U.S. military clarifies NMESIS ‘firing’

A United States Pacific Fleet spokesperson clarified Thursday that while the Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) was deployed during the recent Exercise Balikatan in the Philippines, no actual missiles were fired.

Capt. Hayley Sims, spokesperson for the US Pacific Fleet, addressed earlier reports that had suggested a live firing following the speech given by US Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Steve Koehler at the 2025 Philippine Amphibious Leaders Symposium (PALS) in Makati City.

Sims stressed that Koehler may have “misspoke” on what transpired during the Balikatan Exercises where he disclosed that NMESIS missiles were fired during the exercises.

“During the closing remarks of the Pacific Amphibious Leaders Symposium in Manila Philippines, 10 July, US Navy Admiral Steve Koehler, commander, US Pacific Fleet imprecisely stated in his speech that the United States test fired the NMESIS during Balikatan,” Sims said.

“The NMESIS was deployed during Balikatan and took part in testing and battle drills, but no missiles were actually fired,” he clarified.

Koehler’s statements were earlier picked up by news agencies.

The clarification came as American military officials highlighted the enhanced interoperability between the United States military and the Armed Forces of the Philippines following the Balikatan exercises.

At the forum, Koehler cited that the exercises featured cutting-edge capabilities and focused on the West Philippine Sea and Luzon Strait.

He added that troops operated the NMESIS, amphibious vehicles, M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, trained with unmanned systems and conducted full battle tests and real-world scenarios.

Koehler stressed that the drills significantly boosted deterrence and military readiness in the Indo-Pacific region.

“Our achievements during Balikatan were a major step forward in deterrence for the Indo-Pacific,” Koehler said, without providing further details on the specifics of the drills.

NMESIS is capable of striking targets more than 185 kilometers away with sea-skimming precision and radar-evading stealth. It is designed for both coastal defense and effective sea denial.

China has previously criticized the deployment of high-precision NMESIS anti-ship launchers and other “strategic and tactical weapons” in the Philippines, claiming they pose a threat to regional stability. China’s Foreign Ministry has also issued warnings regarding the Taiwan issue, which Beijing considers a “red line.”

Meantime, I Marine Expeditionary Force commanding general Lt. Gen. Michael Cederholm said that new capabilities were introduced during the various military training exercises. However, he declined to elaborate on operational details, citing security reasons.

“We had great training with that capability, with all the capabilities, which are layered capabilities,” Cederholm said.