US Navy amphibious ship practices wartime repairs in Philippines

April 7, 2026, by Fatima Bahtić

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

The exercise involved expeditionary repair availability, a battle damage assessment and repair table-top exercise, and continuous maintenance activities.

SWARMEX allowed Ashland’s crew and embarked Marines from I Marine Expeditionary Force to practice maintaining the ship’s readiness while forward deployed. The exercise was conducted alongside Philippine counterparts to enhance interoperability and support routine operations in the US 7th Fleet.

Task Force Ashland (TF Ashland), consisting of USS Ashland and its embarked Marines, can operate independently or integrate with other naval forces as part of Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO). The commanders have flexible options for maintaining presence and supporting partner capacity.

USS Ashland was commissioned into naval service in  May 1992 in New Orleans. Since commissioning, Ashland has operated as part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, participating in multinational exercises, routine patrols and forward‑deployed operations