Navy anticipates completion of East Coast mission module center

Photo By Nichole Susanka | Scheduled for completion in March 2018, the newest Mission Module Readiness Center in Mayport, Fla., will serve as the East Coast hub for Littoral Combat Ship mission package sustainment efforts. (U.S. Navy photo by Laura Lazaro/Released)  

PORT HUENEME, CA, UNITED STATES

11.30.2017

Story by Nichole Susanka 

Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division

Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division (NSWC PHD) employees stationed in Mayport, Fla., are eagerly awaiting completion of one of the Navy’s latest facilities—the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Mission Module Readiness Center (MMRC).

Set to finish construction early March 2018, the 44,200 square-foot facility will become the nation’s East Coast hub for mission module maintenance and sustainment in support of LCS. Similar to the Mission Package Support Facility (MPSF) located in Port Hueneme, Calif., the building will serve as the center for testing, configuring, and maintaining mission modules. The MMRC will also prepare for and conduct embarkation and debarkation of mission packages.

“Being at an LCS homeport location, we support many different aspects of the LCS Mission Module Sustainment Program,” said Laura Lazaro, Mayport MMRC site lead. “This building will be considered a detachment of the MPSF. It is larger than most MMRCs due to its East Coast hub status.”

The LCS program is a team function supported by several Navy organizations, including Program Executive Office LCS (PMS 505) who serves as the program manager for mission module sustainment efforts. LCS Squadron Two provides operational tasking to MMRC Mayport, and NSWC PHD’s expected team of 18 to 20 people provides government oversight, leadership, engineering, and product support for the maintenance and sustainment work conducted by Northrop Grumman, the program’s support contractor.

Organizationally, the command’s MMRC support staff resides under the Littoral and Strike Warfare Department. Their efforts augment the NSWC PHD’s overall support of the LCS program, which includes engineering and technical services for the test and evaluation, systems engineering and analysis, integrated product support, post-delivery support, and lifecycle sustainment of assigned combat and weapons systems.

The new building is one of several currently under construction throughout the world to support LCS mission package sustainment, including one in Singapore and another in Bahrain. All three will join the ranks of the first MMRC built in San Diego, Calif. With the onslaught of LCSs being delivered to the fleet, program activity is at an all-time high, requiring necessary infrastructure to be built and in place as the family of ships prepare for deployments.

Currently, the Mayport team is working in a temporary facility where they are able to work on one mission package at a time. According to Lazaro, the space is somewhat small, but is serving its purpose in support of the initial stages of the Mayport LCS program.

“We knew we needed the capability of a temporary MMRC with the LCS-5 and LCS-7 coming to the East Coast,” she said. “We are making do with the current facility, but the new one will meet our requirements. We are looking forward to its completion.”

• Date Taken: 11.30.2017
• Date Posted: 11.30.2017 19:25
• Story ID: 257008
• Location: PORT HUENEME, CA, US