Attrition: USN Personnel Shortage
January 20, 2024: The US Navy, like most other navies, is suffering from a shortage of new personnel, causing a problem with providing ships with enough sailors. It is increasingly common for warships to be stuck in port because there is no crew available. This is an international problem; more navies are finding that without conscription it’s difficult to obtain enough men willing to spend weeks or months at sea. After the Cold War ended in 1991, a growing number of nations dropped conscription. Serving on warships became a less acceptable activity for young men. Even fewer women were willing to serve on a ship.
https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htatrit/articles/20240120.aspxBy 2024 the American navy was unable to supply personnel for 22,000 entry level jobs, known as billets in the navy, on sea going ships. Currently the navy has 145,000 billets in sea going ships, which means a 16 percent shortage navy wide. The navy is also under political pressure to keep as many ships at sea as possible, which requires that ships with crew shortages go out, and that means necessary maintenance is not carried out on those vessels.
The U.S. Navy has had problems with growing personnel shortages since the 1990s. The end of the Cold War and a booming economy made it harder to recruit. Moreover, an increasing percentage of sailors were married, and frequent 3-6 month tours at sea have induced many married sailors to leave the navy in order to spend more time with their families.
