US Navy Amphibious Assault: The U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault fleet is not meeting the needs of the Marine Corps, with half of the ships in poor condition and some out of service for long periods, according to a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) on December 3, 2024. These ships are important for deploying Marine Corps units, but maintenance issues and gaps in planning are affecting their readiness.
The Navy is required to maintain 31 amphibious ships, but by March 2024, half of the 32 active ships were in bad shape and unlikely to last as planned. Budget issues have led to proposals for retiring some ships early and canceling important maintenance, making it harder to keep the required number of ships in service.
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Efforts are underway between the Navy and Marine Corps to improve ship availability, but without a metrics-based analysis, aligning ship schedules with Marine Corps deployment needs remains uncertain. The GAO warns that these shortcomings could hinder long-term operational effectiveness.
US Navy cancelled planned maintenance
The U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault fleet has suffered from declining readiness due to multiple challenges, including canceled maintenance, as highlighted in a December 2024 GAO report. The report points to key factors like shortages of spare parts, unreliable ship systems, and the cancellation of scheduled maintenance as major contributors to the fleet’s poor condition and limited availability for Marine Corps operations and training.
According to Naval technology, to meet the mandated 31-ship amphibious fleet requirement, the U.S. Navy is exploring extending the service life of several vessels. However, the GAO report warns that such extensions could cost up to $1 billion per ship, with six vessels requiring these costly upgrades over the next 30 years. This comes amidst rising ship construction expenses and a growing maintenance backlog, further straining the Navy’s resources.
Proposed solutions include implementing a metrics-based approach to establish clear amphibious ship availability goals and revising Navy policies to prevent the cancellation of maintenance for retiring ships without first completing the waiver process. This adjustment aims to ensure that vessels meet their expected service lives before being divested.
America-class, Wasp-class, and San Antonio-class vessels
The U.S. Navy’s amphibious ships are powerful tools for missions at sea, but they face some problems that make them less effective. These ships include the America-class, Wasp-class, and San Antonio-class vessels.
The America-class ships are newer, with plans to build 11 in total. Right now, two are in service, USS America and USS Tripoli. These ships don’t have a well deck, a feature that helps launch smaller boats and vehicles. However, two newer ships being built, USS Bougainville and USS Fallujah, will have this feature.
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The Wasp-class ships have been around longer, with eight built in total. Sadly, one of them, USS Bonhomme Richard, was damaged in a fire and scrapped in 2021, leaving seven Wasp-class ships in use. These ships are important for carrying helicopters and smaller landing boats.
The San Antonio-class ships are made to carry troops and equipment directly to shore. Thirteen of these ships are in service, and more are being built to support missions.
Even though these ships are very useful, many are old and need repairs. Building and fixing these ships also costs a lot of money. The Navy will need better planning and maintenance to keep the fleet ready for missions.
