NORFOLK, Va. — The Navy faces a range of challenges that "hinder sailors' ability to complete maintenance work on ships," according to the Government Accountability Office.
Earlier studies have shown Navy crew sizes are "insufficient" — with ships deploying with just 84% of the desired number of sailors.
Now, a new audit shows what impact that shortage is creating.
The GAO reports that there aren't always enough sailors available.
Further, the report says, newer sailors might not be fully prepared for maintenance work, and, or may have inadequate training or preparation for their positions.
"The findings of this report are concerning," said GAO Defense Capabilities and Management team Director Diana Maurer.
In an interview with 13News Now, Maurer said actions are needed to improve sailors' maintenance of warships.
"Sailors aboard ship, they have the very critical front-line role of making sure that they're doing the necessary maintenance and repair so that small problems don't become big problems down the road. And we found a lot of concerns and a lot of challenges," she said.
The GAO visited 25 ships and interviewed 232 executive officers.
75% of XO's completing GAO's survey said it is moderately to extremely difficult for sailors to complete repairs.
"The amount of work doesn't change. You still have to maintain that ship, but you have a lot less people to do it. So that creates a significant challenge," said Maurer.
The GAO made seven recommendations for improvement, and the Navy agreed with all of them.