The Government Accountability Office has stated that the Defense Department must continue efforts to mitigate issues related to persistent maintenance, training and readiness of the U.S. Navy fleet.GAO said in a report published Thursday that the Navy currently faces issues related to the manning, training and maintenance of its fleet, issues that are hindering plans to grow the naval arsenal by up to 30 percent.
The government watchdog agency listed points of concern regarding the naval fleet covering the potential degrading ship readiness of vessels deployed overseas and the lack of a capacity to perform maintenance operations within a given schedule.
The report added that the Navy’s move to reduce crew sizes may also lead to safety risks and sailors being overworked.
GAO has made recommendations on the assessment of risks related to overseas basing, planning and sustained management, sailor workload and ship crew sizing strategies.
