The MADIS will be employed during the Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) event, one of six Combined Joint All-Domain Operations taking place during Balikatan 25. U.S. and Philippine Marines will train “shoulder-to-shoulder” to enhance coastal defence tactics, techniques, and procedures.
The exercise aims to support the Philippine Marine Corps’ coastal defence strategy through joint operations. The MADIS system will allow the U.S. Marines to demonstrate their ability to find, fix, track, target, engage, and assess aerial threats in partnership with Philippine forces.
“The Marines with GBAD battery are excited to integrate with the Philippine Marine Corps to refine collective tactics, techniques, and procedures to bolster the PMC’s coastal defence concept,” said Lt. Col. Matthew E. Sladek, Commanding Officer of 3d LAAB. “The MADIS continues to exceed expectations, and the more repetitions we get to integrate it with the PMC in training, the more it will enhance our collective lethality.”
The MADIS was fielded in December 2024 and had its first live-fire demonstration at Pohakuloa Training Area in Hawaii the following month. Balikatan 25 marks its first deployment outside the United States with a U.S. Marine Corps unit.
“The MADIS delivers critical defence-oriented capabilities to 3d MLR and its subordinate battalions,” said Col. John G. Lehane, Commanding Officer of 3d MLR. “As a stand-alone weapon system, the MADIS ensures the increased survivability of the elements of our formation and our partners’ formations that are located within its firing range.”
Col. Lehane further highlighted the system’s role in supporting maritime strike capabilities when paired with the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS). “When employed in conjunction with the NMESIS, the MADIS enables 3d MLR’s ability to conduct maritime strike by giving the Medium-range Missile Battery time to emplace, fire the NMESIS, and displace without fear of being targeted by drones and small unmanned aerial systems,” he explained.
During the IAMD event, U.S. Marines will operate the MADIS while Philippine Marines provide security and monitor the surrounding airspace. Philippine forces will also conduct a live-fire demonstration of their own counter-UAS systems to showcase both integrated and independent operational capabilities.
“The MADIS is a unique weapon system that enhances both the survivability and lethality of 3d MLR by extending the reach of the airspace over which the formation has control, and by giving tactical flexibility to the friendly elements operating within our area of operations,” Col. Lehane added. “When operating in the Philippines at the request of the Armed Forces of the Philippines during Balikatan 25, coastal defence in support of Philippine sovereignty becomes our number one priority.”
Exercise Balikatan is the largest annual bilateral military exercise between the United States and the Philippines, with 2025 marking its 40th iteration. The 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, based in Oahu, Hawaii, specialises in amphibious and littoral warfare and plays a key role in promoting regional security and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
