Marines Stand Up First Medium Missile Battalion

History was made at the home of 2nd Marine Division (2nd MARDIV) as 1st Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment re-designated their unit from an artillery battalion to a medium missile battalion; creating the first of its kind in the United States Marine Corps.

In accordance with the Commandant's Planning Guidance, 1st Battalion, 10th Marines was selected to re-designate on Oct. 9, 2026 to align with the Marine Corps Force Design 2030 plan, supporting the modernization efforts by implementing the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) into their arsenal.

"The Medium-Range Missile Battalion employs the NMESIS," said Lt. Col. Joseph Mozzi, the commanding officer of 1st Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd MARDIV. "[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."

First introduced to the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment in 2024, the NMESIS combines a remotely operated ground unit for expeditionary fires carrier with a launcher equipped with the capacity to fire two Naval Strike Missiles, providing sea denial, sea control, and a defense against maritime threats.

In an ever-changing battlefield, adaptability is crucial in the success of defensive powers. Integration of the NMESIS provides the Service a rapidly deployable system that can function in austere, expeditionary environments.

During Large Scale Exercise 2021, the Marine Corps successfully tested the NMESIS off the coast of Hawaii with a Naval Strike Missile fired from the system towards a surface target at sea. With an effective range of more than 130 nautical miles and the capability to target surface ships and fixed ground targets, the Naval Strike Missile serves as a critical asset for denying adversaries access to key portions of contested waters, according to the Marine Corps.

"Projecting combat power ashore from the sea is historically what [Marines] do," said Col. William Soucie, the commanding officer of 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd MARDIV. "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."

The redesignation is the start in the modernization of artillery battalions within the Marine Corps. Re-designating as a medium missile battalion offers 2nd MARDIV new capabilities while still retaining lightweight Howitzer capabilities and 86 years of artillery experience for future fights.

The NMESIS is not a replacement of our cannon artillery, rather it is a complement to it, said Soucie. 10th Marines will retain artillery capabilities in another battalion, while the new system within 1st Battalion will seamlessly integrate to provide close and continuous fires to units ashore and at sea.

As a battalion in the service-retained force, 1st Battalion was a key candidate for artillery modernization as it gives the II Marine Expeditionary Force commanding general, and the Marine Corps as a whole, greater flexibility for employment in the event of a crisis.

"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, referring to 1st Battalion, 10th Marines. "They are just as good as they have always been, and they will make the platform successful and whatever mission they are assigned successful because they are phenomenal."