US Doubles Down on Missile Power Near China
The United States continues to stimulate its military presence near China, a new anti-Navire missile system being the last weapon to be deployed on a Japanese peripheral island on the front line of the Western Pacific.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comments.
Why it matters
Under the American maritime containment strategy, Japan is part of the first island channel – a north -south defensive line – as well as Taiwan and the Philippines, aimed at projecting military power to dissuade and defend itself against potential Chinese aggression.
The American deployment of an expeditionary ship’s prohibition system of the navy, or NMESIS, on the island of Okinawa in the southwest waters of Japan, comes while China continues to extend its military presence around the island chain with its rapidly growing navy.
Washington’s main safety ally, Japan, which welcomes more than 50,000 US soldiers, should also deploy the American Typhon Term Missile System-accessible to anti-aircraft, anti-surface and land attack missions-for a bilateral exercise later this month.
What to know
The 3rd marine division, based in Okinawa and responsible for operating along the first island channel, revealed on Wednesday that it had been training with the Nmesis through the island of Okinawa since the arrival of the missile system on July 10.
This marks the first time that the NMESIS, which the 3rd maritime division officially received last November, deployed in Japan, serving as a major milestone for the Washington-Tokyo Alliance constantly “strengthening continuously”.
The NMESIS offers “a mobile anti-ship capacity, long-range and precise”, according to the 3rd marine division, strengthening the capacity to protect the criticism sailors and the power to project from the ground, while offering an island defense solution quickly deployable.
One of the criticisms along the first island chain is the Strait of Miyako, located off the coast of Okinawa. The Strait serves as a key gateway for Chinese naval deployments in the Philippine Sea on the east side of the first island chain.
Lance CPL. Rodney Frye / Us Marine Corps
The NMESIS also offers the possibility of repeating operations to secure and defend the main seafields, in particular the refining of critical operational practices such as the survival of launchers and the execution of notional fire missions, said the marine division.
Before its deployment in Japan, the NMESIS participated in two exercises held in the Philippines, which have territorial and maritime disputes with China on the Southern China Sea. Manila later said that the NMESIS had stayed in the country for training.
CPL. Lucas Lu / Us Marine Corps
What people say
The 3rd US marine division said in a press release on Wednesday: “THE [NMESIS] Provides critical capacities for rapid deployment and improving interoperability with allies and partners. The 3rd marine division regularly moves assets to maintain a high degree of operational preparation and ensure regional deterrence, contributing to our global mission of peacekeeping and stability in Indo-Pacific. “”
Captain Kurt James, commander of the 12th medium -sized missile battery in the 3rd marine division, said on Wednesday in a press release: “These training possibilities with the NMESIS have validated the efficiency of our collaborative defensive architecture…. We have refined our ability to coordinate responses to potential threats, strengthening our commitment to regional security.”
What happens next
It is not yet known whether the NMESIS will lead live shooting exercises or will remain deployed on the island of Okinawa beyond the current training period.
