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GAO-24-106819 1 (2023-10-11)

handle is hein.gao/gaopgv0001 and id is 1 raw text is: U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE 441 G St. N.W. Washington, DC 20548 October 11, 2023 Congressional Committees Navy Readiness: Challenges to Addressing Sailor Fatigue in the Surface Fleet Continue The Navy issued policy for managing fatigue in 2017 after it determined that fatigue was a contributing factor in the fatal ship collisions of 2017 in which 17 sailors lost their lives and the Navy incurred hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to two destroyers. Subsequently, we examined the Navy's fatigue management policy and reported in May 2021 that the Navy had: 1) inconsistently implemented its policy and 14 percent of officers were getting adequate sleep; 2) continued its practice of routinely assigning fewer crewmembers to its ships than its workload studies determined were needed to safely operate them-with 85 percent of required crewmembers assigned on average across the fleet in September 2020; 3) used inaccurate baselines for calculating future personnel needs that could perpetuate crewing shortfalls into the future; and 4) begun to implement its Ready Relevant Learning training initiative, but had not accounted for the time that sailors would be expected to spend on modernized training when it is delivered.1 We made eight recommendations (hereafter, our May 2021 recommendations) for the Navy to address our findings in these areas, and the Navy concurred with each of them. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 required the Secretary of the Navy to implement each of our recommendations. It also required the Navy to report on the status of actions taken to monitor crew fatigue and ensure equitable fatigue management throughout the surface ship fleet (hereafter, the Navy's report to Congress).2 The Navy submitted its report to Congress in March 2023 and submitted it to us in April 2023.3 The act also includes a provision for us to provide a briefing to the congressional defense committees on the extent to which the actions and goals described in the Navy's report to Congress addressed our recommendations. In this report, we describe the extent to which (1) the Navy has implemented our May 2021 recommendations.4 We also describe the extent to which the Navy's report to Congress (2) assesses the extent of crew fatigue throughout the surface fleet and (3) identifies goals for effective fatigue management and timeframes for achieving them. To address our objectives, 1GAO, Navy Readiness: Additional Efforts Are Needed to Manage Fatigue, Reduce Crewing Shortfalls, and Implement Training, GAO-21-366 (Washington, D.C.: May 27, 2021). Ready Relevant Learning is the Navy's initiative to reform training by delivering the right training, at the right time, in the right way, so that sailors are ready to operate their equipment at the end of its capability. 2Pub. L. No. 117-81, § 379 (2021). 3Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic, Report to Congress: Management of Fatigue among Crew of Naval Surface Ships and Related Improvements (Mar. 17, 2023). 4GAO-21-366. GAO-24-106819 Navy Readiness Page 1

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