US Navy notes improvements in submarine force maintenance and operational availability

The US Navy is making strides in maintaining its attack submarines like USS Scranton, shown here. (US Navy)

The US Navy is recouping lost submarine operational days by improving maintenance and addressing longstanding idle-time issues associated with the vessels, according to Vice Admiral Rob Gaucher, director of Submarine Programmes.

Vice Adm Gaucher's comments come in the wake of a recent US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report criticising USN efforts to maintain its attack submarines (SSNs).

“Over the last 10 years, the US Navy has lost more than 15,000 operational days due to maintenance delays and idle time on active attack submarines,” the GAO said in its report Navy Readiness Actions Needed to Address Costly Attack Submarine Maintenance Challenges , released on 27 August.

“These delays resulted in an estimated USD3.4 billion in costs to sustain crews and submarines that provided no operational capability,” the GAO reported.

“We agree with the recommendations in the GAO's recent report on submarine maintenance,” Vice Adm Gaucher told Janes on 3 September. “We've moved out on most of their recommendations the last few years and have already returned significant operational time to the fleet.”

The GAO reported, “Lost operational days include delays completing depot maintenance and active idle time. Active idle time describes a period when an attack submarine and its crew must remain pier-side because they are no longer certified to conduct normal operations and cannot be inducted into a maintenance period.”

In addition to lost operational days, the navy faces significant challenges with managing inactive idle time for attack submarines, the GAO noted, adding that inactive idle time describes when an attack submarine designated for decommissioning cannot be inducted into a dry dock in a shipyard.