The U.S. military reportedly is planning a missile test around Okinawa later this year — the first ever near the southern Japanese island — as a deterrent against an increasingly assertive China, according to Stars and Stripes.
The military has told the Japan Self-Defense Forces about the plan, Japan's Sankei newspaper reported. It is unclear when the test will take place.
The test will be of two systems: the Army's High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System and the Army Tactical Missile System, Sankei reported Jan. 3, according to Stars and Stripes. The drills are seen as a deterrent against Chinese aircraft carriers and warships.
HIMARS is a long-range, mobile, land-based launch system capable of targeting ships at sea. ATACMS, which is made by Lockheed Martin, has a range of approximately 186 miles, Stars and Stripes reported.
Neither Japan ministry officials nor the Army commented to Stars and Stripes.
China has become increasingly assertive in the Indo-Pacific region in recent years, fueled by strong economic growth and military technology, Stars and Stripes reported.
The nation has built and militarized man-made islands across the South China Sea, where the U.S. Navy's freedom-of-navigation patrols have led to saber-rattling by Chinese military officials, the news outlet noted.
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