U.S. Marines load a Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System onto a trailer during aerial transport operations on Marine Corps Base Hawaii in November 2024. The remotely operated anti-ship missile system allows the U.S. to effectively defend against attempted landings or bombardments from hostile naval forces. U.S. MARINE CORPS
THE WATCH STAFF
The U.S. Marines have deployed a cutting-edge anti-ship missile system for the first time, enhancing the Corps’ efforts to bolster its military capabilities to defend against approaching ships attempting to bombard or land troops on islands. The 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, based in Oahu, Hawaii, received the Naval-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) in late November 2024.
The ground-based weapons system, intended for coastal and littoral defense, fires Naval Strike Missiles, capable of hitting targets more than 185 kilometers away. The medium-range missile system is designed specifically to destroy naval forces approaching islands, according to Task & Purpose, a military-affairs website. “The NMESIS provides this Regiment a potent sea denial capability in support of our mission essential task to ‘Attack Enemy Maritime Targets.’ That capability greatly enhances the Regiment’s ability to support and integrate with the Marine Air-Ground Task Force, the Fleet, the Joint Force and our Allies,” 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment Commander Col. John G. Lehane said, according to the website.
Uncrewed Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, which are controlled remotely, operate NMESIS. Marines operating the system will be located away from the vehicles, which are likely targets for return fire. The NMESIS system is expected to be deployed to every Marine littoral regiment, the website reported. Within the U.S., applications might resemble the U.S. Army’s rapid deployment of Paratroopers, radar platoons and at least one M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to a remote Aleutian Island off the coast of Alaska in September 2024. That response demonstrated the ability to rapidly respond to a joint Russian and People’s Republic of China (PRC) bomber patrol, according to Task & Purpose. NMESIS will also be useful in the Pacific with its many small island groups. The Marines are also restoring World War II airfields on some islands and making other infrastructure improvements to facilitate quick responses to potential threats, the news site reported.
The NMESIS ground vehicle, known as a Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary (ROGUE) Fires vehicle, is produced by Oshkosh Defense, while the Naval Strike Missiles system is jointly manufactured by Raytheon Missiles & Defense and a Norwegian company, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, according to naval-technology.com, a naval affairs website. The system underwent two rounds of live-fire testing in 2021. NMESIS works along a “leader and follower” model with operators coordinating the unmanned vehicles from a command and control vehicle equipped with satellite communications, the website reported. Lt. Col. Timothy W. Love of the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment said NMESIS helps the Marines further integrate naval capabilities and provides effective deterrence through enhanced coastal defense.