GAO finds Navy ships having more problems, less steaming time over past decade
Navy officials told GAO that supply chain shortages, worsened by COVID-19, have only made things more difficult.
By JUSTIN KATZ
on January 31, 2023 at 2:31 PM
WASHINGTON — The Navy’s inability to dig itself out of its ship maintenance issues means upkeep costs to the government have risen by $2.5 billion while ship steaming hours have decreased over the last decade, according to government auditors.
“Our analysis of key metrics shows the 10 ship classes we reviewed face persistent sustainment challenges that have worsened from fiscal year 2011 through 2021,” according to a Government Accountability Office report published today. GAO produced the report in response to “continued” congressional interest as well as specific provisions in the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act.
For the report, auditors examined the operating and support (O&S) costs from the past decade of various cruisers, carriers, destroyers, littoral combat ships and amphibious vessels. Between the 151 ships included in the report, auditors found the Pentagon spent approximately $17 billion in FY20 in O&S costs, a $2.5 billion increase from the same bills in FY11.
https://breakingdefense.com/2023/01/gao-finds-navy-ships-having-more-problems-less-steaming-time-over-past-decade/