Recent U.S.-Philippine exercises in the Luzon Strait supported the development of anti-ship munitions slated for Army HIMARS.
The U.S. Army’s 1st Multi-Domain Task Force deployed rocket launchers that will soon be capable of dedicated anti-ship operations for territorial defense exercises in the Luzon Strait during recent exercises in the Philippines.
2025’s iteration of Balikatan and Salaknib saw the Army task force deploy across the Philippine archipelago since April. From Palawan to Northern Luzon, the unit’s M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) have demonstrated their potential to strike targets during drills near the South China Sea and in the Luzon Strait.
The unit’s Long-Range Fires Battalion revealed that their Salaknib deployment to the strategic first island chain chokepoint of the Luzon Strait supported the development of “critical HIMARS munitions that are capable of striking moving maritime and land targets,” potentially referring to the service’s upcoming Precision Strike Missile (PrSM).
“These munitions coupled with relevant positions in the Indo-Pacific set conditions for the U.S. Army to provide a highly mobile maritime strike capability in a territorial defense scenario,” Lt. Col. Alex Mullin, commander of the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force’s Long-Range Fires Battalion, stated in a press release.
With an expected range of up to 500 kilometers, the PrSM is set to replace the service’s Army Tactical Missile System and achieve an anti-ship capability in future variants. Alongside the ability to target moving vessels, Increment Two of the missile’s range is set to double to 1000 kilometers. The U.S. Army conducted a sinking exercise against a maritime target in motion last summer with two PrSMs in the Pacific during Valiant Shield 24.
The Multi-Domain Task Force also deployed a launcher via vessel and aerial transport, which saw the launcher loaded onto a contracted stern landing vessel and a U.S. Air Force C-130, in a HIMARS Rapid-Infiltration drill.
“Over the past four years, the U.S. Army has coordinated directly with U.S. Air Force planners and crews on the transportation and rapid delivery of HIMARS capabilities across the Indo-Pacific. They have demonstrated the ability to access even the most austere locations, ensuring effective land-based fires throughout the Indo-Pacific,” stated the release.
While the drill is not unique for the Philippines, which has frequently seen the deployment of HIMARS via aircraft and vessels since Washington and Manila shifted their bilateral military cooperation to territorial defense in the early 2020s, the location of the Luzon Strait marks the latest Multi-Domain Task Force effort in the region following the Mid-Range Capability’s positioning in Northern Luzon in Balikatan 2024. The ground-based Mk.41 vertical launching system, capable of firing SM-6 and Tomahawk cruise missiles, has been stationed in the Philippines since.
A similar story is repeating with the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, which arrived for Balikatan 2024 in April and was deployed for KAMANDAG 9 in May. The anti-ship system, equipped with two low-observable Naval Strike Missiles capable of striking targets out to 185 kilometers, is set to stay in the Philippines at an undisclosed location for in-country training and exchanges with local forces.
“The combined-joint force is already employing other land-based counter maritime capabilities such as the U.S. Army’s Mid-Range Capability and the U.S. Marines’ NMESIS. These systems bring unmatched credible deterrence capabilities to the region as the U.S.-Philippine Alliance continues to advance regional security, stability, and peace through strength.”
This forward-stationing of American anti-ship capabilities in the Philippines comes after a series of spats between Manila and Beijing over disputed maritime features in the South China Sea and an increased focus on the Luzon Strait amid Philippine concerns of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. People Liberation Army Navy warships, including carrier strike groups, have transited the Luzon Strait. The Philippine Navy has highlighted these unannounced transits to local media.
