US to set up bases, deploy missile units in Japan, Philippines ‘in event of Taiwan contingency’

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - The US will set up military bases and deploy missile units in Japan and the Philippines “in the event of a Taiwan contingency,” a report claimed on Monday.

New temporary bases will be established along the southwestern Nansei Islands chain, where the US Marine Littoral Regiment will be deployed, stretching from the Kagoshima and Okinawa provinces in Japan toward Taiwan, the Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.

China, which considers Taiwan as its "breakaway province," has not yet reacted to such new developments.

It added that the Japan Self-Defense Forces is “expected to mainly engage in logistical support for the marine unit, including supplying fuel and ammunition.”

The report said the US Army will deploy long-range fire units of its Multi-Domain Task Force, which is designed to operate in a multi-domain environment, including air, land, water, space, cyber, and information, in the Philippines.

According to the plans, Tokyo and Washington will incorporate the new deployments in their first joint operation plan, scheduled to be formulated next month.