The U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship fleet is reportedly facing significant challenges in maintaining full operational capability, according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The report, published this Tuesday, states that nearly half of these vessels are in poor material condition, hindering the deployment of the Marine Corps (USMC) for training missions and potential real-world conflicts.
Delving into the details, the GAO revealed that 16 out of the 32 amphibious assault ships currently in the U.S. Navy’s inventory fail to meet the force’s current standards. This includes nearly all vessels of the Whidbey Island and Harpers Ferry classes, as well as a significant portion of the larger-deck Wasp-class ships.
The report, initially commissioned as part of the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, notes: “These ships are generally the oldest in the amphibious fleet. A rating of unsatisfactory means these ships are not in a condition to meet their expected service life due to the number of deferred mandatory maintenance tasks, the state of essential systems, or the extent of required structural repairs.”
One primary cause of this issue appears to be significant delays in the maintenance schedules set by the U.S. Navy for these amphibious ships, which often take a back seat compared to the rest of the surface fleet. The GAO attributes this to factors such as platform obsolescence, noting, for example, that seven out of eight Wasp-class ships still operate with steam propulsion systems instead of more modern nuclear reactors.
Quoting the report: “Marine Corps documentation indicates that, in general, amphibious warships have not adhered to the maintenance schedules planned by the Navy since 2010. Specifically, Marine Corps documentation shows that between 2010 and 2021, the Navy extended 71 percent of amphibious warship depot maintenance beyond its originally planned completion date.” In practical terms, this meant that the USMC had to redesign the deployment of its Boxer Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and the embarked 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, as all three ships in the group faced significant maintenance delays.
Another major challenge highlighted in the report lies in Congress’s decision to maintain ships in service that the Navy had intended to retire. This has led to underinvestment in older platforms over the years. For example, in 2022, the Navy sought to retire ten Harpers Ferry-class ships, but faced resistance from the USMC, which sought to maintain the minimum requirement of 31 amphibious assault ships, with policy ultimately favoring the Marine Corps’ position.
It is worth noting, however, that the U.S. Navy is in the process of acquiring and commissioning new ships from the San Antonio and America classes to bolster its amphibious combat capabilities. This was one of the arguments made by Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti in defending the fleet’s status. In line with this, the future USS Harrisburg (LPD-30) was launched in August, while HII continues work on the USS Pittsburgh (LPD-31) and USS Philadelphia (LPD-32), all of which belong to the San Antonio class Flight II variant.
Finally, looking ahead, specialized local media have reported that both the Navy and the USMC are meeting to define readiness standards that the amphibious fleet should meet to operate as required. In this context, Marine Corps Commandant Eric Smith stated: “We need to return to a three-to-one readiness ratio, where we have three ARGs fully operational. We have the Marines. We just need the ships (…) We are looking at gaps of three, four months, maybe six months in ARG presence.” In other words, the goal is to have up to 80% of the platforms operational to ensure the U.S.’s amphibious projection capability.
Images used for illustrative purposes.
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