The solar beats down on the small Japanese island as discipline artillery cannoneers twist wrenches on large encanistered missile rounds. It is September in Okinawa, and right here at Camp Hansen, Marines from the third and twelfth Littoral Fight Groups (or LCTs) are knee-deep in gritty reloading drills with the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS for brief). That is extra than simply routine upkeep; it symbolizes turning these anti-ship beasts into quick-draw weapons for the subsequent huge struggle within the Pacific.
The scene captures the essence of how the Marine Corps is evolving its littoral warfare capabilities. The third LCT, a part of Hawaii-based third Marine Littoral Regiment (or MLR), teamed up with Okinawa’s twelfth LCT from the twelfth MLR (each beneath the third Marine Division). Utilizing forklifts and stacking frames, they practiced swapping out coaching rounds on the NMESIS launcher, honing the velocity wanted to rearm in distant, contested spots. The velocity drills construct confidence in order that in fight the methods keep deadly with out skipping a beat, offering sea denial that would maintain adversaries at bay.
What’s NMESIS?
NMESIS itself is a game-changer: a cell, ground-based launcher packing two stealthy Kongsberg Naval Strike Missiles with a punch out to 115 miles. It is designed for island-hopping operations, slipping into hidden positions to hammer enemy ships. The methods first arrived in Japan on July tenth, marking their debut within the area, and this coaching was the primary hands-on session there. Marines from the twelfth Medium-Vary Missile (MMSL) Battery led the cost, specializing in launcher survival and mock hearth missions throughout an Expeditionary Superior Base train on the Central Coaching Space in Okinawa.
“These coaching alternatives with the NMESIS validated the effectiveness of our collaborative defensive structure,” stated Capt. Kurt James, commander of the twelfth MMSL Battery. “We refined our skill to coordinate responses to potential threats, reinforcing our dedication to regional safety.”
This is not the third MLR’s first rodeo with NMESIS. Again in November 2024, they took supply of the system, integrating it into their infantry battalion for anti-ship strikes. The next spring, throughout Balikatan 25 within the Philippines, they deployed it to Batanes for joint ops, training fast insertions through KC-130Js. Then in Could’s KAMANDAG 9, the third LCT ran simulated maritime strikes, coordinating with U.S. Army multi-domain process forces and Philippine Marines. Utilizing radar just like the AN/TPS-80 and tactical knowledge hyperlinks, they constructed a shared image of the battlespace, feeding targets to NMESIS with out firing a dwell spherical.
The twelfth MLR, forward-based in Okinawa, brings its personal distinctive angle to the enterprise. Being ahead deployed within the first island chain, they’re on the entrance strains of Indo-Pacific deterrence. This joint drill with the third underscores how the Corps is synchronizing its littoral items collectively, enhancing ways for distributed operations the place small groups maintain key terrain towards greater foes.
Why It Issues
In a world of great-power competitors, NMESIS provides Marines the sting to disrupt sea lanes from ashore. It’s core to the philosophy of Drive Design 2030; turning regiments into nimble, missile-slinging outfits prepared for peer threats. With Resolute Dragon 25 executing this month, a bilateral coaching alternative with the Japanese Floor Self Protection Drive, count on extra NMESIS motion, mixing with Army and ally missiles for layered protection.
The message is obvious: These Marines aren’t simply coaching. They’re constructing the muscle reminiscence to dominate the littorals, one reload at a time.
