US ‘ship killer’ missiles in Philippines for Balikatan

MANILA, Philippines — An advanced anti-ship missile system developed for the US military will be used in the April 21 Balikatan exercises in which 14,000 Filipino and American troops are expected to participate, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said yesterday.

At a briefing, the AFP confirmed the arrival of the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System or NMESIS for use in this year’s Balikatan exercises. The annual joint drills will be held until May 9.

“The NMESIS, I will confirm that it’s already in country. I will not say where, but it is going to participate. It’s going to be part of the exercises,” Balikatan spokesman Brig. Gen. Michael Logico told reporters.

Japan and Australia will join the Balikatan as active participants while the Czech Republic, Poland and Colombia will send observers.

President Marcos has expressed interest in personally observing this year’s activities, which include live-fire exercises and naval maneuver, the Balikatan spokesman said.

Logico also confirmed that the US Typhon mid-range missile system will again be used in this year’s Balikatan.

Asked if the NMESIS would also be allowed to remain in the country after the Balikatan exercises like the Typhon missile system, Doug Krugman, staff officer of US 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and one of senior exercise planners for Balikatan 2025, said it is a possibility.

“If there’s another exercise going on in the Philippines shortly after Balikatan and that equipment is appropriate and requested for it by the AFP, we would certainly look to participate in that exercise as well, but it is here for exercise purposes,” Krugman said.

Events for this year will also include integrated air and missile defense to test the air defense capabilities of participants.

Of the 14,000 military personnel involved in this year’s Balikatan, 9,000 are from the United States.

“We have an increase in the number of participants with the Australian Defense Force, the ADF. I think they’re around 200. We are going to have active observers coming from the JSDF, the Japanese Self-Defense Force,” Logico said.

“We briefed President Marcos two weeks ago, and he has given us the green light for the entire exercise, all of the events. And yes, he is very interested in watching one of the events,” he pointed out.

Marcos to watch drill

The commander-in-chief, he added, is especially interested in watching integrated air and missile defense exercise.

“I will always say the same thing. When we plan out our exercises, we are agnostic to whatever reactions other countries may have with the exercise. But as I’ve always said in all the previous exercises, every country, big or small, has the absolute and inalienable right to defend itself. That means that we also have a right to train for that defense and with the partners, our treaty allies. So what we are just doing is in consonance with our Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT),” he said when asked about China’s possible response to this year’s Balikatan.

The Trump administration’s slashing of military expenditures abroad is unlikely to severely affect the US security arrangement with the Philippines, according to Logico. “There is no scale back. Whether there is a reduction in the number of people, that is immaterial. What we are looking at is more purposive exercise,” he added.

“We are now treating exercises as rehearsals. So we are implementing a plan that has been planned out in the previous Balikatan and that is what we’re going to execute for this time. In the past, we had a separation of what is planning exercise and what is a field training exercise. Now we’re doing it together,” he added.

For his part, Krugman said that “in the past, the field training exercise occurred with tactical units, great valuable training in the field, and the command post exercise occurred with the higher headquarters and they were essentially conducted as two separate events.”

“In the case of the full battle test, we are integrating those events,” Krugman said.

“The field training events you see are actually integrated to a scenario alongside a large number of virtual forces in a simulation. And those two elements merged together, combined, provide us that full battle test for both of our joint task force headquarters staffs,” he added.

Logico said other assets that would be utilized by the AFP are FA-50 fighter jets, newly-acquired artillery 155s, frigates and landing dock ships.

Krugman said the US would be sending Air Force F-16 fighter jets, US Marine Corps F-18 fighters and MV-22 Ospreys, as well as supporting arms like Himars, Stinger and Avenger Air Defense Systems.

The use of the NMESIS missile system in this year’s Balikatan was announced by US defense chief Pete Hegseth during his visit to the Philippines last month.