The U.S. Marine Corps redesignated an artillery unit, equipping it with naval strike missiles to counter a Chinese amphibious invasion in the Indo-Pacific.
In October, the 2nd Marine Division re-designated its 1st Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment from an artillery battalion to a medium missile battalion. This is the first such unit in the Marine Corps.
The unit is equipped with the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS).
“[The NMESIS] is the Marine Corps’ emerging ground based anti-ship missile capability, and it will also be a ground based long-range precision fires platform,” Marine Corps Lt. Col. Joseph Mozzi, the commanding officer of 1st Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd MARDIV, said in a press release.
The NMESIS is a ground-based anti-ship missile system that is designed to restrict enemy maritime movements in littoral environments.
It is comprised of a remotely operated ground unit and a launcher equipped with two Naval Strike Missiles (NSM), providing Marine Corps units with sea denial, sea control, and a defense against maritime threats capabilities.
NMESIS can hit enemy surface combatants and fixed ground targets located more than 150 miles (130 nautical miles) away. Moreover, its highly mobile nature allows it to be moved quickly, making it a great option for island defense operations.
“The requirement for the Marine Corps to have a land-based capability to conduct sea denial was identified as a crucial step to facilitate the maritime component commanders to fight for sea control,” Mozzi added.
The weapon system first entered service with the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment in 2024, and now more units are getting it.
In June, Marine units in Okinawa, one of the most strategically important locations in the Indo-Pacific, received the NMESIS, as well as the Marine Air Defense Integrated Systems (MADIS), which is designed to counter tactical aerial threats, such as helicopters and unmanned aerial systems.
“Projecting combat power ashore from the sea is historically what [Marines] do,” Marine Corps Col. William Soucie, the commanding officer of 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd MARDIV, said. “What we will be able to do with [the NMESIS] is shoot in support of not only maneuver that’s already ashore, we will also be able to shoot in support of maneuver at sea.”
After decades of fighting in the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, the anti-ship mission set is seeing a revival.
The prospect of a conflict with China in the Indo-Pacific means that naval and air operations will be at the forefront. That was significantly the case during the fight against Imperial Japan during the World War II. So, the Marine Corps and the Army – with the M142 High Mobility Rocket Artillery System (HIMARS) – are cleverly looking for ways to stay “necessary,” which in the parlance of the Pentagon also means “better funded.”
China possesses the largest navy in the world. Working with the assumption that it will be Beijing that will initiate an attack against Taiwan or other areas in the region, the U.S. military will need potent anti-ship capabilities to defeat amphibious operations.
The addition of the NMESIS to the Marine Corps is increasing the overall deterrence of the U.S. military and better prepares it for a potential conflict with China.
Feature Image: U.S. Marines assigned to 3rd Littoral Combat Team, 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, participate in a Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) Top Gun artillery competition at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Sept. 24, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Matthew Benfield) Portions of this image have been blurred for security purposes.
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