U.S. Marines demonstrated rapid-deployment precision strike capability this week in a live-fire exercise at Camp Fuji east maneuver area in Gotemba, southwest of Tokyo, showcasing military assets designed to counter potential Chinese aggression in the Pacific through mobility and firepower rather than traditional carrier-based platforms.
The exercise, conducted 2 days ago, featured High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, trucks firing from concealed positions before quickly returning to cover—a "shoot-and-scoot" tactic that emphasizes survivability against advanced adversaries. The first rocket fired from the mobile launcher screamed toward its target with a burst of flame and a thunderclap boom in the foothills of Japan's Mount Fuji, followed by another five rockets in rapid succession. A second HIMARS truck then drove out of a concealed position in a copse of evergreens, fired its salvo of six rockets, and retreated back to cover.
Speed and Precision Over Traditional Artillery
The maneuvers used dummy rockets, described as concrete-filled tubes with no explosives, and were carried out under strict safety guidelines and observed by Japanese military officials, who shut down a local road during the exercise in case one of the projectiles fell short. Despite safety precautions that slowed the demonstration, combat deployment would be significantly faster. Sgt. Kevin Alvarez, section chief of one of the two Fox Battery, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marines, 3rd Marine Division HIMARS involved in the Camp Fuji exercise, 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 advantage of mobile systems over conventional artillery. "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 said. "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."
Adapting to China Threat
The emphasis on dispersed, mobile firepower reflects Pentagon adaptation to the vulnerability of high-value assets against peer competitors. Euan Graham, a senior defense analyst with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said, "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 noted that "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 says the goal is to "deny the ability of any country in the Indo-Pacific to dominate us or our allies," and that the priority is bolstering deterrence "through strength, not confrontation."
Combat-Proven System with Expanding Range
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, and later allowed 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, 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 and others 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:
The shift toward mobile, precision strike systems represents a cost-effective deterrence strategy that leverages technological advantage without requiring the massive investment and vulnerability of carrier strike groups. The HIMARS exercise demonstrates practical cooperation with Japanese defense partners, strengthening regional alliances essential to maintaining stability in the Indo-Pacific. The system's proven combat effectiveness against Iranian naval assets validates the Pentagon's strategic pivot toward distributed lethality. For taxpayers, mobile missile systems offer superior survivability and lower operational costs compared to traditional platforms, while their deployment on allied territory reduces the burden on forward-deployed American forces. The ability to hold Chinese naval and amphibious forces at risk from multiple island locations creates a credible deterrent that protects both American interests and regional partners without requiring confrontational posturing or permanent large-scale deployments.