US Ally Keeps American Missiles at Choke Point Near China
Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command for comment via email. The Chinese defense and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, or NMESIS, is a ground-based launcher equipped with two missiles designed to target enemy ships. It is part of the U.S. Marine Corps' maritime strategy in the Pacific, where China is expanding its naval presence.
The American anti-ship missile system was first deployed to the Philippines in late April for Exercise Balikatan 2025 and remained in the country for Exercise KAMANDAG 9 in late May. It participated in the drills from the Philippines' Batanes Islands in the Luzon Strait.
The waterway located north of the Philippines serves as a key gateway through the First Island Chain for China's naval deployments into the broader Pacific. The island defense line, comprising Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines, is designed to keep China's navy in check.
Captain John Percie Alcos, spokesperson for the Philippine Navy, said on Tuesday that the NMESIS remains in the country, where it will be used to train the Philippine Marine Corps. He declined to disclose the location of the U.S. missile system, citing operational security.
The announcement comes after a pair of Chinese aircraft carriers, the CNS Liaoning and CNS Shandong,transited near the Philippines for deployments beyond the First Island Chain.
Without naming a specific country, the official said that the presence of the NMESIS, capable of striking targets over 115 miles away, serves as a deterrent to those who intend to conduct "illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions" against the Philippines.
The Philippines has territorial disputes with China over maritime features in the South China Sea, often resulting in confrontations and clashes between their naval forces. Washington has reaffirmed its security commitment to Manila under a 1951 mutual defense treaty.
The NMESIS became the second U.S. missile system stationed in the Philippines following joint exercises. A U.S. Army Mid-Range Capability (MRC) missile system has remained in the Southeast Asian country "indefinitely" after participating in a drill in April last year.
Captain John Percie Alcos, spokesperson for the Philippine Navy, at a press briefing on Tuesday: "The NMESIS will remain here in our country for as long as training opportunities are still there for us, for us to use that particular military equipment so that our Marines can better conduct combined operations with their counterparts."
The U.S. Third Marine Division, in a press release in April: "The NMESIS provides [the U.S. Third Marine Littoral Regiment] with enhanced sea denial capability, deepens naval integration, and strengthens deterrence by extending the Joint Force's ability to target and engage from both land and sea. In the Philippines, the NMESIS will also aid in shaping defensive capabilities in accordance with the [the Armed Forces of the Philippines]'s coastal defense strategy."
It remains to be seen whether the Philippines will consider acquiring the NMESIS to counter threats posed by the Chinese navy, the world's largest by hull count. The U.S. has been equipping its Pacific allies and partners with various types of anti-ship missile systems.
Related Articles
Video Shows Chinese 'Militia' Ship Near US Ally's Disputed TerritoryFootage Shows Chinese Ships Near US Ally's Disputed Island BaseVideo Shows US Ally Confronting China in Contested WatersUS Ally Sends Strong Warning to China
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
3 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
National pride is declining in America. And it's splitting by party lines, new Gallup polling shows
WASHINGTON — Only 36% of Democrats say they're 'extremely' or 'very' proud to be American, according to a new Gallup poll, reflecting a dramatic decline in national pride that's also clear among young people. The findings are a stark illustration of how many — but not all — Americans have felt less of a sense of pride in their country over the past decade. The split between Democrats and Republicans, at 56 percentage points, is at its widest since 2001. That includes all four years of Republican President Trump's first term. Only about 4 in 10 U.S. adults who are part of Generation Z, which is defined as those born from 1997 to 2012, expressed a high level of pride in being American in Gallup surveys conducted in the past five years, on average. That's compared with about 6 in 10 millennials — those born between 1980 and 1996 — and at least 7 in 10 U.S. adults in older generations. 'Each generation is less patriotic than the prior generation, and Gen Z is definitely much lower than anybody else,' said Jeffrey Jones, a senior editor at Gallup. 'But even among the older generations, we see that they're less patriotic than the ones before them, and they've become less patriotic over time. That's primarily driven by Democrats within those generations.' America's decline in national pride has been a slow erosion, with a steady downtick in Gallup's data since January 2001, when the question was first asked. Even during the tumultuous early years of the Iraq War, the vast majority of U.S. adults, whether Republican or Democrat, said they were 'extremely' or 'very' proud to be American. At that point, about 9 in 10 were 'extremely' or 'very' proud to be American. That remained high in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, but the consensus around American pride slipped in the years that followed, dropping to about 8 in 10 in 2006 and continuing a gradual decline. Now, 58% of U.S. adults say that, in a downward shift that's been driven almost entirely by Democrats and independents. The vast majority of Republicans continue to say they're proud to be American. Independents' pride in their national identity hit a new low in the most recent survey, at 53%, largely following that pattern of gradual decline. Democrats' diminished pride in being American is more clearly linked to Trump's time in office. When Trump first entered the White House, in 2017, about two-thirds of Democrats said they were proud to be American. That had fallen to 42% by 2020, just before Trump lost reelection to Democrat Joe Biden. But while Democrats' sense of national pride rebounded when Biden took office, it didn't go back to its pre-Trump levels. 'It's not just a Trump story,' Jones said. 'Something else is going on, and I think it's just younger generations coming in and not being as patriotic as older people.' Other recent polling shows that Democrats and independents are less likely than Republicans to say that expressing patriotism is important or to feel a sense of pride in their national leaders. Nearly 9 in 10 Republicans in a 2024 SSRS poll said they believed patriotism has a positive impact on the United States, with Democrats more divided: 45% said patriotism had a positive impact on the country, while 37% said it was negative. But a more general sense of discontent was clear on both sides of the aisle earlier this year, when a CNN/SSRS poll found that fewer than 1 in 10 Democrats and Republicans said 'proud' described the way they felt about politics in America today. In that survey, most Americans across the political spectrum said they were 'disappointed' or 'frustrated' with the country's politics. Sanders and Thomson-Deveaux write for the Associated Press.
Politico
10 minutes ago
- Politico
As US weapons for Ukraine dry up, Kyiv changes tactics
A second person briefed on the exchange between the two leaders said it was 'productive' and went 'very, very well.' Zelenskyy gave Trump an update on the state of the war, the second person said, and outlined what kinds of support Kyiv would need from the United States in the future. Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said he'd heard that Zelenskyy had modified his aid request from military aid to weapons purchases. Wicker did not attend the NATO summit, though a bipartisan delegation met with European allies there. 'I'm told that President Zelenskyy's request now is less financial aid from the United States and more the ability to use European money to purchase guns and ammunition from us,' he said. Zelenskyy's office did not immediately respond to questions about the emerging Ukrainian plan or what was discussed during the meeting between the two heads of state. Trump, who has been repeatedly frustrated in recent weeks by Russian President Vladimir Putin's reticence to come to the bargaining table to end his war on Ukraine, emerged from the meeting more sympathetic to Kyiv's cause than before — and did not rule out sending more Patriot air defense systems. 'They do want to have the anti-missile missiles, as they call them, and we're going to see if we can make some available,' Trump said at a news conference at the end of the NATO summit. 'They're very hard to get.' But despite the positive interactions between Trump and Zelenskyy, there has been no recent movement to get more American weapons to Ukraine. The issue of weapons transfers gained new urgency this week, after the Pentagon's halt on munitions shipments became public. Defense Department officials had become concerned that U.S. weapons stockpiles were getting low and ordered the partial freeze. Meanwhile, attempts to clear a fresh round of funding to assist Ukraine have stalled on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers last approved an aid package for Ukraine more than a year ago, when Congress OK'd $61 billion in funding related to arming Kyiv and replenishing U.S. stocks of weapons, along with billions in aid for Israel and other Pacific partners.
New York Times
18 minutes ago
- New York Times
What Has Trump Said About Undocumented Farmers and Hotel Workers?
For weeks now, President Trump has been trying to appease immigration hard-liners who were key to his political comeback and the farmers and others whose livelihoods rely heavily on undocumented workers. On Tuesday, he toured an immigrant detention center in the Everglades nicknamed 'Alligator Alcatraz' and warned that anyone trying to escape would have to outrun deadly predators. On the same trip, he said he wanted to allow some farm workers to stay in the country legally. The moment crystallized the conflicting priorities Mr. Trump is navigating as it becomes clear that the scope of his deportation campaign is hurting American businesses. 'I'm on both sides of the thing,' Mr. Trump told Fox News over the weekend. 'I'm the strongest immigration guy that there's ever been, but I'm also the strongest farmer guy that there's ever been. And that includes also hotels and, you know, places where people work.' Mr. Trump's attempt to carve out exceptions to his crackdown has led to confusion among immigrants and business leaders, who have yet to see a concrete plan about what is in store. The president's remarks have also created divisions inside the White House and led to conflicting messages from his administration. Here's a look at what Mr. Trump has said about his intentions: What has the president said? During his trip to the Everglades, Mr. Trump described in vague terms a system that would allow some undocumented workers on farms or in the hospitality business to stay in the United States. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
