Asia’s Maritime Alliance Deploys 500-NM Missiles Against China’s Pressure
Exercise Keen Sword brings 57,000 troops and land-based missiles.
Asian nations are intensifying their military cooperation to counter China’s expanding maritime ambitions, with a series of recent developments signaling a more unified defensive stance.
Exercise Keen Sword, running until October 29, has brought together 45,000 Japanese troops and 12,000 U.S. personnel, along with forces from seven other nations. France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the Philippines are participating for the first time, while South Korea is observing after joint training last month. The exercises focus on two contentious areas: Japan’s southwestern islands, where Chinese vessels frequently violate territorial waters, and the Kuril Islands, whose sovereignty is disputed with Russia.
Multinational drills target key flashpoints: exercise keen sword
On the strategically located island of Yonaguni, Japan and the U.S. are deploying advanced missile systems. Japanese forces have positioned Type-25 land-to-ship missiles, while U.S. Marines are setting up the NMESIS ground-based system. Both can strike targets over 500 nautical miles away, covering much of China’s coastline and Taiwan’s eastern and southern regions. Though China and Taiwan both claim Yonaguni, Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo has welcomed the deployment, calling it a boost to Taiwan’s security rather than a challenge to its territorial claims.
Beyond the drills, Taiwan and the Philippines are deepening their collaboration despite overlapping claims in the South China Sea. Both nations are aligning against China’s broader territorial assertions, with Taiwan’s Coast Guard planning a historic port call in the Philippines next October, the first since 1974. The visit, part of Taiwan’s Dunmu (Friendship) Cruises, will likely be led by the fast combat support ship Panshi (AOE-532).
Regional partnerships strengthen against Chinese pressure
Taiwan also plans to adopt the Philippines’ “assertive transparency” approach, publicly exposing Chinese coercive tactics in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait. The two nations share a maritime boundary through the Bashi Channel, where joint surveillance is set to expand as China increases its naval circumnavigations of Taiwan.
The U.S. has bolstered its regional presence by deploying the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, the guided-missile cruiser USS Chosin, and the destroyer USS Decatur to Yokosuka naval base. The Theodore Roosevelt is the first non-forward-deployed carrier to dock there in four years, underscoring Washington’s commitment to the region.
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