US Army’s Multi-domain Task Force Concept Tested with Tomahawk Deployment to Philippines
US-Filipino relations have been turbulent over the last few years with former President Duerte pushing back against US State Department influence. The potential for improved relations between Manila and Beijing posed a headache for Washington. However, with Ferdinand Marcos Jr. taking office the situation stabilised and defense cooperation with the US has increased. The latest example of this is the recent deployment of the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force to Luzon, taking with them Tomahawk Tactical Land Attack-Missiles.
Discussing the deployment of the Task Force and the Tomahawks Brigadier General Bernard Harrington, the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force’s commander said:
“We’ve seen just how effective and hard to target land-based, long-range precision fires are, and we are continuing to add those, and right now we have the medium-range capability that is actually out and exercising with our partners.”
The deployment comes as part of Exercise Salaknib 24 which the US Army describe as supporting “the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. Army Pacific efforts in enhancing bilateral U.S. land power capacity and capabilities for joint operations.” The Mid-Range Capability (MRC) deployed to Philippines consists of 4 Mk 41 VLS based launchers capable of launching various types of SM-6 Tomahawk missiles capable of fighting against targets at the ranges exceeding 300 miles (500km). The system can engage both air and naval threats with exceptional accuracy. 1st MDTF’s MRC showcases the ability to strike at potential hostile assets, constraining and interdicting their movements.
1st Multi-Domain Task Force, based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, is one of a number of recently formed ‘theater-level maneuver elements’ which are tasked with anti-access/area denial preventing the free movement of the enemy in the Pacific. MDTF’s are scalable elements which can be expanded to improve their capabilities or shape them to the mission at hand. MDTF’s typically include a strategic fires battalion, an air defense battalion, an intelligence, information, cyber, electronic warfare and space (I2CEWS) battalion and a brigade support battalion.
Previously, 1st MDTF’s long-range fires battalion deployed a Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon system over 3,100 miles from their base in Washington to Cape Canaveral, Florida during Exercise Thunderbolt Strike in February 2023. The MRC deployment to the Philippines, however, is the first deployment of this type of system by the US missiles that were previously restricted under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF). In 2019 under Trump administration the US withdrew from the treaty amidst Russia’s consistent abuse of the INF and development of such systems.