US Marines Practice With NMESIS Ship-Killer in Japan Amid Rising China Tensions
The US Marine Corps is training in Japan with a mobile anti-ship missile system while coordinating with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces on moving equipment amid concerns over China’s growing naval activity.
Called the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), the system arrived in July and is part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercise, which simulates island defense in the Nansei chain southwest of Kyushu.
During the drills, a Japanese Air Self-Defense Force C-130 transported NMESIS from Okinawa’s main island to Ishigaki Island, according to Kyodo News.
NMESIS Capabilities
Mounted on a remote-controlled vehicle, NMESIS carries two Naval Strike Missiles with a range of about 210 kilometers (130 miles), allowing forces to defend islands while remaining out of harm’s way.
Inducted in 2023, it can also be rapidly deployed by air to target threats up to its standard range of 115 miles (185 kilometers) and is part of the US military’s distributed maritime operations concept, integrating manned and unmanned assets.
Bolstering Coordination
Col. Richard Neikirk, commander of the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment at Camp Hansen in Okinawa, said the training improves coordination in moving equipment.
“So whether that’s the US transporting Japanese equipment, or Japanese transporting US equipment, the ability for both of us to do that is very relevant for combat situations,” The Mainichi quoted him as saying.
“All the capabilities that the US has, along with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, are complementary.”
Local sources say NMESIS must be deployed to smaller islands rather than remain on Okinawa, as such long-range, mobile missiles are intended to defend more vulnerable outlying islands.
When asked if it would stay after Resolute Dragon, which ends in September, Neikirk said the III Marine Expeditionary Force — the US Marine Corps’ forward-deployed command in the Asia-Pacific — will decide.
Other Systems in the Exercise
The US Marine Corps is fielding NMESIS alongside other anti-ship systems, including the Marine Air Defense Integrated System, or MADIS, while Japanese forces test their Type 12 surface-to-ship missiles, Task and Purpose reported.
The broader Resolute Dragon exercise is designed to improve rapid deployment and coordination, strengthening joint defense in a region of rising maritime tensions.
Approximately 12,000 Japanese and 1,900 American personnel are taking part in the event.
