The U.S. Marine Corps formally re-designated 1st Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment as its first medium-range missile battalion during a ceremony at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, on Oct. 9, 2026. The unit, part of the 2nd Marine Division, will operate the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), a ground-based anti-ship missile launcher.
The re-designation aligns with the Marine Corps Force Design 2030 plan and the Commandant’s Planning Guidance, according to service statements. The battalion will employ NMESIS, which combines a remotely operated ground unit for expeditionary fires (ROGUE-Fires) carrier with a launcher capable of firing two Naval Strike Missiles. The system can be positioned along a coastline and controlled from a distance, with no driver or crew aboard the launcher.
“The Medium-Range Missile Battalion employs the NMESIS,” said Lt. Col. Joseph Mozzi, commanding officer of 1st Battalion, 10th Marines. “[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.”
The Naval Strike Missile, developed by Norway’s Kongsberg and produced with Raytheon, has an effective range of more than 130 nautical miles (240 km) and can target surface ships and fixed ground targets, according to the Marine Corps. The system was first introduced to the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment in 2024 and was tested during Large Scale Exercise 2021 off the coast of Hawaii, where a missile was fired at a surface target at sea. Marines have also deployed NMESIS to the Philippines during Balikatan exercises near the Luzon Strait.
“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,” said Mozzi.
The re-designation is the start of a broader modernization of artillery battalions within the Marine Corps, according to the 2nd Marine Division. The battalion retains lightweight howitzer capabilities and 86 years of artillery experience, while 10th Marines will keep M777 lightweight howitzers in another battalion. Col. William Soucie, commanding officer of 10th Marine Regiment, called NMESIS a complement to cannon artillery, not a replacement.
“Projecting combat power ashore from the sea is historically what [Marines] do,” said Soucie. “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.”
As part of the service-retained force, the battalion is available to the commanding general of II Marine Expeditionary Force and the wider Marine Corps for crisis response. Soucie noted that the Marines and sailors in the battalion remain the same personnel who served in it as an artillery unit.
“While the transition of the weapons platform is interesting, what makes the story compelling is that the Marines and Sailors in that formation are not changing,” said Soucie.
Sources: DVIDS News · DVIDS News