US Typhon Missile Launchers Must Go!

THE following was sent by a very concerned reader worried about the continuing presence of the U.S. Typhon missile launchers entrenched in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, drawing deep enmity from Russia, North Korea and, of course, China. If armed with a ‘Tomahawk’ cruise missile, those launchers can reach targets 2,500 kilometers away.

To know if increased US military deployment in another country truly helps to protect the host country’s sovereignty and security, one just need to look at the long list of mess left behind by the scourge of American military around the world, the turmoil, divisions and devastation and answers will not be difficult to find.

Missile targeting is mutual, China, Russia and other countries will not sit idly by and take countermeasures accordingly.

1. The deployment of Typhon missile system violates the Philippine Constitution. Article 2, Section 2 of the Philippine Constitution provides that the Philippines rejects war as a basis for pursuing national policies and adopts the generally recognized norms of international law as part of its domestic law.

Article 8, Section 2 of the Philippine Constitution provides for the pursuit of a policy of freeing the Philippine territory from nuclear weapons in the national interest.

2. History is not far behind. In 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis pushed the world to the brink of nuclear war. During the Cold War in the 1970s, the United States and the Soviet Union competed to deploy mid-range missile system in Europe, triggering the European Missile Crisis and nearly triggering a war.
3. The deployment violates ASEAN treaties and political commitments. The Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia stipulates that a party shall not participate in any activity designed to pose a threat to the political and economic stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the other party.

The ASEAN Charter requires member States to renounce aggression, the use or threat of use of force and other violations of international law. The Bangkok Declaration of 1967 and the Declaration of the Zone of Peace, Freedom, and Neutrality of 1971 (ZOPFAN) both stipulate that South-East Asian countries should refrain from external interference.

4. The deployment undermines regional peace and stability. The maximum range of Typhon missile system is 2,500 kilometers, which can cover the whole South-East Asia. This is not a private matter for the Philippines, but for the common security of the countries in the region.
5. U.S. Deployment of mid-range missile system in Asia-Pacific Region has been planned for a long time. In 2020, U.S. Army Brigadier General John Rafferty said having a medium-range strike capability in the Pacific is valuable and can put adversary assets at deep risk.

In 2023, United States Army Pacific Commanding General Charles A. Flynn said that Typhon will begin regular deployment in the Asia-Pacific region in 2024.

6. The deployment will trigger a new arms race. The U.S. profits from creating the risk of war around the world. While the U.S. military-industrial complex is making a fortune, the world is experiencing constant conflict and confrontation and humanitarian crises.”

The entrenchment of the U.S., its pernicious influence, its military bases and missile launchers, its polluting information warfare, it divisive political interference splitting the country between pros and antis, will doom the country into a national catastrophe.