The Marine Corps fielded its ship-killing robotic vehicle, NMESIS, to the Okinawa, Japan-based 12th Marine Littoral Regiment this month, expanding the Indo-Pacific presence of one of its signature force design capabilities.

NMESIS, the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, is a mobile sea-denial capability designed to launch Naval Strike Missiles at ships and other targets. The system is mounted on a remotely operated Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.

According to a June 21 announcement, this fielding marks the 12th MLR’s first formal receipt of the capability.
The service fielded the first six NMESIS launchers to Hawaii-based 3d Marine Littoral Regiment in 2023 and aims to field 18 launchers per medium-range missile system launcher battery by fiscal year 2033, according to the October 2025 force design update.

Earlier this month, the Marine Corps awarded contracts to integrate autonomy software into the platform, marking the Pentagon's first large-scale production contract for ground vehicle autonomy.

In addition to NMESIS, the 12th MLR received its first Marine Air Defense Integrated Systems this month. MADIS is a JLTV-mounted counter-drone capability also viewed as a critical piece of the service’s force design modernization efforts.