Ready Reserve Force: Ship Readiness Has Improved, but Other Concerns Remain
NSIAD-95-24
Published: Nov 08, 1994. Publicly Released: Nov 22, 1994.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Ready Reserve Force (RRF) program, focusing on: (1) the readiness of RRF ships to respond to large-scale contingencies; (2) the program changes that were implemented to improve ship readiness and address problems encountered during the Persian Gulf War; (3) whether the readiness level of the highest-priority ships exceeds other strategic mobility components; and (4) the effect of further decreases in the number of available U.S. merchant mariners on RRF crew availability.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should direct the Commander in Chief, Transportation Command, to annually review RRF ship readiness requirements provided to MarAd and ensure that they are in line with current military deployment capabilities. |
Closed – Implemented
According to DOD, the RRF readiness requirements are reviewed annually by the Joint Staff (J-4) and U.S. Transportation Command, in coordination with the Maritime Administrator. RRF readiness levels were also examined as part of the mobility requirements study Bottom-Up Review update.
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| Department of Transportation | The Secretary of Transportation should direct the Maritime Administrator to annually assess whether an adequate number of experienced U.S. merchant mariners would be available to crew RRF ships within DOD specified time frames. If these assessments indicate that the number of qualified mariners may not be sufficient, the Secretary should propose a specific merchant marine crewing alternative to Congress. |
Closed – Implemented
DOT accepted the GAO recommendation to provide to the Congress an annual assessment of the availability of experienced U.S. civilian mariners, and, if the number of qualified mariners is insufficient, DOT will propose to Congress a specific crewing alternative. DOT reported that it will include the assessment in its "Annual Report of the Maritime Administration," which is submitted to Congress April 1 each year in accordance with section 208 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, as amended.
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Topics
Combat readinessDefense contingency planningEmergency preparednessLogisticsMarine transportationMerchant marineMilitary reserve personnelMilitary vesselsMobilizationStrategic forces