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First NMESIS Yonaguni Deployment to Put US Anti-Ship Missiles Near Taiwan
The U.S. military plans to deploy the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) to Japan’s Yonaguni Island for the first time during Keen Sword 27, scheduled for October 19–29, 2026. The remotely operated, land-based system fires Naval Strike Missiles for coastal sea-denial missions and will be positioned about 110 km east of Taiwan. Japan’s exercise outline also indicates possible deployments of domestic anti-ship and surface-to-air missile systems, alongside electronic-warfare vehicles. The bilateral field exercise will involve about 45,000 Japanese personnel, 6,100 vehicles, 40 vessels and 260 aircraft, with participating forces training offensive anti-ship operations and distributed deployment.