The Indo-Pacific is witnessing a perilous escalation in missile proliferation driven by what can only be described as an overzealous US approach that risks destabilizing an already volatile region. From deployments in the Philippines to Japan’s missile tests, the rapid buildup of advanced weaponry signals a dangerous shift in the strategic landscape, one that threatens to spiral into unintended conflict.

In April 2025, for example, the US deployed the NMESIS system and the Typhon medium range launcher to the Philippines’ Batanes Islands. One may recall that last year Washington had already deployed the Typhon launcher to the same region, which is capable, as expert Shah Md Shamrir Al Af notes, of firing SM-6 and Tomahawk missiles with ranges exceeding 2,000 km — thereby placing the Taiwan Strait, much of the South China Sea and parts of southern China “within striking distance.” This is not mere deterrence; it is about American dominance. Nonetheless, this buildup remains underreported in mainstream discourse.

Japan, too, is being drawn into this missile race. In June 2025, it tested the Type 88 ground-launched anti-ship missile near the Tsugaru Strait — a marked departure from its previous policy. Bolstered by a $1.7 billion purchase of 400 Tomahawk missiles in 2023, Japan has clearly moved toward counterstrike capabilities that support a broader........

© Blitz