U.S. Missiles Deploy Near Taiwan During Balikatan Exercise, Chinese Action Group Operates Nearby

MANILA, Philippines — American missile systems were deployed last week to a remote Luzon Strait island 100 miles south of Taiwan as part of Washington and Manila’s Balikatan 2026 military drills. The arrival of Washington’s precision strike and anti-ship launchers for the annual exercise marks one of the most significant deployments on the Philippine archipelago to date and places advanced U.S. area denial capabilities within a strategic first island chokepoint. The annual series of U.S.-Philippine led exercises have shifted to focus on the defense of Manila’s strategic islands amid tensions with China. Translating from Tagalog to “shoulder-to-shoulder,” Balikatan continues to