Military Readiness

Nearly 2 decades of conflict has degraded U.S. military readiness. To adapt to growing threats posed by major powers (such as China and Russia) and other adversaries, the Department of Defense (DOD) and the individual military services must make some urgent changes. 

• Deterrence cost estimates. The war in Ukraine has emphasized the importance of deterring Russian aggression in Europe through the presence of U.S. forces. Since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, DOD has expanded its presence in Eastern Europe. However, it hasn't developed cost estimates for continuing that presence in the long term. Doing so could help DOD better plan and Congress oversee future costs.  
• Ship maintenance. Navy sailors maintain the ships that are needed to keep the U.S. safe and the seas open for world commerce. But the Navy faces a range of challenges that hinder sailors' ability to complete maintenance work. These include an insufficient number of sailors, a lack of hand-on training, and old software to manage maintenance logistics.
• F-35s. F-35 aircraft comprise a growing portion of DOD's aviation fleet. DOD currently has 660 F-35s, and plans to procure about 2,500 in total. DOD's projected costs to sustain the F-35 fleet keep increasing —from $1.1 trillion in 2018 to $1.58 trillion in 2023. The F-35's ability to perform its mission has also trended downward between FY 2019 and FY 2023. DOD faces costly maintenance issues for the F-35, such as delays setting up military service depots—facilities to complete the most complex repairs—and inadequate equipment to keep aircraft operational. DOD intends to transition more maintenance responsibilities from contractors to the government, but it doesn't have a plan to achieve this goal.
• Sustainment Reviews. Despite spending billions of dollars annually, the Air Force and Navy have struggled for years to maintain their aircraft due to the age of their fleets, a lack of parts, maintenance delays, and other problems. Of particular concern is that neither service has completed required "sustainment reviews"—a critical tool to assess performance and help increase readiness throughout an aircraft's life cycle.  
• Mission-capable goals. A review of whether 15 U.S. fighter and ground airplanes met their annual mission capable goals for FYs 2018-2023 found that only none met their goals in 2023. Only two—the F-15C and the F-16C—met their annual goals in at least half of the years.   
• Army modernization. The Army has been trying to develop weapons and equipment and put them into use faster. Since FY 2021, the Army has used new approaches to rapidly develop multiple types of modernized equipment. It has fielded 6 new equipment priorities, including upgraded air and missile defenses. It has invested $46.5 billion in these efforts. But sometimes, the Army has put new equipment into the field before plans for the facilities, personnel, and training were ready. 
• Littoral Combat Ships. The Navy is planning for a total of 35 Littoral Combat Ships, which are designed to operate in shallow waters close to shore. But the Navy hasn't demonstrated that this type of ship can perform its intended missions. For example, operational testing found challenges in the ship's defenses. Also, some key equipment has failed, and the Navy is behind schedule in developing capabilities like mine countermeasures. The Navy doesn't have a comprehensive plan to resolve these issues.

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• Service member fatigue. For over a decade, DOD surveys have found that the majority of service members report sleeping less than 6 hours a night—despite DOD recommending 7 or more. The Navy issued a policy in 2017 for managing sailor fatigue after finding that it was a contributing factor in fatal ship collisions. But the Navy has inconsistently implemented that policy and the Navy has work to do to address issues we identified. For example, many ships are understaffed—and heavy workloads are a contributing factor to fatigue. In addition, DOD needs to identify an office or individual to oversee fatigue-related guidance and to assign leadership to oversee service-level efforts.
• Vehicle accidents. The Army and Marine Corps reported 3,753 non-combat tactical vehicle (e.g., tanks, trucks) accidents from FY 2010-2019, which resulted in 123 servicemember deaths. Driver inattention, supervision lapses, and training shortfalls were common causes. The Army and Marine Corps have practices to mitigate and prevent tactical vehicle accidents, but units don't always use them. DOD improved driver training, but advanced training experience—e.g., driving in varied conditions—differed across units, leading to uneven driver skills.

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• Repair depots. DOD maintains, overhauls, and repairs weapons systems and equipment in its depots. However, the poor condition of these facilities reduced their performance, increased costs, and impeded military readiness. Depot infrastructure generally remains in fair to poor condition, and most depot equipment is past its service life. The military services have put $20 billion into the depots since 2007. However, they don't report what's needed to prevent more deterioration.  
• Navy shipyards. The condition of the Navy’s 4 public shipyards has a direct impact on the readiness of the aircraft carrier and submarine fleets they maintain. The Navy began a 20-year, $21 billion effort to modernize them in 2018. . In 2022, the Navy completed its first plan for Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. The Navy's estimated cost for Pearl Harbor increased significantly—from an estimated $6.1 billion in 2018 to $16 billion in 2022. The Navy faces challenges developing a reliable cost and schedule estimate for the overall effort, including project uncertainty, volatile commodity prices, and a lack of expertise completing dry dock projects.