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Congress prepares to hear damning report into US Navy training standards

The dire state of the US Navy’s training set up has been laid bare in a damning report from the Government Accountability Office.

With four accidents in the Pacific this year, including two deadly collisions with merchant ships, the US Navy is under extreme scrutiny.

The Government Accountability Office found that as of June 2017, 37% of the warfare certifications for cruiser and destroyer crews based in Japan — including certifications for seamanship — had expired, according to testimony submitted to the House Armed Services Committee and obtained by Bloomberg Government.

Moreover, the navy’s reductions to crew sizes just over a decade ago may now be creating safety risks, the watchdog maintains. Some sailors are reportedly working more than 100 hours a week.

Sam Chambers

Starting out with the Informa Group in 2000 in Hong Kong, Sam Chambers became editor of Maritime Asia magazine as well as East Asia Editor for the world’s oldest newspaper, Lloyd’s List. In 2005 he pursued a freelance career and wrote for a variety of titles including taking on the role of Asia Editor at Seatrade magazine and China correspondent for Supply Chain Asia. His work has also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Sunday Times and The International Herald Tribune.
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