U.S. Marines conducted a live-fire exercise this week at Camp Fuji east maneuver area in Gotemba, southwest of Tokyo, showcasing mobile missile systems designed to counter potential threats in the Pacific while deepening military cooperation with Japanese partners. The demonstration underscores the Pentagon's shift toward distributed, agile forces as concerns grow over regional security and the vulnerability of traditional military assets.
The exercise, which took place 2 days ago, lasted only a few minutes but highlighted the rapid-deployment capabilities of High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, trucks. These mobile launchers fired rockets from hidden positions before quickly retreating to cover—a "shoot-and-scoot" tactic designed to evade detection and counterattack. The first rocket fired with a burst of flame and thunderclap boom in the foothills of Mount Fuji, followed by five more in rapid succession. A second HIMARS then emerged from a concealed position in evergreens, fired six rockets, and retreated.
Safety Protocols and Japanese Partnership
The maneuvers used dummy rockets, described as concrete-filled tubes with no explosives, and were conducted under strict safety guidelines observed by Japanese military officials, who shut down a local road during the exercise in case projectiles fell short. Despite these precautions, which slowed the exercise compared to combat conditions, the speed remains impressive. Sgt. Kevin Alvarez, section chief of one of the two Fox Battery, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marines, 3rd Marine Division HIMARS involved, said, "It depends on the crew, but it can get as fast as four minutes, (even) two minutes sometimes."
Lt. Col. Ryan Anness, commander of the 3rd Battalion, emphasized the strategic advantages: "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." He added, "Being able to have long-range precision-fire weapons provides deterrence here in the Pacific, and we train with our Japanese partners as much as we can to make sure we're ready."
Shifting Military Strategy
The exercise reflects a broader Pentagon strategy acknowledging the limitations of traditional military platforms in potential conflicts with more capable adversaries. Euan Graham, a senior defense analyst with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, noted that "the U.S. does not want China to invade Taiwan, but it would not be relying on the traditional aircraft carrier-based attack wings of the past." He pointed to recent conflicts as evidence: "In Iran, with the U.S. conflict there, there were over 40 U.S. aircraft, manned and unmanned, either destroyed or damaged against a much less capable adversary, so in the case of conflict with China that vulnerability would be much greater." He added, "That's why we're seeing the U.S. emphasizing ... these smaller units."
The Pentagon's latest annual report to Congress states the goal is to "deny the ability of any country in the Indo-Pacific to dominate us or our allies," with the priority being bolstering deterrence "through strength, not confrontation."
Combat-Proven Technology
The HIMARS, introduced about 20 years ago, has been used in Iraq and Afghanistan and became widely known after Ukraine used it in its fight against Russia. The system can fire a variety of missiles; the U.S. initially provided only shorter-range munitions to Ukraine, later allowing Kyiv to have the ATACMS, or Army Tactical Missile System, which can hit targets at about 300 kilometers, or 180 miles, away.
In the first days of the war against Iran after the U.S. and Israel attacked less than 3 months ago on Feb. 28, the HIMARS was used to fire both ATACMS and, for the first time in combat, the longer-range Precision Strike Missiles, sinking "multiple" Iranian surface ships and a submarine in port, according to Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The PrSM can reach targets at ranges greater than 500 kilometers, or 310 miles, according to manufacturer Lockheed Martin.
Together with the Army's Typhon, another truck-based launching system that shoots longer-range Tomahawk missiles but is less maneuverable than the HIMARS, the two systems could cover the Taiwan Strait and the strategically important Luzon Strait if deployed on Taiwan and the Philippine and Japanese islands nearby, Graham said. Both waterways would be critical to any Chinese invasion or blockade plan.
Why This Matters:
This exercise demonstrates how military strategy is adapting to regional tensions while relying on international partnerships and multilateral cooperation. The close coordination with Japanese officials reflects the importance of allied relationships in maintaining regional stability and collective security. The Pentagon's emphasis on deterrence "through strength, not confrontation" signals an approach that prioritizes defensive capabilities and alliance-building over unilateral action. However, the shift toward mobile, distributed forces also reflects the human and material costs of modern warfare, as evidenced by aircraft losses in recent conflicts. As military planners prepare for potential scenarios involving more capable adversaries, the emphasis on agile systems that can operate from allied territory underscores the interconnected nature of Pacific security and the shared responsibility among democratic partners to maintain peace and prevent conflict that would devastate civilian populations across the region.