DND neither confirms nor denies deployment of another Typhon missile

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. —Photo from the Facebook page of the Department of National Defense

MANILA, Philippines —  Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Friday said that he “will neither confirm nor deny” reports that another Mid-Range Capability (MRC) Typhon missile from Indo-Pacific Command (Indopacom) was sent to the Philippines.

“On the multi-medium range capabilities, we will neither confirm nor deny any deployments,” Teodoro said in a press conference with United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

“We will train as we see fit and the Philippine Armed Forces will equip as it sees fit,” he added.

Defense News, a leading global publication specializing in defense journalism, reported last week that the US Army’s 3rd Multidomain Task Force unit is readying its Typhon battery for deployment in the Pacific theater.

If true, this is the US Army’s second such missile system to enter the region.

Asked about the matter, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla welcomed the reports.

She said the deployment of the missile system would help their personnel train more effectively.

“This is a welcome development for the Armed Forces of the Philippines. We can say that the more the merrier. So the more assets that we have, the more also that we are able to train more personnel on our part. So we accept this willingly,” Padilla said in an earlier press briefing.

The first US Typhon missile arrived in the Philippines on April 11, 2024, and was first used during the Balikatan exercises.

It has stayed in the country since and was last spotted in Ilocos Norte, a coastal province facing Taiwan, deemed by China as a renegade province subject to reunification.

In February this year, the Philippine Army conducted the next phase of its Combined Arms Training Exercise for MRC missiles in their drills.

The Catex Katihan was in preparation for the annual Salaknib Exercise between the armies of Manila and Washington, which already kicked off in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija, on Monday.