Navy Mishaps Suggest Larger Problem

The collision of the USS John S. McCain with a cargo ship near Singapore last month and a similar event involving another 7th Fleet destroyer near Japan two months earlier are more than unfortunate accidents.

Rather, they highlight fundamental problems facing today’s US Navy. That the collisions occurred while both destroyers were conducting basic maneuvers — put simply, driving the ship while trying not to run into other ships — suggests inadequate training and preparation, beside any issues of poor supervision on the ship’s bridge. A high “operation-tempo” wears down sailors and ships over time. And one instinctively suspects that training is being shortchanged to meet operational requirements of putting ships to sea.