Executive Officer

Lieutenant Commander Jose A. Garcia, MSC, USN
Acting Executive Officer
U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit SOUTH
Callao, Peru

Lieutenant Commander Jose A. Garcia is a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico. He graduated from Inter American University of Puerto Rico with a B.S. in Industrial Chemistry in 2006, and in 2010 earned Doctorates in Molecular Biology and Philosophy from the University of Texas. In 2013, he completed post-doctoral training at Scripps Research Institute in San Diego.

Garcia received his naval commission in 2013 as a Microbiologist in the Medical Service Corps. His initial assignment was at the Naval Medical Research Command in Silver Spring, MD, where he served as the Deputy Department Head of Laboratory Operations and BSL-3 Laboratory Coordinator. In this role, he conducted surveillance and research on multiple viral pathogens, including Dengue, Zika, Chikungunya, Influenza, and MERS-CoV.

During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, Garcia was deployed as part of Operation United Assistance to Monrovia, Liberia, with the Navy's rapid response laboratory unit. He played a critical role in diagnosing Ebola cases using real-time PCR testing, significantly reducing diagnostic time from seven days to just four hours.

Following this deployment, Garcia was assigned to Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU)-3 (Now NAMRU EURAFCENT) in Cairo, Egypt, where he led the Viral and Zoonotic Diseases Research Program as its Department Head. He later served as the Head of the Viral and Rickettsial Diseases Division at NAMRU-2 (now NAMRU INDO PACIFIC), Cambodia Detachment, overseeing operations at two laboratory facilities within the country. Garcia subsequently served as the Officer in Charge of the Forward Deployable Preventive Medicine Unit at the Navy Environmental Preventive Medicine Unit Six (NEPMU-6). Here, he ensured the operational readiness of a 13-member team capable of deploying worldwide within 48 hours. During this assignment, he was deployed aboard the USNS MERCY for Pacific Partnership 2022 as the ship’s microbiologist.
 
Lieutenant Commander Garcia served as the Director of NAMRU INDO PACIFIC’s Hanoi, Vietnam location. In this role, he oversaw all command research activities in-country, contributing to the Navy’s global health mission.
 
In September 2025 Garcia was assigned to NAMRU SOUTH in Lima, Peru to serve as the Science Director and as of November 2025, serves as the command’s Acting Executive Officer.

Garcia’s personal military awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (5), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (2 awards), a Meritorious Unit Commendation, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal, the Armed Forces Service Medal, the Sea Service Ribbon, Humanitarian Service Medal (2 awards), Operation Inherent Resolve Medal, and Overseas Ribbon (5).