The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Friday rejected China’s call for the country to pull out the US-made mid-range capability (MRC) missile system known as the Typhon missile launcher.
In confirming that the Typhon was relocated to another site, AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said the transfer was part of the military’s training on mobilization and logistics.
“So whenever it is necessary to preposition it for upcoming activities, we will do that,” Padilla told reporters in an interview.
Padilla said the MRC deployment in the country was for training purposes only.
“When we heighten and strengthen our defenses, we have to look into the possibility of being able to deploy salient assets to salient locations as well,” she said.
She added the recent movement of the asset was part of the military’s logistical exercises.
“The role of the Typhon for us is more on the training aspect, in line with our cooperation with our allied nation. So the disposition of the equipment is still theirs, but in our case, it’s not necessarily during the time of training that we will move it, so in preparation for all of this, the mobilization of the logistics is part of our training,” she said.
In a press conference in Beijing on Thursday, China Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning decried the relocation of the missile launcher, reiterating that the move was “inciting geopolitical confrontation and an arms race.”
“We once again call on the Philippines to heed the call of regional countries and their peoples to correct the wrongdoing as soon as possible, quickly pull out the Typhon missile system as publicly pledged, and stop going further down the wrong path,” Mao said.
In response, Padilla said China can’t tell the Philippines how to carry out its defense.
“There is no single entity that can dictate how we would do our deployments in terms of our defense,” she said.
“It’s an inherent right of every state to heighten and strengthen their defenses accordingly. How we would go about it is for us to freely do. No one can dictate to us how we would do it,” she added.
Padilla refused to give the exact location of the missile launcher.
“We have operational details behind that and whenever we conduct any of our exercises, we do not give announcements prior. So that we won’t compromise the security of our deployments and all that. Usually, when it is ongoing or after the event, we disclose all the salient details that we need to,” she said.
The military spokesperson also lambasted China’s claim that the deployment of the MRC in the country was “highly dangerous” and “extremely irresponsible.”
“When we heighten and strengthen our defenses, we have to look into the possibility of being able to deploy salient assets to salient locations as well,” Padilla said.
She added “no other nation can question” the Philippines’ efforts to modernize and strengthen its alliances “because it is our inherent right to build our capabilities accordingly.
“And how we do that is we modernize, we strengthen our alliances, and no other nation can question that,” she stressed.
Padilla also slammed China for accusing the Philippines of “creating tensions and antagonism in the region” by allowing the Typhon launcher deployment, pointing out China’s illegal behavior in Philippine waters.
While China accuses the Philippines of causing trouble, Padilla implied that China’s actions — likely referring to its aggressive presence in disputed waters — are more disruptive and unlawful.
“Well, the presence of their ships that are missile-capable is also highly dangerous and they also have those artificial islands in the South China Sea, altogether that are militarized and missile-capable,” she said.
Padilla likewise dismissed claims that the Philippines was preparing for an offensive or an impending attack.
“Inherently, our country is not offensive. Constitutionally, we are on the defense side of things. So what we have heightened here is our defenses,” she stressed.
The MRC is a Lockheed Martin design that takes the naval Mk.41 vertical launch system and modifies it for land-based operations.
The ground-based missile system is capable of firing Tomahawk and SM-6 missiles.
AFP Public Affairs Chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said the Typhon missile system’s presence in the country was part of the “long-standing” defense alliance between the Philippines and the US.
“The primary objective of this deployment is to strengthen Philippine military readiness, improve our familiarization and interoperability with advanced weapon systems, and support regional security,” Trinidad told DAILY TRIBUNE in a Viber message.
Trinidad said the governments of the Philippines and the US were closely coordinating “on all aspects” of the MRC deployment, including its positioning around the country.
“These arrangements reflect the shared operational considerations and mutual consultations between our two nations,” he said.