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U.S. Marines Test Next-Generation Drone Defense Concepts Aboard Pacific Amphibious Warship.
U.S. Marines aboard USS Boxer rehearsed counter-drone operations in a simulated contested strait using the L MADIS system, according to DVIDS reporting. The drill highlights how quickly emerging UAS threats are reshaping amphibious warfare and real-time naval defense planning.
On December 7, 2025, U.S. Marines embarked on the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) and rehearsed the defense of a contested strait in the Pacific Ocean, using the Light Marine Air Defense Integrated System (L-MADIS) to search for nearby unmanned aerial system threats, as reported by DVIDS. Against the backdrop of rapid drone proliferation in recent conflicts, the exercise placed counter-UAS tactics at the center of the scenario. The training aimed to test how quickly the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group can detect, track and neutralize hostile drones while maintaining the tempo of amphibious operations. For both Marines and Sailors, it underscored that small, inexpensive aircraft can now shape naval engagements as much as traditional missiles or manned platforms.
During the drill, U.S. Marines employed the L-MADIS electronic warfare suite alongside Stinger missile teams, creating a layered air defense posture tailored for detecting and disrupting hostile drones in tight maritime terrain (Picture Source: DVIDS)
During the simulated transit, Marines from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 163 (Reinforced) operated L-MADIS on the Boxer’s flight deck while low altitude air defense gunners scanned the sky with shoulder-launched FIM-92 Stinger missiles. The pairing created a layered defense, with L-MADIS providing early detection and electronic disruption of suspicious aircraft and the Stinger offering a kinetic option if a drone closed within engagement range. The system, developed under the Marine Corps Ground-Based Air Defense program, combines sensors, electro-optical cameras and radio-frequency detection with jamming equipment mounted on a highly mobile all-terrain vehicle, enabling it to locate and interfere with the control links of hostile drones before they can threaten the force. By integrating man-portable missiles into the same defensive bubble, the unit rehearsed how to transition from soft-kill to hard-kill measures within seconds if necessary.
Although compact, the L-MADIS system embodies the Marine Corps’ broader evolution in air-defense doctrine, one focused on expeditionary, networked capabilities that can maneuver alongside distributed forces both at sea and ashore. Its architecture seamlessly integrates with the Marine Air-Ground Task Force’s command-and-control networks, enabling the rapid exchange of targeting data and threat alerts across the formation. When deployed aboard amphibious ships such as the Boxer, L-MADIS provides an adaptive counter-UAS layer that complements the vessel’s existing sensors and weapon systems. This added capability strengthens protection of vital spaces, including the flight deck, well deck, and command centers, against low-altitude threats that could evade conventional air-defense radars. In constrained littoral environments and congested airspace, the system’s combination of mobility, electronic warfare, and close-range defense gives commanders greater tactical flexibility than reliance on shipboard missile systems alone.
For the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, the simulated strait transit served as a critical rehearsal in Navy–Marine Corps integration under operationally realistic conditions. Conducted within the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations, the exercise formed part of a broader training sequence designed to prepare the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and its embarked Marines for deployment. The units practiced synchronizing aviation assets, surface escorts, amphibious platforms, and ground-based air-defense elements into a cohesive force. The scenario required watchstanders and air-defense teams to manage the movement of a high-value ship through a restricted maritime corridor while actively countering potential drone threats, coordinating responses across dispersed command posts, and sustaining helicopter and tiltrotor flight operations. Such environments reflect the increasingly complex operational landscapes where unmanned aircraft are most likely to be used for reconnaissance, disruption, or targeting against Western naval forces.
The strategic relevance of such training is clear when viewed against recent operational history. In 2019, a Marine-operated L-MADIS embarked on USS Boxer was credited by U.S. officials with electronically downing an Iranian drone that closed to within a threatening distance in the Strait of Hormuz, demonstrating that a vehicle-mounted jammer could defeat a hostile unmanned aircraft without expending an expensive missile. Since then, conflicts from the Middle East to Eastern Europe have shown how commercial and military drones can be used for reconnaissance, precision strikes and psychological pressure, often at minimal cost to the attacker. Exercises like the December 7 transit indicate that the U.S. Marine Corps is institutionalizing the lessons of those encounters by treating counter-UAS as a routine element of naval operations rather than an exceptional contingency.
By placing L-MADIS and Stinger teams at the center of a demanding strait transit scenario, the 11th MEU and the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group made clear that unmanned aircraft are now a primary operational concern. The sight of Marines scanning the horizon from the flight deck, with sensors and jammers active as aircraft move on and off the ship, reflects a broader shift across U.S. expeditionary forces toward operating in an environment where every action may be watched or targeted by a drone. As integrated training continues in the Pacific, the blend of mobile electronic warfare, man portable air defense and close coordination with the Navy is poised to influence how future amphibious task forces safeguard themselves in contested littorals and narrow sea corridors worldwide.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.