USS Ashland Completes Ship Wartime Repair and Maintenance Exercise

The Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) completed a ship wartime repair and maintenance exercise, known as SWARMEX, on April 5, 2026. The exercise took place in Cebu, Philippines, as part of a scheduled port visit.

SWARMEX is designed to rehearse the coordination and execution of ship damage repair from forward locations within the Indo-Pacific region. The exercise focuses on strengthening ties with the skilled workforce available within allied and partner countries to ensure operational readiness away from homeports.

The maintenance exercise involved collaboration between U.S. Navy personnel and Philippine allies, including Philippine Navy contractors. These partnerships are utilized to conduct complex repairs while maintaining the ship’s ability to respond to contingencies in the region.

This exercise allowed us to work shoulder-to-shoulder with our Philippine allies to conduct complex repairs while keeping USS Ashland ready to respond to any contingency in the region

Cmdr. Adam Peeples, commanding officer of USS Ashland

Operational Integration and Coordination

The activities in Cebu included high-level coordination between naval leadership. On March 25, 2026, Cmdr. Adam Peeples met with Philippine Navy Rear Adm. Juario C. Marayag, the Commander of the Naval Sea Systems Command, to discuss well deck operations during a visit to the ship.

These exercises are conducted routinely to maintain proficiency and readiness. The completion of the SWARMEX in the Philippines follows a similar iteration involving the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney (DDG 91), which took place in Singapore in February 2026.

The sequence of these exercises demonstrates the U.S. Navy’s capacity to execute necessary maintenance and repairs while forward deployed, reducing reliance on homeport facilities for critical wartime repair simulations.