Compass Points - NMESIS Flaw?
Is there a flaw in the NMESIS?
Compass Points - NMESIS Flaw?
Is there a flaw in the NMESIS?
March 12, 2025
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Compass Points has long irritated Headquarters Marine Corps and Force Design proponents everywhere by observing that despite years of time, budget, and effort there is still no operational Marine missile unit off China's coast. Now, with the splashy announcement from Okinawa, perhaps it is time for Compass Points to shut-up. Or is it?
The Marine Corps has announced that the 12th Littoral Combat Team has become operational on Okinawa.
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The 12th LCT is made up of a reinforced infantry battalion and anti-ship missile battery; it will be specifically equipped with 18 Navy/Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction Systems, also known as NMESIS units, a spokesperson told Military.com on Monday. The systems are colloquially described as "ship killers" for their mobile ability to destroy enemy vessels from land.
-- Military.com
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The 12th LCT's anti-ship missile battery with its 18 NMESIS units sounds like a very powerful system. The official website of the 12 Marine Littoral Regiment even features a photograph of a missile streaking skyward. A Marine spokesman describes the power of the new NMESIS missile system.
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"A cornerstone in the Marine Corps' Force Design initiative, the NMESIS increases the Marine Corps' defensive capabilities and responsiveness against potential adversaries in amphibious operations," Flanagan said. "The Naval Strike Missile can target surface ships and fixed ground targets, making it a critical tool for denying adversaries access to key areas in contested waters."
-- Military.com
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There is just one small problem with all this talk about the power and might of the 12th LCT's anti-ship missile battery and its 18 NMESIS systems. The 12th LCT's anti-ship missile battery does not have 18 NMESIS missile systems. It does not have 9 NMESIS missile systems. It does not have even three.
In just a few words, easily skipped over, even the official Marine spokesman is forced to admit:
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The 12th LCT has not received the NMESIS units, Flanagan said, but they will arrive eventually . . .
-- Military.com
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What is the NMESIS system and has it ever been successfully tested? An article in Naval Technology explains the NMESIS system and notes that NMESIS was successfully tested back nearly four years ago.
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The Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) is an anti-ship missile system developed for the US Marine Corps (USMC) to support land-to-sea attacks performed by the US Navy.
The NMESIS features the US Navy’s latest anti-ship missile, the Naval Strike Missile (NSM), mounted atop the chassis of an unmanned variant of the Oshkosh Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV).
The ground vehicle platform, known as Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary (ROGUE) Fires vehicle, is supplied by Oshkosh Defense, while the NSM is jointly manufactured by Raytheon Missiles & Defense (Raytheon) and Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.
The Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) acquired the NMESIS to meet ground-based anti-ship missile (GBASM) requirements of the USMC.
The USMC and Raytheon successfully tested the NMESIS off the coast of California, US, in April 2021. An NSM was fired from the system against a surface target at sea.
The NMESIS system was successfully demonstrated at the Sink at Sea Live Fire Training Exercises (SINKEX) in Hawaii in August 2021. SINKEX is a part of the US Navy’s Large-Scale Exercise (LSE) 2021, a triennial exercise designed to test the operating concepts of the navy and USMC.
-- Naval Technology
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If the NMESIS was successfully tested back in April of 2021, where are the NMESIS systems today? Why does the 12th LCT claim to have 18 NMESIS units when they actually have zero NMESIS systems now and have no firm date when any NMESIS systems are going to arrive?
Has something gone wrong with the NMESIS system? Is there a problem the Marine Corps does not want to talk about? Perhaps there is a clue in the Marine Littoral Regiment capabilities brief of August 19, 2024. Depending on how the pages are counted, on pages 21, 22, or 23 two slides titled, "Overview –FY23-25 Capability Fielding Timeline" and "Overview –FY24-26 Capability Fielding Timeline" both slides have a strange caveat about the entire NMESIS system. The caveat reads, "The MLRs NMESIS T/E is 6. Progression to 18 NMESIS is dependent on technology maturation, operational suitability, and effectiveness of the technology.”
Full fielding of the NMESIS system, "is dependent on technology maturation, operational suitability, and effectiveness of the technology." What does that mean? It clearly sounds like there are great doubts even inside the Marine Corps about the full fielding of the NMESIS system. The NMESIS is basically just a truck, JLTV, with two missiles on it, NSM. This is not cutting-edge technology. Just a truck with a couple of missiles on top. Where are the NMESIS systems? Why have they been so slow to arrive? Are they ever going to arrive?
The lack of NMESIS by itself crushes the entire Force Design plan to put Marine missile units near China's coast. But there is another problem, just as large and just as serious. The plan for logistically supporting the Marine island missile units depends on the LSM - Landing Ship Medium. But the Navy and Marine Corps cannot come to agreement on the LSM and the LSM's latest RFP has been pulled. The LSM is not moving forward now and may never be built.
Without rapid production of both the LSM and the NMESIS, the entire Marine Force Design plan collapses. Instead of rapid production of both the LSM and NMESIS, the Marine Corps has full production of neither. No LSM? No Force Design island missile units. No NMESIS? No Force Design island missile units.
In theory, production of both the LSM and NMESIS was supposed to move into full and rapid construction several years ago. But that has never happened.
The Marine Corps can issue press release after press release about the 12th Littoral Combat Team on Okinawa and its 18 powerful NMESIS missile systems, but that does not change the fact that the 12th LCT still has zero LSMs for logistics and transportation, and zero NMESIS systems to fire at China's ships.
A DVIDS Hub article says, "The Marines and advanced capabilities of 12th LCT are designed to create chaos and uncertainty . . . " The lack of both LSMs and NMESIS systems is creating chaos and uncertainty, not in the minds of China's defense planners, but, instead, in the minds of military experts in Congress and in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
Perhaps as one Compass Points reader has put it, the question is "HOW." How long will it take before the Marine Corps finally changes its focus away from island missile units and toward an updated and enhanced global, combined arms, crisis response force?
A Compass Points reader asks, HOW?
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The former 1/4 has just been converted to a "littoral combat unit" ending its legacy that started in China. They are supposed to get a few NMESIS systems in FY26. But those things have been around for years. Seems to me I saw one over 5 years ago. If the Corps was REALLY serious about this nonsense, you would have thought, they would be fully equipped with the systems when they stood up. So I guess it is all just smoke and mirrors.
The logistician in me still asks ... HOW?
-- HOW many missiles does the Marine Corps feel they need to shoot at a single ship to get a "kill"?
-- HOW will these missiles be replenished?
-- HOW will they be reloaded?
-- HOW will the inevitable casualties be evacuated?
-- HOW will they Marines be fed?
-- HOW will the Marines be relocated to new areas once found?
-- HOW will the Marines convince foreign governments to allow them to use their islands?
These are the questions I would like answered ... HOW?
-- Coffeejoejava
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Compass Points thanks Coffeejoejava and all the friends of the Marine Corps asking the hard questions that will help make tomorrow's Marine Corps even stronger than today's.
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Military.com - 03/10/2025
Marine Corps Adds First Anti-Ship Missile Battery to Okinawa as Part of Recent Littoral Plan
By Drew F. Lawrence
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DVIDS Hub - 03/04/2025
12th Littoral Combat Team Established, Enhances 12th MLR’s Warfighting Readiness
By 2nd Lt. Hannah Ladd
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Naval Technology - 10/11/2021
Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), US
The Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System is the maiden ground-based ship killing capability of the US Marine Corps.
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USMC - 08/19/2024
MLR Capabilities Brief
https://mega.nz/file/YnJWmarT#VtAfjIqiO_M2pcvuzxgmNVwDx3ppBCIeicCP0SMY1SU
This is almost laughable... comical... except that our nation's Corps and its ability to perform its missions is now hindered and rendered nearly impossible by this FD2030 insanity! To brag about this, as various USMC media outlets have done, is shameful and shows the absolute disconnect that former CMC Gen Berger and his successor CMC Gen Smith and cohorts have with real world threats and even the reality of tensions in the Pacific theatre! And the littoral regiment ain't even stood up nor a single island missile unit ready to fire anti ship missiles at would-be CHICOM naval threats in the AO...
This FD2030 insanity is borderline CRIMINAL in its immediate effect and catastrophic consequences for our Corps and its time-tested, combat-proven MAGTF capabilities and the culprits of this mess must be held accountable, fired, and VISION2035 must be implemented immediately to reverse the scourge and curse of FD2030 and restore our Corps' MAGTF lethality and capabilities!
Semper Fidelis!
The basic problem here is a glaring and gross lack of integrity. How can these “leaders” continue to serve? It is just a damn shame.