The Army’s watercraft fleet has steadily declined, and its ability to achieve readiness is limited, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report.

Between 2020 and 2024, the fully mission capable rate for Army watercraft slid from 75% to 40%, hindering the fleet’s ability to meet mission requirements and operational readiness, availability of vessels and the ability to conduct training for watercraft soldiers, the GAO report found.

The Army has struggled to address a series of longstanding watercraft maintenance issues, the report states, noting that “using handwritten systems to manage maintenance has adversely affected the fleet’s readiness.”

One vessel, for example, had been out of service for five years as of May 2024 due to several factors that contributed to significant delays, including maintenance, the report states.

With demand on the rise for the special capabilities of Army watercraft, especially in the Indo-Pacific, the state of the watercraft fleet came under review by the GAO under a provision in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.

Army watercraft move supplies, equipment and personnel in deep ocean water, but their unique capability lies in some of the vessels’ ability to maneuver in shallow coastal waters, inland waterways and rivers.

The GAO report found that while demand is increasing, the Army watercraft fleet has shrunk by about half since 2018 and the remaining vessels have not been maintained as they should be to achieve readiness.

While the Army is in the process of drafting a watercraft modernization strategy for 2030 and 2040 and working on building new watercraft, the report states, it “remains unclear whether it will include mitigation plans to address current challenges, risks and gaps affecting the watercraft fleet.”

In 2024, an Army Watercraft Enterprise Executive Board was established, and steps have been taken to provide oversight and coordination of Army-wide watercraft activities. “By developing and issuing a governance framework that reflects all leading practices of effective governance, the Army will be better positioned to develop integrated strategies to respond to persistent maintenance challenges,” the report states.

Among four recommendations outlined in the GAO report are a call to develop a mitigation plan to meet current and near-term requirements and to ensure that the watercraft board develops a framework that reflects leading practices for effective governance.

Read the full report here.