The US military is evaluating the deployment of the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) during its upcoming Resolute Dragon exercise with Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force next month.
The annual bilateral drill, scheduled for September 11–25, aims to strengthen the defensive posture of the US-Japan alliance, with a focus on protecting Japan’s remote islands. Training will be held across Japan, including Okinawa, Hokkaido, southern Kyushu, and Iwo Jima, according to NHK.
An estimated 12,000 Japanese troops and 1,900 US personnel are set to participate, with potential live-fire rocket artillery drills included. Camp Ishigaki in Okinawa is a potential site for NMESIS deployment.
Inducted in 2023, the NMESIS system mounts Naval Strike Missiles on an unmanned Joint Light Tactical Vehicle and can strike naval targets up to 115 miles (185 km) away. Air-transportable and suited for mobile operations, it supports the US distributed maritime operations strategy.
The potential use in Japan follows NMESIS’s first deployment in the Philippines earlier this year. Both nations are critical to the First Island Chain strategy, designed to constrain the Chinese Navy’s movement in the region.
Meanwhile, China and Russia conducted joint naval drills in the Sea of Japan in August, including submarine rescue, anti-submarine warfare, and missile defense exercises, reinforcing their growing military cooperation.
