The Department of War has recognized military maintenance excellence across all branches of service, announcing the winners of the 2025 Secretary of War Maintenance Awards on January 29, 2026. The prestigious awards, which honor outstanding achievements in weapon systems and military equipment maintenance, were presented at a ceremonial banquet held earlier this month.
Top Honors Across Categories
The highly coveted Phoenix Award, representing the pinnacle of field-level maintenance excellence, was captured by the 1st Maintenance Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group based at Camp Pendleton, California. This unit emerged as the standout performer among an impressive field of competitors whose achievements spanned the evaluation period from October 2023 through September 2024.
In the depot-level category, the F-16 Depot Maintenance Team from the 573rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Ogden Air Logistics Complex claimed the Robert T. Mason Award for Depot Maintenance Excellence, recognizing their exceptional contributions to aircraft readiness.
Software maintenance, increasingly critical in modern warfare systems, saw the United States Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center take home the Rear Admiral Grace M. Hopper Award for Software Maintenance Excellence.
Field-Level Excellence Across Unit Sizes
Who dominated the field-level categories? Several standout units demonstrated exceptional performance across different size classifications.
In the small unit category, the Navy’s Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron SEVEN and the 860th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron from Travis Air Force Base, California, both secured top honors. Medium-sized unit recognition went to the Phoenix Award winner 1st Maintenance Battalion along with the Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center serving United States 5th and 6th Fleets in Naples, Italy.
Large unit winners included the 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment at Kadena Air Base, Japan — a location that also earned separate recognition in the 2025 DoD Environmental Awards — and the 4th Maintenance Group from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina.
Supporting International Partners
The department also highlighted excellence in supporting allied military forces through the Sustainment Training, Advice, and Assistance of Foreign Military Forces Awards. The 31st Maintenance Group Country Teams from Aviano Air Base, Italy, secured both the ministerial category win and the 2025 Secretary of War Sustainment, Train, Advise, and Assist Award, according to military sources.
Meanwhile, the Ukraine Security Assistance Group J-4 staff, assigned to United States Army Europe and Africa, received the operational category award — a testament to ongoing American support for Ukraine’s defense capabilities.
Innovation Takes Center Stage
Separate from the maintenance awards but announced at the DOW Maintenance Symposium in Phoenix, Arizona, was the 2025 Maintenance Innovation Challenge. The Grey Gecko Real-Time Inspection Tool (GRIT) by Gray Gecko, LLC emerged as the overall winner with technology that detects corrosion through paint, significantly reducing equipment downtime and inspection labor requirements.
“The Overall Winner is Grey Gecko Real-Time Inspection Tool (GRIT), submitted by Gray Gecko, LLC,” the department confirmed in its announcement. The People’s Choice award went to the Advanced Manufacturing Competitive Advantage Pathfinder, developed by the US Marine Corps’ Marine Depot Maintenance Command.
These awards underscore the military’s continued emphasis on maintenance excellence as a critical component of force readiness — recognizing that even in an age of high-tech warfare, the ability to keep complex systems operational remains fundamental to America’s defense capabilities.
