U.S. Marines with 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division, deployed to the Philippines in support of Exercise Balikatan 25, scheduled for April 21 to May 9, 2025. During this year’s iteration of the Integrated Air and Missile Defense event (IAMD), one of the 6 Combined Joint All-Domain Operations events scheduled during Balikatan 25, U.S. Marines with 3d Littoral Anti-Air Battalion’s Ground-Based Air Defense Battery (GBAD) will conduct live-fire training with the newly fielded Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS).
During Balikatan 25, U.S. and Philippine Marines will work “shoulder-to-shoulder” to enhance tactics, techniques, and procedures that support the Philippine Marine Corps’ coastal defense strategy. By employing the MADIS – a ground-based air defense system – during the IAMD event, the GBAD battery will demonstrate the ability of 3d LAAB to find, fix, track, target, engage, and assess aerial targets while partnering with the PMC.
“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 defense concept. 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,” said Lt. Col. Matthew E. Sladek, Commanding Officer, 3d Littoral Anti-Air Battalion.
The MADIS is one of 3d MLR’s newest pieces of equipment, having been fielded December of 2024. In January, 3d LAAB brought the ground-based air defense system to Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island of Hawaii for its first live-fire demonstration since fielding.
“The MADIS delivers critical defense-oriented capabilities to 3d MLR and its subordinate battalions,” said Col. John G. Lehane, Commanding Officer, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment. “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. But when employed in conjunction with the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (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.”
The second MADIS live-fire – scheduled for the Balikatan 25 IAMD event – highlights how quickly 3d MLR is maximizing the value of its dedicated defense-oriented weapon system and strengthening its operational effectiveness. During the IAMD event, U.S. Marines with GBAD battery operate alongside Philippine Marines and Soldiers in a demonstration of territorial and coastal defense. As U.S. Marines operate the MADIS weapon-system, Philippine Marines will set security and maintain a clear site picture of the surrounding airspace. Philippine Marines and Soldiers will also conduct a live-fire demonstration of their own counter-UAS weapon systems, showcasing the ability to both integrate with their U.S. Allies, and operate independently. Together, the combined team will demonstrate peace through strength by finding, fixing, tracking, targeting, engaging, and assessing any aerial targets operating within the airspace, leading to the overall defense of the area.
“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,” continued Col. Lehane. “When operating in the Philippines at the request of the Armed Forces of the Philippines during Balikatan 25, coastal defense in support of Philippine sovereignty becomes our number one priority.”
Exercise Balikatan 25 marks the first year that the MADIS has been deployed outside of the United States with a U.S. Marine Corps unit. Exercise Balikatan is the largest annual bilateral exercise conducted between the Philippines and the United States. This year marks the 40th iteration of the exercise.
3d Marine Littoral Regiment is a dedicated U.S. Marine Corps unit specializing in amphibious and littoral warfare operations. Stationed on Oahu, Hawaii, and deployed throughout the Indo-Pacific region, 3d MLR is committed to promoting regional security and stability through strategic partnerships and collaborative efforts with Allies and partner nations.
