Army deploys long-range missiles to China’s doorstep

NEWS AND ANALYSIS:

The Army recently dispatched a new long-range missile system to the Philippines for the first time since the U.S. in 2019 exited the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which banned such deployments.

Gen. Charles Flynn, commander of U.S. Army Pacific forces, said the deployment of the new missile system is “historic” and highlights continuous Army transformation to deal with a complex and challenging environment.

“The planning, transportation and deployment of the newest U.S. Army long-range precision fires system supports a safe, stable and secure Indo-Pacific in partnership with our allies from the Armed Forces Philippines,” Gen. Flynn told Inside the Ring.

The new system is called the Mid-Range Capability missile system and was moved to Luzon, Philippines, on April 11 aboard a C-17 transport as part of joint military exercises at a time of mounting regional tensions with China.

Army Brig. Gen. Bernard Harrington, commanding general of the First Multi-Domain Task Force, a part of Army Forces Pacific, said the system is a “significant step” in bolstering the military alliance with the Philippines.

The weapon is also known as the Typhon midrange strategic fire system. It includes a command truck and four truck-towed launchers capable of firing either SM-6 anti-ship missiles or Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles.

Both weapons are premier attack weapons in the U.S. military arsenal.

The SM-6 is a high-speed missile with three different types of strike capabilities. It can attack aircraft, ships or ground targets, and ballistic missiles at ranges of up to 230 miles.

The Tomahawk is a much longer-range missile with a range of up to 1,500 miles with precision guidance. Newer Tomahawk versions can loiter over targets before striking.

From Luzon, the Tomahawk missile could strike targets throughout southern China, including most of its major cities — other than the capital of Beijing.

In the future, the Typhon is expected to fire hypersonic maneuvering missiles.

Under the 1987 INF treaty, U.S. and Russian cruise and ballistic missiles with ranges between 300 miles and 3,420 miles were banned from ground-launched systems.

The U.S. withdrew from the treaty in 2018. Washington said that Russia first violated the pact with its deployment of a new ground-based cruise missile called the SSC-8.

Eric Sayers, a former civilian defense adviser at the Indo-Pacific Command, said the deployment of the new missile system to the Philippines is significant.

“This was illegal under [the] INF treaty just 5 years ago (thanks to Trump admin for withdrawing) and critics said Asian allies would never allow it to be deployed so we shouldn’t develop it,” Mr. Sayers said on X.

Mr. Sayers stated that critics in 2018 falsely asserted the treaty withdrawal would have no impact in countering China.

“Never forget when INF withdrawal critics confidently said it was a mistake, would put U.S. interests in danger, and wouldn’t matter anyway because no ally would host INF range systems,” he said.

The Tomahawk deployment to the Philippines for the exercises is temporary. But stationing it there sends a strategic message to China.

Beijing has engaged in military bullying of Philippine resupply boats traveling to the Second Thomas Shoal, where a grounded Philippine navy ship is being used as an island military base.

China claims the Spratly Islands, where the shoal is located, as its territory and is trying to force the Manila government to remove the grounded ship.

As part of those efforts, Chinese navy and coast guard ships have fired water cannons at the resupply boats, injuring Philippine nationals. In two incidents, the Chinese vessels rammed the resupply boats.

The Army called the deployment of the new system “a significant milestone for the new capability while enhancing interoperability, readiness, and defense capabilities in coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines.”

“We’re grateful to our partners in the Armed Forces of the Philippines and we’re excited to expand our security cooperation as we bring this new capability to Luzon,” Gen. Harrington said.

“This creates several new collaboration opportunities for our bilateral training and readiness, we look forward to growing together.”

The military is seeking to deploy longer-range missiles, both conventionally armed and nuclear-tipped, in response to growing Chinese military aggression in the region.

Richard Fisher, a China expert, said the first long-range missile deployment to the Philippines comes nearly five years after withdrawal from the INF treaty.

The deployment is an important Army achievement but is “a decade late and too little to meet the threat,” he said.

“The U.S. intelligence community credits China with 3,800 theater ballistic missiles, and with three sorties of its fleet of H-6K class bombers, China can launch 2,700 land attack cruise missiles,” Mr. Fisher said.

“Currently the Army only plans to field eight batteries of the Typhon Mid-Range Capability missiles with a total of 197 launchers for global requirements,” he said.

To deter Chinese aggression against the Philippines and Taiwan, an Iranian war against Israel, a North Korean attack against South Korea and Japan, or a Russian war against NATO, the United States needs to produce thousands of theater range missiles a year, but is not doing so, said Mr. Fisher, senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center.

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said China views the missile deployment with “grave concern.”

“China strongly opposes the U.S. deploying medium-range ballistic missiles in the Asia-Pacific and strengthening forward deployment at China’s doorstep to seek unilateral military advantage,” Mr. Lin told reporters.

“The U.S.’s move exacerbates tensions in the region and increases the risk of misjudgment and miscalculation.”

China urges the United States to stop “stoking military confrontation” and undermining peace and stability in the region, he said.

The Philippines government also was warned against the missile deployment.

“The Philippines needs to think twice about being a cat’s paw for the U.S. at the expense of its own security interests, and stop sliding down the wrong path,” Mr. Lin said.

Report: China weaponizing fentanyl

China’s military is working on the weaponization of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl, according to a State Department arms control report made public earlier this month.

An annual report on global compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention, which China signed in 1993, said the U.S. government is unable to certify that Beijing is complying with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention.

The lack of certification was first uncovered in 2021 and is based on Chinese research into pharmaceutical-based agents, or PBAs, and toxins with potential dual-use, civilian-military applications.

The CWC prohibits signatories from developing or stockpiling chemical weapons.

“The United States is concerned about the PRC’s interest in PBAs and toxins because these agents have utility for [chemical weapons] applications,” the report made public April 4 states, using the abbreviation for People’s Republic of China.

According to the report, “scientists at a PRC military research institute have expressed interest in military applications of PBAs, such as fentanyl.”

“Other PRC research organizations have been conducting and directing military research, discovery, testing and characterization of animal venoms and marine toxins — which raises further questions about the intended purposes of the work conducted by the military researchers,” the report said.

U.S. officials in November held talks with Chinese officials on the issue. In the discussions, the U.S. side raised the issue of China’s “potential development of aerosolized fentanyl.”

The Chinese officials said its police do not use fentanyl for law enforcement purposes.

The report said China opposed a decision at a 2021 CWC meeting that banned the use of aerosolized chemicals such as fentanyl.

The Chinese then issued a joint statement with Iran, Russia and Syria that said toxic chemicals are permitted for law enforcement purposes, including domestic riot-control efforts.

A report made public this week by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party said China’s government is subsidizing the manufacture and export of fentanyl.

Navy sends torpedo-armed aircraft through Taiwan Strait

A Navy P-8A maritime patrol aircraft flew through the Taiwan Strait in international airspace, a spokeswoman for the Navy’s 7th Fleet said on Wednesday.

“By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations,” Navy Lt. Sarah Merrill said in a statement.

“The aircraft’s transit of the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails and operates anywhere international law allows.”

In Beijing, a People’s Liberation Army spokesman said Chinese army aircraft followed the P-8 and monitored the flight.

Sr. Capt. Li Xi, a spokesman for the eastern theater command, called the P-8 transit a “provocative move,” state media said.

“The troops of the PLA Eastern Theater Command will remain on high alert at all times and resolutely safeguard China’s national sovereignty as well as regional peace and stability,” he said.

DOE working to counter Chinese cyber attacks

Chinese government hackers pose threats to U.S. energy infrastructure and the Department of Energy is working to counter the danger, two senior department officials told the Senate on Wednesday.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Jill Hruby, director of the National Nuclear Security Administration, stated in prepared Senate Armed Services Committee testimony that Chinese state-linked hackers known as Volt Typhoon gained access to critical energy infrastructure.

“We are also actively addressing the increasing cyber threat to U.S. energy infrastructure,” the officials said.

“The recent cyber activity called ‘Volt Typhoon’ conducted by state-sponsored cyber actors from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) should alarm all of us,” they said in joint testimony.

“The U.S. government assesses that PRC state-sponsored cyber actors are seeking to pre-position themselves for disruptive or destructive cyberattacks against U.S. critical infrastructure in the event of a major crisis or conflict with the United States.”

• Contact Bill Gertz on X @BillGertz.