PH-US joint military exercise held recently in the country includes the test firing of the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System or NMESIS.

In his speech during the closing ceremony of the Pacific Amphibious Leaders Symposium held in Taguig City, US Navy Adm. Stephen Koehler, US Pacific Fleet commander, said we test-fired the NMESIS missiles, operated amphibious vehicles and the HIMARS [High Mobility Artillery Rocket System], trained with unmanned systems, and conducted full battle tests and real-world scenarios.

Koehler said the joint military exercise between the armed forces of Manila and Washington this year featured cutting-edge capabilities, and focused on the “West Philippine Sea and the Luzon Strait.”

“Our achievements during Balikatan were a major step forward in deterrence for the Indo-Pacific,” he added.

The NMESIS is a high mobile coastal anti-ship missile with the ability to strike hostile surface vessels from land-based positions.

During the Balikatan exercise, the NMESIS was used for training in the maritime key terrain security operations (MKTSO) in Batanes from April 26 to May 4.

US Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Michael Cederholm, commanding general of the US 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, declined to give details due to operational security, but said “we got great training” from the NMESIS batteries.

“We always hit the target,” he added.

Capt. John Percie Alcos. Philippine Navy spokesperson, said the NMESIS will remain in the Philippines “for as long as training opportunities for the Philippine Marine Corps are there.”

Alcos also emphasized that the deployment of the NMESIS in the country should not be viewed as a threat to China, calling it “only a deterrent to anybody who intends to conduct illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive actions against the Philippines.”

Otherwise, he said, “it’s just a military equipment that we use for training.”

China has opposed the deployment of the NMESIS and the US Army’s Mid-Range Capability (MRC) Typhon missile system in the country.