Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Alice Husted | Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) sits pier side in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Dec. 11, 2025. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. (U.S. Navy photo) see less
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MARMC Team Supports USS Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group in the Caribbean
NORFOLK, Va. — A Sailor and civilian team from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center (MARMC) completed a two-week assignment in the Caribbean in December 2025 to deliver repair services in support of the USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) Amphibious Ready Group, reinforcing the Navy’s ability to project maintenance capability forward in dynamic operational environments.
The assignment occurred while U.S. military forces were deployed to the Caribbean in support of Operation Southern Spear.
“When the Fleet needs us, distance and complexity are not limiting factors,” said MARMC Repair Officer, Lt. Cmdr. Brent Spicer. “Our Sailors are trained to deploy, assess and execute repairs wherever they are required.”
Sailor and civilian experts completed a series of planned repairs essential to ship safety and mission readiness aboard Iwo Jima and USS San Antonio (LPD 17). Work included repairs to a plenum bulkhead, bolted access points, and bulwark door access, as well as multiple structural repairs. The team also conducted non-destructive testing and completed associated repairs on one of the ship’s level decks, ensuring structural integrity and continued compliance with Fleet standards.
Executing these repairs required close coordination with ship’s force and the flexibility to adapt maintenance plans in a time-constrained, expeditionary setting. According to Spicer, “This success highlighted the command’s depth of technical expertise and its ability to rapidly integrate with operational units. The civilian planning portion was especially essential to the success of the assignment.”
"Our strategic advantage is our people,” said Capt. Daniel Hemminger, MARMC’s commanding officer. “They take tremendous pride in supporting readiness both at home and when our Navy needs their world-class technical talent in forward locations.”
By completing high-impact repairs on site, MARMC helped minimize operational disruptions and reduced the likelihood of more extensive maintenance actions later in the deployment. This forward maintenance capability is increasingly important as naval forces operate across broader and more dispersed maritime theaters.
The assignment underscored MARMC’s core strength: delivering responsive, expeditionary maintenance support that preserves readiness and enables operational commanders to remain focused on mission execution.
“This is a clear demonstration that MARMC can support the Fleet anywhere, under any conditions,” said Spicer. Our commitment is simple—keep ships ready, wherever they sail.”
MARMC, a field activity under Naval Sea Systems Command, provides surface ship maintenance, management and oversight of private sector maintenance and fleet technical assistance to ships in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.
