Lieutenant Colonel Brett Berkman is a native of Watertown, New York. He was commissioned in 2008 as a Second Lieutenant following completion of the Platoon Leaders Class and graduation from Boston University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.
Second Lieutenant Berkman completed The Basic School in May 2009 and reported to Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 2 (MWHS-2), 2d Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. He completed the Ground Supply Officer Course in December 2010 and assumed the responsibilities of Squadron Supply Officer. In December 2011, First Lieutenant Berkman was selected to deploy as an individual augment with Marine Corps Forces Central Command Coordination Element – Afghanistan (MCE-A) in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. While deployed, he initiated MCE-A retrograde operations while serving as the MCE-A Officer-in-Charge at Bagram Airbase. In July 2012, First Lieutenant Berkman redeployed to MWHS-2 and assumed the duties of Squadron S-4 Officer.
In August 2013, Captain Berkman reported to the Inspector-Instructor Staff, 1st Battalion, 23d Marines in Houston, Texas. While serving as the S-4 Inspector-Instructor, he managed logistical requirements to support the training of over 900 Marines across five geographic locations in Texas and Louisiana. In 2014, he represented the battalion as the lead logistics planner for Partnership of the Americas, a combined joint exercise in Santiago, Chile. He also served as the Assistant Inspector-Instructor and Site Commander, Houston.
Captain Berkman reported to 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California, in August 2016 to serve as the Regimental Supply Officer. During this tour, he supported multiple deployments of subordinate battalions to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin, and Southwest Border Support. He also served as the Regimental S-4 Officer as the regimental staff supported multiple Global Force Management requirements.
In June 2019, Major Berkman assumed the role of Accountable Property Officer for the newly established 2d Force Storage Battalion, Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Georgia, where he managed the Marine Corps’ largest balance of ground equipment, totaling over $4 billion in assets. Upon establishing a sustainable accountability framework, he assumed duties as Operations Officer in September 2021. In that role, he led the execution of multiple Presidential Drawdown Memorandums for foreign assistance.
Major Berkman reported to 2d Supply Battalion, 2d Marine Logistics Group, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, in July 2022 and assumed command of Headquarters and Services Company. As the battalion’s Force Design planner, he developed significant refinements to the proposed Logistics Combat Element structure, which he presented to the Enterprise Logistics Integrated Planning Team II. His contributions influenced the formation of the Combat Readiness Regiment, retention of Maintenance Battalions, and establishment of Headquarters and Services Battalions. Upon selection to Lieutenant Colonel, he served as the Operations Officer and later as the Executive Officer, executing the re-designation of 2d Supply Battalion to 2d Combat Readiness Regiment.
Lieutenant Colonel Berkman assumed command of 2d Force Storage Battalion, Marine Force Storage Command, in May 2025.