The Terrible State of the U.S. Navy

Between 40 and 50 percent of American naval vessels cannot take part in combat missions as the equipment necessary to carry them out does not work.

Vice Admiral Bill Burke and Vice Admiral Kevin McCoy, the commander of Naval Sea Systems Command, recently testified before the House Armed Services Committee on the sad state of the U.S. Navy.

The vice admirals admitted that as a result of budget cuts between 1990 and 2000, the American navy has found itself in dire straits. In 2009, 12 percent of ships had reduced capabilities. The next year, that percentage went up to 24 percent. Currently, roughly halfway into the next year, this number is 22 percent. The vice admirals admitted that though they are trying to calculate the number of ships with reduced capabilities, compiling the statistics is incredibly complicated.

This is not the end to the problems for the U.S. Navy. The office of Representative Randy Forbes of Virginia published a report stating that about 40 to 50 percent of all naval vessels are unfit for combat due to partial or total failure of necessary systems. These systems include anti-aircraft defense, propulsion, radar and satellite communications.

As if to confirm those findings, Burke and McCoy mentioned the story of the USS Chosin. The ship went into dry dock in Hawaii, where it was refurbished at a cost of $35 million. However, when it was inspected, it became apparent that the Chosin had leaky fuel tanks and rusted pipes, and many other elements of the ship simply had to replaced. After the inspection, further renovations were done, bringing up the final cost to $70 million. Burke and McCoy admitted that there are several other ships in need of extensive refitting and that many repairs have been temporary and insufficient. Burke, who served on submarines, gave another example of the sad state of the Navy. He revealed that the military leadership has pressured him to field 16 to 18 nuclear submarines at any given point, but there are only 10 in working condition.

The vice admirals also admitted that while there is a plan in place to modernize the Navy, the situation will only get worse before it gets better. Putting the plan into action will require time and money.