The Philippine Navy has announced that the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) from the United States will continue to be stationed in the country for additional exercises, as per a statement made on Tuesday.

According to Philippine Navy spokesperson Captain John Percie Alcos, the NMESIS will remain in the country for training purposes, although the exact location cannot be disclosed for security reasons.

The NMESIS is a ground-based anti-ship missile system utilized by the United States Marine Corps’ Marine Littoral Regiments for coastal defense and maritime security operations. It is equipped with the Naval Strike Missile, which has a range of up to 300 kilometers.

Initially deployed to the Philippines in April for the Balikatan Exercise between US and Filipino forces, the NMESIS was also used during the Kamandag Exercise in May where the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) and the USMC conducted training exercises.

While the live fire exercise with the NMESIS during Kamandag did not proceed due to safety concerns, simulated firings were conducted along with exercises involving 105mm and 155mm howitzers.

This marks the second advanced missile system from the US to be present in Philippine territory, following the deployment of the US Army’s Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) missile system in March. The Typhon system is capable of launching multipurpose missiles at targets located thousands of kilometers away.