U.S. to deploy new ground-based missiles to Indo-Pacific in 2024

Intermediate-range fires, previously banned by INF, to counter China buildup

The High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher is used during a joint exercise between U.S. and Philippine troops in March. The system could be used to fire PrSM missiles. © Reuters

RYO NAKAMURA and KEN MORIYASU, Nikkei staff writers

December 3, 2023 05:03 JST

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. military plans to deploy ground-based intermediate-range missiles in the Indo-Pacific in 2024, a U.S. official told Nikkei, establishing its first arsenal in the region since the end of the Cold War to enhance deterrence against China.

Rob Phillips, a spokesperson for U.S. Army Pacific, outlined the plan to Nikkei. Options being considered include land-based versions of the Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) and the Tomahawk cruise missile. Ranges of the missiles are believed to be between 500 and 2,700 kilometers.