Analysts say this year’s drills, which stress tested a new generation of mobile strike capabilities, were a pointed display of resolve
4-MIN READ4-MINJeoffrey MaitemPublished: 12:00pm, 9 May 2026It took less than six minutes for Japan’s Type 88 missile to find its mark, a decommissioned Philippine warship 75km (47 miles) off the coast of Ilocos Norte.The US-made Tomahawk took rather longer to hit its target, some 630km (390 miles) away.
“The message of the exercise is clear,” said Chris Gardiner, chief executive of the Institute for Regional Security NGO in Canberra. “‘Not today’ – now is not the time to use force against the Philippines or to change the status quo around Taiwan.”
