The Marine Corps on Tuesday stood up the service’s first ever unmanned maintenance squadron in a ceremony aboard Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina.
A subordinate unit of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Unmanned Maintenance Squadron 14, or MUMS-14, is now the Corps’ only current aviation detail built specifically to bring unmanned aviation maintenance to forward deployed combat theaters, according to an announcement.
In that role, Marines will spearhead maintenance support for the service’s Group-5 unmanned aerial systems — namely, the MQ-9 Reaper — to enable multi-mission intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting across the Marine Air-Ground Task Force.
“Standing up this squadron marks a major step forward for Marine Corps aviation,” Lt. Col. Jeffrey F. Carben, commanding officer of MUMS-14, said in a service release. “Our unit ensures the Marine Corps will maintain a persistent, reliable, and expeditionary capability — one that directly strengthens deterrence and supports Marines operating forward.”
Carben assumed command of the squadron on Tuesday as part of the activation ceremony, with Sgt. Maj. Tavaris J. Douglas stepping in as the outfit’s first senior enlisted leader.
“The work done here will have global impact,” added Carben. “It takes disciplined, technically skilled Marines to keep these systems flying. Today’s activation is more than a ceremony — it’s the beginning of a new chapter of Marine Corps aviation. This squadron will help ensure Marines forward have the persistent eyes, ears and reach they need to compete and win.”
J.D. Simkins is Editor-in-Chief of Military Times and Defense News, and a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War.