The US Marine Corps are stockpiling NMESIS and MADIS anti-ship and anti-air missiles on the island, with only one obvious target in mind.

The US Marine Corps is fortifying one of the most important islands in the Pacific Ocean—with an eye toward fending off a future Chinese invasion. 

Marine Corps units on the island of Okinawa recently received high-end anti-aircraft and anti-ship vehicles, better preparing the island—arguably the keystone of America’s military presence in the western Pacific—for future combat against the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).

These Are the New Anti-Aircraft Systems on Okinawa

In June, Marine units in Okinawa received the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction Systems (NMESIS) and Marine Air Defense Integrated Systems (MADIS).

The NMESIS is a ground-based anti-ship missile system that is designed to deny enemy ship movements in littoral environments, using the Naval Strike Missile munition. Its high mobility makes it ideal for island defense missions because it can move around quickly and address threats as they emerge from many directions. 

The MADIS is a short-range, surface-to-air system that can take out low-flying fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and unmanned aerial systems. It is equipped with a 30mm autocannon and FIM-92 Stinger air defense missiles. Its combined firepower can address different threats depending on the situation, particularly drones, which have become so prevalent on the modern battlefield.

The Marine Corps declared the two weapon systems operational in 2024, and other Marine Corps units are already using them.  

“A cornerstone in the Marine Corps’ Force Design initiative, the NMESIS and MADIS represent a significant step forward in the Marine Corps’ modernization efforts,” the Marine Corps wrote in a media statement about the transfer of the two weapon systems to Okinawa. “These systems provide Okinawa-based, 3rd Marine Division Marines, with cutting-edge, land-based anti-ship and anti-UAS capabilities tailored for the complex littoral environment.”  

The two new weapon systems will serve with the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment, 3rd Marine Division.  If necessary, both systems can forward deploy to other locations in the Pacific, each having the ability to travel on tactical transport aircraft and amphibious warfare ships.  

“The [3rd Marine] Division continues to maintain a high degree of operational readiness and flexibility to ensure regional deterrence, contributing to our overall mission of maintaining peace and stability in the Pacific,” the Marine Corps statement added.

The transfer of the two weapon systems to Okinawa is an additional step toward reinforcing US capabilities in the region. Earlier this year, the Air Force reinforced its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities on Kadena Air Base, the main air base on Okinawa and one of the most important in the region.  

Why the US Is Increasing Its Defenses in Okinawa

Over the past decade, the prospect of a conflict with China in the Indo-Pacific area of operations has become increasingly likely, according to many analysts. Beijing’s aspiration to global power status, and its stated goal of bringing about the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” through the annexation of Taiwan—explicitly by military force if necessary—brings it on a direct path of collision with the United States.

Taiwan has never belonged to the People’s Republic of China. In 1949, after the government of Chiang Kai-shek lost the civil war to the Communist Party of Mao Zedong, it fled to the island and has held out since. Over the last eight decades, Communist China has sought to take control of Taiwan through diplomacy. The admission of Taiwan to China under the “One Country, Two Systems” principle was discussed as a possibility for many years, but the return of Hong Kong to Chinese control in 1997, followed by the strangling of democracy in the territory in 2019, has given many Taiwanese an understandably skeptical view of this approach. Taiwan’s current president, William Lai Ching-te, has explicitly advocated against reunification with Beijing, once describing himself as a “pragmatic worker for Taiwanese independence.”

As China’s efforts to take Taiwan through diplomacy have failed to bear fruit, Beijing appears to have gone in the other direction, scaling up its air and naval military exercises around the island. This has led to concern from the United States and other Pacific allies, including Japan.

Is war certain? Of course not. But neither is peace. And the US military is bolstering its capabilities in the region to be ready to answer the call if need be.

About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou  

Stavros Atlamazoglouis a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operationsand a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University, an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and a JD from Boston College Law School. His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.

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