Recent maritime events have raised debates about employing U.S. Navy forces without overcommitting or burning them out. Demand for naval operations is unlikely to decrease, making operational availability of already deployed ships crucial. The limited capacity of domestic shipyards has led to backlogs and cost overruns, prompting some to suggest shifts in funds from shipbuilding to modernizing U.S. shipyards. Reconstituting the Navy’s in-theater expeditionary ship repair capabilities is seen as a potential solution.
To improve the operational availability of forces, reexamining platform requirements to incorporate organic ship repair capabilities and reconsidering engineering development and systems fielding strategies are crucial. Reorganizing the maintenance community to form deployable repair detachments and appealing to Congress to amend public law to expand in-theater maintenance options are also important. Lastly, asking Congress to authorize the creation of a new four-star Navy Materiel Command to better integrate repair efforts is recommended. Revitalizing in-theater expeditionary ship repair capabilities can harness the agility, mobility and scalability of naval power. This approach could ensure that U.S. ships are able to stay on the battle line if called upon. These strategies are seen as crucial to the strength of the U.S. Navy’s fleet.
