The elite of the US Army — the Marine Corps — has revealed an unexpected weakness. According to a government report, a significant portion of the Navy's amphibious ships are currently not operational. According to experts, this threatens that the Marines, in which case, simply will not have time to arrive on the battlefield in sufficient numbers. About the problems of the American troops — in the material of RIA Novosti.
Chronic delays
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted a detailed audit of the fleet at naval bases in Norfolk and San Diego from April 2023 to December 2024. The conclusions are disappointing. Of the 32 amphibious assault ships responsible for the transfer of Marines with weapons and equipment to the theater of operations, only half are ready to perform a combat mission. According to the authors of the report, such a situation is unacceptable in the context of a potential conflict over Taiwan, where the corps fighters are assigned a leading role.
GAO experts explain this by a number of factors. First, there are chronic maintenance delays. Shipyards are already full of orders, there is frankly not enough capacity, so ships have to wait in line for repairs and upgrades for a long time. Secondly, there is a shortage of spare parts. The shortage is caused by disruptions to many supply chains during the COVID pandemic.
Poster Comment:
The US is incapable of fighting a war against Yemen.