The U.S. Navy is struggling to sustain its combat surface ships despite receiving $1 billion more from its original budget proposals for maintenance, according to a new Government Accountability Office report.

Published on Friday, the GAO review said the Navy faced several ship maintenance issues, such as limited spare parts and a shortage of qualified personnel. The problems were observed notwithstanding the $24.9 billion allocated for the service’s maintenance expenses during fiscal years 2020 through 2023.

Persistent Ship Sustainment Challenges

The study focused on 149 non-nuclear surface vessels that the Navy operates as of 2024, including destroyers, cruisers and amphibious assault ships. GAO said the warships encountered “persistent sustainment challenges” during the covered period.

Notably, the problems plagued the Navy even as it reported obligating over 99 percent of the $25.9 billion it secured for ship sustainment activities at the end of the fiscal year 2023. The accountability office pointed out there were instances when the Navy was forced to postpone maintenance.

GAO Recommendations

To address the issues, GAO submitted 46 suggestions to the Navy, including documenting the factors when determining whether enlisted crewing target levels should be adjusted and reporting on the annual evaluation of operational, technical and economic risks associated with deferred ship maintenance. To date, the military branch is making progress toward implementing 12 of the GAO recommendations.

The U.S. Air Force’s United Operational Test Team has released for the first time a GBU-54 Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition, or LJDAM, from an F-35 aircraft.

The team carried out the weapon delivery event, or WDE, using an F-35C from the Navy’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 9 Detachment at Edwards Air Force Base in California, the USAF said Thursday. The successful test advances ongoing efforts to fully integrate the LJDAM on all F-35 versions.

Enhancing F-35’s Air-to-Surface Strike Capability

Commenting on the milestone, Cmdr. Michael Procelli, an F-35 pilot, noted that the ability to carry LJDAMs externally will boost the combat plane’s air-to-surface strike capability.

“This WDE expands the Joint Strike Fighter’s flexibility when countering asymmetrical threats with more kinetic options,” he explained.

The GBU-54 precision-guided bomb uses laser energy to accurately strike static and moving surface targets. The Pentagon expects the LJDAM to be a lethal addition to the F-35’s air-to-surface munitions catalog once it becomes fully operational.

Improved Situational Awareness

During the demo, the team subjected the Stores Management System, which manages weapons loading on the F-35, to check how it handles rapid multiple weapons releases. When the bombs were released, they were guided to the target by the onboard laser inside the aircraft’s Electro-Optical Targeting System, or EOTS.

According to USAF, the combination of modern infrared, infrared search and track, and a combat laser delivered improved situational awareness. The test also showcased the F-35’s ability to accurately engage targets in a dynamic environment and highlighted the EOTS’ advanced capabilities.