The U.S. military has kept another advanced weapons system in the Philippines following recent joint drills, suggesting the Pentagon is using exercises to de facto deploy key weapons to the region amid growing tensions with China.
The U.S. Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), an advanced mobile anti-ship missile platform, “is still within the country, and it will continue to be used by the Philippine Marine Corps for training purposes,” local media quoted Philippine Navy spokesperson Capt. John Percie Alcos as saying Tuesday after the NMESIS was used in this year’s Balikatan and Kamandag joint exercises.
The Balikatan drills ran from April 21 to May 9, while the Kamandag exercises took place from May 26 to June 6.
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