A New Era of Naval Warfare: Marines Sink Warship from Shore in Landmark Over-the-Horizon Test

In a groundbreaking demonstration of modern military might and strategic foresight, the United States Navy and Marine Corps have successfully executed a pivotal over-the-horizon targeting exercise, sinking a decommissioned guided-missile frigate with a missile launched from a ground-based unit. This monumental achievement, conducted during Project Convergence 2022, signals a dramatic shift in naval warfare doctrine and underscores the evolving capabilities of America's joint forces.

The target, the USS Ingraham (FFG-61), a venerable Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, met its end not at the hands of another warship or aircraft, but from a Naval Strike Missile (NSM) fired by a US Marine Corps ground unit.

The precision strike, delivered from beyond the visual horizon, showcased an unprecedented level of integration between naval and ground forces, proving that distributed lethality is not just a concept, but a formidable reality.

This isn't merely a test of a new weapon; it's a validation of the Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) concept.

EABO envisions small, mobile, and resilient Marine units operating from strategically dispersed locations, potentially on islands or coastal areas, to deny an adversary control of key maritime chokepoints. By providing ground-based anti-ship capabilities, these units transform from purely land-focused forces into critical components of a distributed maritime operations strategy.

The Naval Strike Missile, developed by Kongsberg and Raytheon Technologies, is central to this new paradigm.

Known for its advanced stealth features, sea-skimming flight profile, and highly accurate seeker, the NSM is designed to penetrate sophisticated air defenses and deliver a decisive blow. Its successful deployment from a ground launcher by the Marine Corps, specifically by the 1st Marine Littoral Regiment as part of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin, demonstrates a robust anti-ship capability that can be brought to bear from unexpected locations, complicating an adversary's defensive calculus.

Project Convergence, the overarching joint military experiment, serves as a crucible for testing and refining these cutting-edge capabilities.

It aims to accelerate the development and integration of advanced technologies and concepts across all branches of the US military, ensuring they can operate seamlessly in contested environments. This particular test highlighted the critical role of advanced sensor networks and battle management systems that enable targets to be identified and tracked from vast distances, then passed to the appropriate firing unit – irrespective of whether it's on land, sea, or air.

The implications of this exercise are particularly profound for potential conflicts in the Indo-Pacific region.

Facing highly capable near-peer adversaries, the ability to deploy long-range precision fires from numerous, difficult-to-target positions drastically enhances deterrence and combat effectiveness. It provides commanders with far greater flexibility and options, making it exponentially harder for an opponent to predict and counter the threat.

Ultimately, the sinking of the USS Ingraham by a Marine ground unit marks a significant milestone in modern warfare.

It reaffirms the US military's commitment to innovation and adaptation, signaling a future where naval power projection is no longer solely the domain of ships and aircraft. Instead, it embraces a truly integrated, multi-domain approach where land-based forces play a crucial, lethal role in shaping the maritime battlespace.