America’s Amphibious Fleet Weakens

The United States Navy’s amphibious fleet is facing significant maintenance challenges that threaten its combat readiness, Asia Times reported Wednesday.

Why it matters: America’s enemies are growing more militaristic and powerful. Its weakening military is an ominous sign for Washington and its allies.

Details: The U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report this month showing that half of America’s 32 amphibious ships are in poor condition. Due to maintenance issues, many of these likely won’t last as long as they should.

• The Navy and Marine Corps are disrupting maintenance planning by struggling to agree on how many ships are available for operations and training.
• The Navy canceled maintenance work for ships set for divestment, leaving vital systems broken and worsening the amphibious fleet’s issues.

If the current plan is followed, the Navy won’t meet the statutory requirements needed for a 31-ship fleet by the 2030s. Doing so would require service life extensions that would cost about $1 billion per ship.

• The Navy is struggling to repair older models and seeing equipment failures in newer ships.
• In April, the Navy decided to decommission three ships that hadn’t completed their intended service life.

Prophesied decline: The Bible prophesies that if America refuses to turn to God, He will send curses, including military decline. The U.S. Navy’s troubles are part of the fulfillment of that prophecy.

Learn more: Read our Trends article “Why the Trumpet Watches America Has Won Its Last War.”