US missile deployment to Philippines ‘incredibly important’ for combat readiness, US general says

Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A US Army general says the deployment by the US military of a mid-range missile system in the northern Philippines was “incredibly important” and allowed American and Filipino forces to jointly train for the potential usage of such heavy weaponry in conditions in an Asian tropical archipelago. U.S. Maj. Gen. Marcus Evans, Commanding General of the Hawaii-based 25th Infantry Division, told The Associated Press in an interview Monday that the missile system deployment provided American and Filipino forces “the opportunity to understand how to employ that capability” given “the environmental challenges.” China has expressed alarm over the U.S. missile deployment to the northern Philippines, a sea border away from Taiwan and southern China.