Photo By Cpl. Iyer Ramakrishna | U.S. Marines with 3d Littoral Anti-Air Battalion, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d...... read more read more
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NORTHERN LUZON, Philippines – Exercise Balikatan 25, the 40th iteration of the long-standing annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military, has officially concluded. As U.S. Marines, Soldiers, Airmen, Australian Defence Force, and Japanese Self-Defense Force servicemembers, along with those from 16 observer nations, begin retrograding from the Philippines, the U.S. Marines with 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division, look forward to an extended stay. At the invitation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the forward-deployed Marines with 3d MLR will remain in the Philippines for Exercise Kamandag 9, scheduled to commence May 26 and run until June 6, 2025.
To recap Exercise Balikatan 25 for 3d MLR, the U.S. Marines with the formation widely-known for being the first of its kind,a result of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Force Design modernization initiatives spearheaded by former Commandant Gen. David H. Berger in 2020, participated in four of the exercise’s six Combined Joint All-Domain Operations (CJADO) events. These included the Maritime Key Terrain Security Operations – North (MKTSO-N) in Northern Luzon and the Batanes Islands, the Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) in Zambales, the Counter-landing Live Fire (CLLF) in Aparri, and the Maritime Strike (MARSTRIKE) in Zambales.
2025 marked the fourth consecutive year that U.S. Marines with 3d MLR participated in the shoulder-to-shoulder exercise. Since its redesignation from 3d Marines in 2022, 3d MLR has deployed Marines to the Philippines to support the partnered nations’ efforts to operationalize the 1951 U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty.
Unique to this year’s iteration was the addition of 3d MLR’s newly fielded weapon systems – the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) and the Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) – to the list of equipment brought to the Philippines in support of the exercise.
During MKTSO-N, 3d Littoral Combat Team, alongside their partners with the Philippine Marine Corps’ Marine Battalion Landing Team 10, made history by inserting the first ground-based, anti-ship missile launcher onto an island in the Luzon Strait. The Batanes Islands have long been viewed as a chokepoint for national security interests in the Indo-Pacific region, and the successful insertion of the NMESIS into the strategic waterway reaffirmed the U.S.’s commitment to ensuring the territorial integrity of the Philippines.
“The insertion of the NMESIS on Batan during Exercise Balikatan 25’s MKTSO was an achievement of a major milestone not just for 3d MLR, but for the entire U.S. Marine Corps enterprise, signifying advancements in the service’s equipment fielding to employment timelines,” said Col. John G. Lehane, Commanding Officer, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment. “In a matter of months, the NMESIS went from an experimental asset undergoing the rigorous initial operational testing and evaluation spearheaded by Marine Corps Systems Command and the program office, to a fully fielded weapon system capable of neutralizing the threat of adversarial vessels in contested littoral zones. This is a feat that would not have been capable without the support of our partners with the Armed Forces of the Philippines.”
During Exercise Balikatan 25’s IAMD, 3d Littoral Anti-Air Battalion, alongside the Philippine Air Force’s 960th Air and Missile Defense Group, conducted the first MADIS live-fire range on Philippine soil. The MADIS – a ground-based air defense system – was fielded by 3d LAAB in December of 2024, and its capabilities have rapidly exceeded those of its predecessor, the man-portable FIM-92 Stinger missile system.
“Over the course of one weekend during Balikatan, 3d LCT inserted forces on the Batanes Islands to conduct simulated strikes with the NMESIS, and 3d LAAB showcased the U.S.-Philippines combined coastal defense capabilities through the live-fire employment of the MADIS,” continued Lehane.
Now that Exercise Balikatan 25 has come to a close, the U.S. Marines with 3d MLR are preparing for a second major exercise, Exercise Kamandag 9. Kamandag, meaning “Cooperation of the Warriors of the Sea,” is an annual exercise led by the Philippine Marine Corps aimed at enhancing collective capabilities through strengthened cooperation among participating forces. This year’s iteration of Kamandag will involve U.S. participation from 3d MLR and Marine Rotational Force – Darwin. Exercise events will include a second Maritime Key Terrain Security Operation in Northern Luzon and the Batanes Islands, a combined arms live-fire at Cerab, and a Special Operations Forces (SOF) Strike at Laoag.
3d Marine Littoral Regiment is a dedicated U.S. Marine Corps unit specializing in amphibious and littoral warfare operations. Stationed on Oahu, Hawaii, and deployed throughout the Indo-Pacific region, 3d MLR is committed to promoting regional security and stability through strategic partnerships and collaborative efforts with Allies and partner nations.
| Date Taken: | 05.10.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.10.2025 00:24 |
| Story ID: | 497572 |
| Location: | PH |
| Web Views: | 30 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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