With the conclusion of the Multinational Exercise Balikatan 2025, the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment (3rd MLR) of the U.S. Marine Corps consolidated its presence in the Philippines through the deployment of new anti-ship and anti-drone systems. In coordination with local units, U.S. forces carried out operations in different scenarios in Luzon and the Batanes Islands, employing cutting-edge defense platforms aimed at strengthening capabilities in sensitive areas of the Indo-Pacific, such as the South China Sea.
The 40th edition of the Balikatan 2025 exercise featured a large-scale deployment throughout Philippine territory and its archipelagos, where 14,000 personnel from the Armed Forces of the U.S., the Philippines, and Australia operated in a coordinated and joint manner over the course of two weeks. Throughout the sessions, multiple units conducted various exercises based on the current regional context and its threats, such as the defense against a simulated amphibious invasion in the South China Sea.
For its part, one of the main protagonists of this edition was the Marine Corps, which took part in at least four of the six combined events of the exercise. Within this framework, notable activities included maritime security operations (MKTSO-N) in northern Luzon and the Batanes Islands, integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) in Zambales, live-fire actions in Aparri aimed at simulating coastal defense against enemy forces, as well as coordinated attacks on naval targets off the coast of Zambales. These activities not only represented a demonstration of interoperability among the participating forces but also served to validate new operational concepts.
However, this edition also stood out for the first deployment of a NMESIS anti-ship missile launcher in the Batanes Islands, a strategic archipelago located in the Luzon Strait, an area considered critical for regional maritime transit. In turn, this also marked a milestone, as it was the first land-based deployment of this type of system at that geographic point, with support from the 10th Philippine Marine Landing Battalion. The NMESIS, Navy/Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, is an anti-ship missile system of the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment of the U.S. Marine Corps that was just a few months ago deployed on the island of Luzon, marking the closest such capability has ever been positioned to mainland China, while also forming part of the establishment of an Expeditionary Advanced Base for Artillery Fires in northern Luzon and surrounding islands.
On the other hand, during the Balikatan 2025 exercise, the MADIS air defense system, or Marine Air Defense Integrated System, was also deployed — a ground-based air defense platform that replaces the traditional FIM-92 Stinger. In this context, the 3rd Marine Littoral Anti-Air Battalion, together with the 960th Air and Missile Defense Group of the Philippine Air Force, conducted for the first time a live-fire test of this platform on Philippine soil. Both the NMESIS and MADIS systems simultaneously carried out a simulated missile attack in defensive exercises, thus demonstrating their capability to operate in hostile and dynamic environments.
Finally, it is worth noting that with the conclusion of Balikatan 2025, the Marines of the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment will not be leaving the Philippines. Thanks to the invitation of the Armed Forces of the Asian country, the U.S. unit will take part in the Kamandag 9 exercise, scheduled between May 26 and June 6. During these sessions, the aim will be to deepen cooperation in amphibious operations, coastal defense, and special operations, once again in northern Luzon and the Batanes Islands.
You may also like: The U.S. Marine Corps has received the first prototype of the new ExDECS microwave-based counter-drone system
