The Government Accountability Office has called on the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps to formulate a strategy for both service branches to prioritize amphibious operations training resources and interpret common outcomes for naval integration efforts.GAO said in a report published Tuesday it also recommended that Marine Corps produce guidance materials for the development and usage of virtual training assets.
The government audit agency found that select Marine Corps personnel had limited capacities to perform training missions for amphibious operations and other related priorities.
The decline in the number of active Navy amphibious ships also affected the Marine Corps’ training capacities for priority areas such as recurring training for home-station units, GAO noted.
Both service branches have begun to mitigate challenges related to amphibious training through the identification of units that need to be trained, the congressional watchdog reported.
GAO also urged the two services to increase coordination and implement collaborative practices to aid the naval integration of amphibious operations.
