 In 2017 the US State Department has authorized the sale of 54 HIMARS launch vehicles, related resupply systems and ammunition to Romania.In February 2018 the Romanian government approved the purchase.The South China Morning Post, citing a report from the Center for a New American Security on an article dated 02 April 2019, said that the governments of the Philippines and the United States are discussing the potential sale or deployment of the HIMARS to the former to deter China's "militarization" of artificial islands in contested areas of the South China Sea.