‘Pattern of unpreparedness’: Failure of third Wasp-class warship signals questionable readiness, analysts say

The USS Iwo Jima, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, conducts routine operations in the Atlantic Ocean in 2021. Wasp-class ships have broken down three times this year — a pattern that some defense analysts said sends a message to other countries that the U.S. is unprepared to respond to conflict. (Brenton Poyser/U.S. Navy)

WASHINGTON — One of the Navy’s amphibious warfare ships, the Wasp class, has broken down for the third time this year, a pattern some defense analysts say is a sign of the Navy’s unpreparedness for combat, rather than a powerful fleet poised to strike.

“As these cases continue to pile up, that’s certainly a sign of unpreparedness. Any potential adversary could factor that into their decision-making,” said Dan Grazier, a senior fellow in the National Security Reform Program at the Stimson Center, a Washington think tank.

Naval Surface Forces Atlantic confirmed last week that the USS Iwo Jima suffered a mechanical problem Sept. 5 while training off the coast of Virginia. The Wasp-class amphibious ship was observed by Aviation and Naval Assets, a ship spotter based in Hampton Roads, Virginia, as it limped back to Naval Station Norfolk. Three tugs met the Wasp-class ship offshore, and a fourth joined the group farther inland, the ship spotter said.

“The ship returned under its own power to Naval Station Norfolk to make repairs and is currently underway again to continue basic training,” Lt. Cmdr. David Carter, a spokesman for Naval Surface Forces Atlantic, said Sept. 11.

The ship spotter suspected the problem was with the rudder, given the way the Iwo Jima was sailing.

“All of her turns were to port after 01:58 Zulu or 9:58 p.m. Eastern Time. From that time on, there were no more turns to starboard. Also, as she approached the pier, she was heeled into the wind as if the tugs could not keep her from moving out of the main channel,” Aviation and Naval Assets reported on X on Sept. 5.

Carter did not say whether the mechanical problem was related to the rudder, as the ship spotter suspected. Carter indicated last week that the problem had been resolved and said the Iwo Jima was back at sea conducting basic phase training. Basic phase training is normally conducted in preparation for deployment.

“We are fully committed to delivering amphibious warfare ships on time, that are properly organized, trained, equipped, evaluated and certified to conduct maritime expeditionary warfare and amphibious operations,” Carter said.

The Iwo Jima is the third Wasp-class amphibious ship to be destroyed this year.

Another ship spotter said in March that the USS Wasp entered port on one shaft due to a mechanical problem. A few weeks later, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the chief of naval operations, said the Wasp’s deployment would likely be delayed due to mechanical problems.

The Wasp eventually deployed on time in June, but news of the Wasp’s problem came at about the same time that the USS Boxer was forced to make a U-turn for repairs ahead of its long-delayed Indo-Pacific deployment. The Boxer, also a Wasp-class amphibious ship, deployed from San Diego on April 1 but returned to port 10 days later with a problem with its starboard rudder. The Navy decided to repair the rudder pier side with divers, USNI reported, and the ship returned to its deployment in July.

The Wasp-class amphibious assault ships are flat-topped warships that serve as helicopter landing pads at sea. The warships are also used to deploy Navy expeditionary units, which the Navy and Marine Corps describe as a global 911 force that responds to humanitarian crises and conflicts.

“They should be standing there, ready to respond to any crisis in the world. Seeing issues like this, seeing MEUs turn around and come back to port for maintenance issues, is quite disturbing,” Grazier said.

The stress of readying amphibious ships for deployment is a lingering aftereffect of the 2020 fire at the USS Bonhomme Richard, said Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, another Washington think tank. The Wasp-class Bonhomme Richard, undergoing maintenance in San Diego, burned for more than four days. The ship was declared a total loss shortly afterward.

Eight Wasp-class amphibious ships were built, leaving the Navy with seven active ships after the loss of the Bonhomme Richard. The Navy also operates two America-class amphibious assault ships, with a third under construction.

“If we had just one more amphibian, it would take some of the stress off the others and give us a little more time for maintenance,” Cancian said.

The U.S. military, Cancian said, faces an increased operational tempo around the world, which stretches available forces from one area of ​​responsibility to another. The U.S. can maintain a virtual presence by monitoring areas of responsibility from a distance and quickly deploying forces to respond to acts of aggression. For example, he said, the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, based in Fort Liberty, N.C., specializes in parachute assault operations into hostile areas.

“But virtual presence is real absence,” Cancian said.

Potential enemies, he said, are “not impressed” by a virtual presence.

“Other countries notice when the U.S. presence at the forefront diminishes,” Cancian said. “That’s a problem because it means the U.S. is not going to be as ready to respond to crises.”

Grazier pointed to a shortage of sailors at sea and the inability to obtain needed parts, which could create a “cascade effect of problems.”

“Big machines have big problems, and for really big machines like an amphibious machine, those problems are only going to get bigger. It’s important that the Navy recruits enough people to fully expand their crews, otherwise we’re going to continue to see these kinds of problems,” he said.

The Navy faces more than 18,000 vacancies at sea by 2024. Wasp-class ships in the Navy’s fleet are operating with about 20 percent fewer sailors than required, according to a Government Accountability Office report released last week. The labor shortage, compounded by a lack of in-depth, hands-on training for sailors in maintenance and repair techniques, makes it difficult for the ships to conduct regular, routine maintenance and repairs at sea.

The watchdog’s report also found that the Navy has a persistent shortage of spare parts and materials needed to perform sailor-led maintenance.

“When you’re in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, days away from additional support, it’s critical that these crews have all the necessary personnel, all the necessary spare parts and all the knowledge to make these repairs at sea so the crew can continue their mission,” Grazier said.