Navy Anchors 17 Ships Amid Manpower Shortage

Source: Daily Caller

The U.S. Navy has sidelined 17 ships in an effort to address workforce shortages and alleviate the strain on overburdened mariners, according to U.S. Naval Institute (USNI) News.

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro approved the initiative Oct. 30, hoping it would ease stress on the Navy’s seagoing workforce while bolstering the Military Sealift Command’s (MSC) ability to provide logistical support for global fleet operations, according to a U.S. Navy press release. The shortages have stretched mariners thin, forcing them to shoulder additional responsibilities, the USNI reported.

“The command’s new workforce initiative addresses civil service mariner recruitment and retention challenges by restoring the health of the MSC workforce for the next several decades,” the press release reads.

 🇺🇸 US Navy Tackles Mariner Shortages: 17 Ships to Be Sideline by 2026Facing severe civilian mariner shortages, the Navy is sidelining 17 Military Sealift Command (MSC) logistics ships for extended maintenance by 2026. | @Battlefront_Net pic.twitter.com/HGiwb7TANt — Faytuks Network (@FaytuksNetwork) November 21, 2024

The decision comes amid China ramping up production of “ever larger and more capable warships,” according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. One such ship is the under-construction Type 076, which is poised to become the world’s largest amphibious assault ship.

Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck, commanding officer of the MSC, told reporters Thursday morning that the decision to sideline 17 ships was “based on the number of mariners that we need to get us to 95 percent [manning],” the USNI reported.

“It is aligning the force so that we are most ready and that we are getting after the fleet requirements,” he said.

Mariners will be reassigned to higher-priority vessels under the plan, aiming to “minimize overdue reliefs and provide a more predictable work environment for civil service mariners,” the press release reads. Some MSC logistics support ships will undergo extended maintenance to facilitate the transition.

“Our civil service mariners play invaluable roles providing continuous logistics support to our deployed naval forces, and they are working overtime to sustain that mission globally,” Del Toro said in the press release. “This initiative will not only address operational logistics challenges we face now, it will ensure that Military Sealift Command has policies, programs and incentives it needs to recruit and retain future generations of civil service mariners.”

The new plan will grant mariners more time ashore, according to USNI News.

The MSC oversees 4,500 billets staffed by approximately 5,500 mariners, equating to 1.27 mariners per billet. This ratio results in a schedule where mariners spend four months at sea for every month ashore before returning to duty. (RELATED: ‘Burning Through People’: US Navy Considers Drastic Measure Over Manpower Shortage: REPORT)

“The MSC workforce initiative advances Secretary Del Toro’s vision for a new Maritime Statecraft to revitalize the naval, industrial and commercial aspects of America’s maritime power in an era of strategic competition. These investments will increase MSC’s operational readiness and support its civil service workforce, both of which strengthen maritime dominance,” the press release concludes.

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