Project 2025 Tracker / What’s done, what’s next

4. Department of Defense · Minor

Develop long-range strike and anti-ship missiles for the Marine Corps

Partially done

116 4. Department of Defense

“Develop long-range strike missiles and anti-ship missiles for the Corps.”

What has happened

  1. Partially done

    The anti-ship half is fielded. CRS reports that during Balikatan 25 the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment integrated the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), the Corps' ground-launched anti-ship missile, into the exercise for the first time within the first island chain, and that the same capability is now being fielded across the Marine Expeditionary Units. Nothing comparable exists for long-range strike.

  2. Partially done

    Section 20004(8) of the reconciliation act (P.L. 119-21) appropriated $70,000,000 for the development, production and integration of short-range Navy and Marine Corps anti-ship missiles - the ask's anti-ship half, named for the Marine Corps in enacted text. The Act's long-range strike money (secs. 20004(1)-(7), 20007(18)-(19)) is written for the Navy and the Air Force; no line funds a Marine Corps long-range strike missile.

Research log

What was searched, and what didn’t count as evidence

Research notes

Two-object ask (long-range strike missiles and anti-ship missiles). Leveled partial, as an ask with two objects is when one is delivered and the other is not: the anti-ship object is delivered and fielded, the long-range strike object is not funded for the Marine Corps in any enacted instrument.

  • The FY2026 NDAA funds Naval Strike Missile procurement and RDT&E lines in the Navy accounts; NMESIS is the ground-launched NSM variant, but the authorization table does not attribute the lines to the Marine Corps, so CRS carries the fielding claim.
  • Supporting Primary added 2026-09-03. The October 2025 Force Design Update on marines.mil was read in full. It gives the anti-ship half a dated capacity trajectory the CRS account does not: “NMESIS is the Marine Corps’ premier land-based, anti-ship platform… The Service fielded the first six NMESIS launchers to 3d MLR in 2023 and continues to build capacity toward 18 launchers per medium-range missile system launcher (MMSL) battery which will be fully realized in FY33.” A completion date of FY33 is itself why this is not done. Nothing comparable appears for long-range strike, which is the other half of the ask.
Action
create
Object
USMC long-range strike and anti-ship missiles
ID
226