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US Navy Submarine Maintenance Delays Cost Billions, Reduce Readiness: GAO Report

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that US Navy attack submarines have lost approximately 15,000 mission-capable days since 2016 due to severe maintenance delays.
  • These delays, lasting up to four years for some submarines, are primarily caused by a critical shortage of dry dock facilities.
  • The extensive delays have cost the Navy an estimated $3.4 billion over the past decade and significantly reduced the fleet's readiness, impacting its ability to conduct national security missions.

The US Navy's attack submarine fleet is facing a critical readiness crisis, with extensive maintenance delays costing billions of dollars and significantly reducing operational capability, according to a recent report by the US Congress's Government Accountability Office (GAO).

The GAO report highlights that the fleet, comprising 44 Los Angeles and Virginia-class submarines, has lost an estimated 15,000 mission-capable days since 2016. These losses are attributed to severe backlogs in maintenance, with some submarines experiencing delays of up to four years. This means submarines are waiting excessively long periods for essential repairs and certifications, rendering them unable to perform their duties.

A primary driver of these delays is a "structural problem" of insufficient dry dock facilities. These specialized docks are indispensable for major submarine overhauls and maintenance. The existing infrastructure is struggling to meet the demand, a situation that is particularly concerning given the rapid expansion of China's shipbuilding capacity.

the costly and time-consuming maintenance delays have eroded the readiness of the U.S. submarine fleet since 2016.

— GAO OfficialDescribing the impact of maintenance delays on submarine readiness, as noted in the report.

The financial implications are substantial. The GAO estimates that these maintenance delays have cost the Navy and taxpayers approximately $3.4 billion over the past decade. Beyond the financial burden, the reduced number of deployable submarines directly impacts the United States' military advantage over geopolitical rivals like China, for whom attack submarines are a key strategic asset.

While the GAO notes some recent improvements, with shorter waiting times for dry dock access between 2023 and 2025, the underlying issue of dry dock scarcity persists. The report underscores the urgent need for the US government to address its shipbuilding and repair infrastructure limitations, potentially through subsidies and tax incentives, to bolster domestic capabilities and ensure the sustained readiness of its vital submarine fleet.

The backlog highlights a structural problem of long-term dry dock shortages in U.S. shipyards.

— GAO ReportIdentifying the root cause of the extended maintenance delays.
About this summary

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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