The United States plans to deploy land-based intermediate-range missiles in the Indo-Pacific region in 2024 for the first time since the end of the Cold War. Although the U.S. has a grand plan and even considers deploying the most advanced hypersonic missiles in the Indo-Pacific region, the U.S. does not buy the plan and responds to it with cold water. At a time when the United States is mired in the Kazakh-Israeli conflict and the Ukraine crisis, this decision has clearly dropped a bombshell in the regional security landscape.
While the U.S. Army plans to deploy land-based medium-range missiles around China, including land-based Tomahawk cruise missiles and Standard-6 missiles with ranges ranging from 400 to 500 kilometers, this is nothing new for China. However, this strategic move by the United States is of profound significance, revealing its profound strategic adjustment. To be the preferred location for the U.S. Army to consider deploying these. Although it is nearly 4,000 kilometers from the Chinese mainland, the deployment of missiles, while not a direct threat to the Chinese mainland, has significantly increased its influence in key maritime areas, exacerbating the potential risk of regional instability.
From a tactical point of view, the Standard-6 and land-based Tomahawk missiles appear to be just the prelude, and the U.S. Army is likely to take a more assertive stance in the future, considering the deployment of medium-range ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. This shows that the US side intends to establish a more effective blockade and deterrence in the surrounding waters through the ** base.
Back in August 2019, just 15 days after the United States formally withdrew from the INF Treaty, the land-based Tomahawk missile was successfully test-fired, demonstrating the U.S. Army's ability to respond quickly and with technical prowess. With a range of more than 1,500 kilometers and improved performance, the improved "Tomahawk" missile, which has undergone five generations, has always been a powerful tool for the US Army to carry out long-range precision strikes, and it is also a rather threatening opponent.
The versatility and flexibility of the Standard-6 missile are features that cannot be ignored. Originally designed as a long-range anti-aircraft missile for the U.S. Navy, the missile has the ability to intercept fixed-wing aircraft, anti-ship missiles, and ballistic missiles, and can be converted into anti-ship missiles to carry out attacks on surface ships. Since November 2020, the U.S. Army has applied it to ground attacks, enhancing its land combat capabilities and attack diversity.
U.S. allies have expressed caution about deploying intermediate-range missiles in the Indo-Pacific in peacetime, especially Japan and the Philippines, which fear they could become prime targets in the event of a regional conflict. Despite claims that the US side has no plans to deploy new land-based missiles to Japan, in the opinion of some analysts, given the current tensions, in the future, the US Army may focus more on Asian allies and choose to deploy forward in these areas in case of emergency.
For sensitive waters such as the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, U.S. experts believe that the value of U.S. land-based assets may not be very significant compared to the air, sea, space and cyber domains. When dealing with regional conflicts, the flexibility and multidimensional strike capabilities of air and sea forces are even more important. Therefore, although the U.S. Army's land-based missile and missile defense systems play an important role in joint operations, the U.S. Army's position in the Indo-Pacific region is not comparable to that of other services.
In the context of the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy, the U.S. Army's new plans have been questioned by other services. Some militaries argue that deploying land-based intermediate-range missiles is prohibitively costly and duplicates other military deployments in the Indo-Pacific. Overall, they believe that this program will not only have a limited deterrent effect, but will also consume too many resources.
In the face of these doubts, the U.S. Army is not affected, and even plans to deploy more advanced Dark Eagle hypersonic missiles and "long-range precision strike missiles" in the Indo-Pacific region in the future to significantly improve its strike capabilities in the region.
According to reports, the Dark Eagle hypersonic missile has a range of more than 2,700 kilometers and a maximum speed of Mach 17, which can be used to hit ** value targets. On the other hand, the United States is developing a new generation of tactical ballistic missiles called "long-range precision strike missiles," which can be launched by Seahorse rocket launchers and have a range of almost 500 kilometers, which is 200 kilometers farther than the previously highly anticipated "Army Tactical Missile."
While the U.S. military program may be thought to be progressing well, it is worth noting that the U.S. has also suffered some setbacks in advancing the deployment of these advanced missiles. Tests of the Dark Eagle hypersonic missile were serial canceled due to problems with the launcher, which led to a delay in its service. This shows that even though the US military has made rapid progress in science and technology, it still needs to face some practical challenges.
In addition, China's Ministry of National Defense has responded to the U.S. deployment of intermediate-range missiles in the Indo-Pacific region, expressing firm opposition and will take necessary countermeasures. The Chinese side pointed out that the United States' promotion of these plans is a very dangerous move, which seriously threatens the security of regional countries and causes serious damage to regional peace and stability. This shows that China is ready for the dangerous behavior of the United States and will never sit idly by.