state of the modern time.
One important factor played in the development of the Typhon Mid-Range Capability Missile System is the compatibility it has with other components across the United States Armed Forces, especially with its Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 missile munitions.
This is in line with what its developer Lockheed Martin comes in mind, as it uses technology that is originally operated by the United States Navy, such as the Aegis command-and-control functions and the Mark 41 Vertical Launching System.
As this technology now playing a significant factor in providing not only the territorial defense of the Philippines as the United States deploys it under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement or EDCA but also the power projection it has with the capability of reaching Chinese targets from Luzon, the deployment of these sophisticated platforms in the country cannot help but get noticed by both China and Russia, two countries sought to push their own interest in expanding their respective domains.
GEOPOLITICAL IMPLICATIONS
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| The Typhon MRC platform has also got deployed in Denmark, near the Baltics. United States Navy, via Image Source. |
The deployment of the United States Army’s Typhon Mid-Range Capability Missile comes both as an offensive and defensive weaponry, as the Philippines come with an effective deterrence under its umbrella courtesy of the bilateral alliance between both countries bond by the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, but also serve as a weapon that is capable to strike well within China’s own territory.
A missile deployment makes them more worried than just being paranoid over added Philippine Coast Guard vessels on Escoda Shoal.
It is in this deployment that China, and even Russia, becomes vocal in their usual rhetoric against the United States regarding the ever-increasing tensions in the state of world affairs.
For example, the recent fear-mongering pulled by a Philippine Senator on China’s use of hypersonic missiles to target Philippine critical infrastructure is not surprising and is likely expected, as the Armed Forces might take any consideration in employing countermeasures against such theoretical attack, with the help of its alliance with the U.S.
Apparently, the offensive measure of the Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) platform of the United States Army prompted the withdrawal of such a platform from the Philippines by September 2024.
While the platform gets pulled out, it is necessary to point out that the platform’s deployment primarily intends to train troops belonging to the Armed Forces of the Philippines to operate and maintain such a system, in a manner similar to other weaponry that the United States fielded under Salaknib and Balikatan Exercises.
The training provided to the Philippine Army troops came at a significant development of the skills and expertise partake by their counterparts from the United States Army during both the Salaknib and Balikatan 2024 exercises, whereby it is the first time that the latter provides training to the troops belonging to the country that did not posses such systems, nor being part of the Missile Treaty Control Regime or MTCR membership that currently compose of thirty-five (35) members.
As the tensions get intensified and the Typhon MRC batteries apparently leaving the country, this does not mean that it might not have a return at the following year, as there is the likelihood that such a similar system gets redeployed as part of the bilateral exercise between both the Philippine and United States Armed Forces, not to mention that both countries enjoyed stronger defense and security ties, of which these are currently on 'hyper-drive'.
Then, after the initial announcement of the 'pull-out' of the Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) platform from the Philippines, another announcement came out that directly contradicts the previous report, saying that the United States Army will not pull the systems out of the country. Instead, it clarifies that the systems deployed will never pull out until the requirements to train Philippine Army troops under the Exercise Salaknib have met.
From the developments unfolded, it is not surprising that the Typhon MRC deployed in the Philippines has caused an uproar to the most typical of adversaries in the region and across the globe, particularly the countries of both Russia and China.
Still, the deployment of these systems in the country count as a welcoming development in the Philippine's point of view regarding its defense and security situation, likely sending an indirect message on a hegemon's ongoing aggression in the West Philippine Sea.
SPECIFICATIONS
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| This is the prospective range of a Typhon MRC-deployed missile systems across selected areas in the Indo-Pacific. Image Source. |
The capability that the Typhon Mid-Range Capability Missile System possesses is what makes countries like Russia and China more concerned, that it resulted in the geographical implications as the discussions get along in this article.
And with this capability, this portion will delve further into the details, providing an insight into what the newest missile system employed by the United States is capable of, in both offensive and defensive aspects of its usage in deployment.
Typhon MRC missile system’s capability in terms of range is primarily determined by the type of missile munition it loads with, in a manner similar to how the Mark 41 Vertical Launch System onboard ships come with in terms of missile load-out.
This means that the portion of this discussion will delve more on the munitions that the Typhon MRC missile system is likely to get in terms of load-out, which is between the Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 ballistic missile defense munitions.
First to discuss is with the Tomahawk cruise missiles used by the Typhon MRC missile system on its load-out configuration. The variant that this system uses is the Tomahawk Block V cruise missiles, with a length of 5.6meter overall, a weight of 2,200 kilograms, and a maximum range of 1,850 kilometers.
Converting the maximum range to a more comprehensible distance of 998.92 nautical miles for this discussion, things are clear that it goes beyond the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone and the MTCR limitations.
Going back to the discussions regarding the Missile Treaty Control Regime or MTCR, the limitations set for exports of long-range rocket and missile munitions, whereby the weight of the transferred munitions will not exceed 500 kilograms, and does not have a range beyond 300 kilometers. This is also the reason regarding the Philippine Navy’s BrahMos missile only having a maximum range of around 290-300 kilometers, as this complies with the objectives of the MTCR.
The other munition mentioned is the Standard SM-6 Block IU, an anti-ballistic missile platform as developed by Raytheon, and expects to enter active service within the United States Armed Forces by 2028.
Aside from the Block IU variant of the Standard SM-6, the other variants of this said missile also come applicable to the load-out configuration of the Typhon MRC missile system platform, in a manner similar to how load-outs have done with the Mark 41 Vertical Launch System onboard United States Navy ships.
For the conventional Standard SM-6 terminal ballistic missile defense countermeasure that is capable of both anti-air and anti-ship missile roles, the specification comes with the missile having a length of 6.55 meters and a range of 370 kilometers.
As for the Typhon MRC missile system, it comes with four (4) launching platforms and one (1) command vehicle, with each launcher having four (4) cells, capable of firing at least sixteen (16) missiles per battery.
Overall, the Typhon Mid-Range Capability Missile System is basically a land-based variant of the naval-based Mark 41 Vertical Launch System, whereby its deployment in areas like the Philippines is basically just like how the United States Navy's Arleigh Burke-class Destroyers deployed occasionally in Philippine ports like in Subic, with the only difference is that the Typhon MRC's lengthened assignment in Philippine bases gives deterrence on the country's own defense, while making China worry more.
ENDING NOTE
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| Typhon MRCs get loaded in a way similar to missile canisters to load a Mk 41 Vertical Launch System. Image Source. |
The inception and development of the Typhon Mid-Range Capability Missile System becomes strategic in its usage and nature, whereby competing countries like China and Russia sees this as an existential threat that it prompted these countries either to develop their own systems or to resort into fear-mongering tactics just to remove this threat from ever getting deployed in a strategic area on a prolonged time. This is precisely the case with the deployment of the Typhon MRC in the Philippines.
As the Typhon MRC platform actively deployed in the country and the troops belonging to the Philippine Army learning its operational and maintenance-related requirements, it also comes with the skill-set that their counterparts in the Philippine Navy might need to take note, as the Typhon MRC missile system comes basically as the land-based version of the Mark 41 VLS typically deployed on United States Navy ships. In context, the Philippine Navy will have its own VLS system on the upcoming Miguel Malvar-class frigate.
The United States Army’s possession of a sophisticated, long-range missile system such as the Typhon MRC platform comes as a significant development in terms of power projection, especially that the country has since left the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty or INF treaty.
Going further, its deployment in the Philippines provides the much-needed deterrence the country needs, while acting as a double-edged sword that gives an adversarial power like China the justification of getting the country as a target.
Despite the escalatory risk that is associative to the deployment of the Typhon Mid-Range Capability Missile System in the Philippines in terms of any retaliatory measures in an event of conflict, it also gives an assurance that is firmly cemented on the strong bilateral defense relations between the Philippines and the United States, especially with the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty as its basis. It comes as a bonus to the increase of EDCA sites in the country and the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ ongoing modernization efforts.
In geopolitical essence, the strategic position presented by the Philippines in the grand scheme of things that the United States enabled to deter and worry China at the same time only solidifies the country's role in keeping not only the stability and status quo in the region but also in arguing that being neutral is never an option.
As the Chinese authorities further push its aggression into the fold, it is not surprising that the Philippines rely on other like-minded countries like the United States for support.
The deployment of the Typhon Mid-Range Capability Missile System is just one of the ongoing development that regards to countering the ever-increasing aggression by an immediate regional neighbor, which also resulted into growing bilateral ties with other countries in the region, such as in the case between the Philippines and Japan in its recent Reciprocal Access Agreement or RAA. And like the Typhon MRC deployment, Japan is ready to help increase Philippine defense by giving AFP the tools it need.
In a final note, it is interesting that the United States Army and the government at-large provide the much-needed support in the Philippine's defense necessities, albeit that the Department of National Defense's Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept or CADC provides the framework for the capacity building of the Philippine Armed Forces. All of which are a complement to another, in which the ultimate aim of this push is to ensure of a guaranteed Free and Open Indo-Pacific.
(c) 2024 PDA.
