Arms manufacturers, including Lockheed Martin, stand to gain from the escalating military posture in the Pacific, as U.S. Marines conducted a live-fire exercise in Japan this week, demonstrating mobile missile systems that saw their combat debut in the war against Iran less than 3 months ago. The exercise, held at the U.S. military’s Camp Fuji east maneuver area in Gotemba, southwest of Tokyo, involved High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) trucks firing dummy rockets.
The maneuvers demonstrated the "shoot-and-scoot" capability of the HIMARS, with trucks hidden from view, firing rockets, and then retreating to cover. Sgt. Kevin Alvarez, section chief of one of the Fox Battery, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marines, 3rd Marine Division HIMARS involved, stated that the system "can get as fast as four minutes, (even) two minutes sometimes" in combat scenarios. Lt. Col. Ryan Anness, commander of the 3rd Battalion, emphasized the systems' advantages, stating, "They’re much quicker, much faster, and much easier to hide than, say, traditional cannon artillery, and obviously having the precision fire weapons and having the ability to hide easier is why so many countries, and why it’s important for us, to have the HIMARS."
The Business of War
The Pentagon's latest annual report to Congress outlines a goal to "deny the ability of any country in the Indo-Pacific to dominate us or our allies," prioritizing deterrence "through strength, not confrontation." This strategy translates into continued demand for advanced weaponry, directly benefiting corporations like Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM). The HIMARS system, introduced about 20 years ago, has been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and became widely known after its use by Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, ensuring a consistent market for its components and munitions.
The U.S. initially supplied Ukraine with shorter-range munitions for the HIMARS before allowing Kyiv access to the ATACMS, or Army Tactical Missile System, capable of hitting targets up to 300 kilometers away. The most recent combat deployment of these systems occurred less than 3 months ago, following the U.S. and Israel's attack on Iran on Feb. 28. During this conflict, HIMARS were used to fire both ATACMS and, for the first time in combat, the longer-range PrSMs. Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reported that these strikes resulted in the sinking of "multiple" Iranian surface ships and a submarine in port. The PrSM, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, can reach targets at ranges greater than 500 kilometers.
Imperial Reach and State Power
The strategic deployment of these systems underscores the state's role in projecting military and economic power. Euan Graham, a senior defense analyst with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, noted that the U.S. aims to prevent China from invading Taiwan, shifting away from traditional aircraft carrier-based attack wings. Graham highlighted the vulnerability of U.S. aircraft in the conflict with Iran, where "over 40 U.S. aircraft, manned and unmanned, either destroyed or damaged against a much less capable adversary," suggesting "that vulnerability would be much greater" in a conflict with China. This assessment drives the emphasis on "smaller units" and mobile missile systems.
The HIMARS, alongside the Army’s Typhon, another truck-based launching system for longer-range Tomahawk missiles, could cover the Taiwan Strait and the strategically important Luzon Strait if positioned on Taiwan and nearby Philippine and Japanese islands, according to Graham. These waterways are identified as critical to any Chinese invasion or blockade plan, revealing the geopolitical stakes for capital accumulation in the region. Japanese military officials observed the Camp Fuji exercise and temporarily shut down a local road, demonstrating the complicity of allied states in facilitating these imperial maneuvers. The training with "Japanese partners" ensures regional alignment with U.S. strategic objectives, further entrenching the military-industrial complex's influence.