U.S. Combines HIMARS with Stealth Fighters for New Training Exercises

The U.S. Marine Corps is using High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters in new training exercises in Japan and the Philippines in an attempt to exert dominance in the Indo-Pacific region amid increasing tensions between Beijing and Washington over Taiwan.

The two exercises began early in October and are due to end on Friday.

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger announced the weapons being used in the exercises in a series of tweets on Friday and Saturday.

One of the drills, Resolute Dragon 22, is Japan's largest field exercise with the U.S. Marine Corps, he said. The drill, taking place in Hokkaido, Japan, involves 1,600 U.S. marines along with 1,400 Japan Ground Self Defense Force (JGSDF) members, Berger added.

Resolute Dragon 22 includes combined arms live-fire events with the JGSDF, the military commander said on Twitter.

The other exercise, Kamandag, is taking part in the Philippines, and features more than 2,500 U.S. and Philippine marines.

U.S. ally South Korea will also be involved in the drills, which will see "impressive weapons systems" deployed in a "geographically distributed environment", Berger tweeted.

Stealth aircraft, including some from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, will join ground troops during live-fire training on Thursday in the Philippines, 3rd Marine Division operations officer Colonel Darryl Ayers said.

"For the Marines on the ground, all they know is that they're getting support from an aircraft," Ayers told Stars and Stripes, in an interview published on Tuesday. "The F-35 is a highly capable aircraft but, on the ground, as long as they're getting the support that they requested they don't really care what's up there."

Ayers added that two HIMARS units from the 3^rd Battalion, 12^th Marine Regiment from Camp Hansen, Okinawa, will also be conducting live-fire in support of U.S. and Filipino troops at Crow Valley Military Reservation north of Clark Air Base.

HIMARS, which are mounted on military vehicles, have a range of 50 miles and can move quickly making it difficult for the enemy to counter. The weapon, 20 of which have been sent from the Pentagon to Ukraine, has been key to turning the war against Russia in Kyiv's favor.

Asia analyst Tom Fowdy told Newsweek that the United States is looking to pull the Philippines "deeper into its orbit and force them to take a side on tensions over Taiwan" and that these exercises show this.

China sees Taiwan as part of its own territory and has vowed to take it, by force if necessary. The U.S. acknowledges Beijing's view that it has sovereignty over Taiwan, but considers Taiwan's status as unsettled.

"Whilst we know the Philippines is a longstanding ally of the U.S. since its independence, in recent years the country, and especially under the tenure of the former president, has been more geopolitically ambiguous and friendly towards China," Fowdy said.

"However, due to its geographic locality, the U.S. now sees it as an essential critical asset in the event of a Taiwan conflict and therefore is exercising its influence over them. This also aims to awaken China's leverage on the South China Sea issue simultaneously."

Meritxell Perelló, Asia-Pacific lead analyst at think tank GEOPOL 21, said that the drills were intended to counter Chinese economic and territorial expansion in the region.

"China may see this as a provocation, but I don't think it is a military exercise of great concern to them. Yes, the use of HIMARS is relevant but it follows a trend of increasing U.S. joint-military exercises with countries in the region," Perelló told Newsweek.

"It is interesting to analyze the role of the Philippines, as it is difficult for it to position itself firmly between the two powers, but with the 'new' presidency of Marcos Jr. it is possible that it will take a more proactive stance," she added.

Correction 10/12/2022, 11:00 a.m. ET: This article was updated to correct Meritxell Perelló's surname.