NORFOLK, Va. – An audit by the U.S. Government Accountability Office says chronic delays in maintaining the U.S. Navy’s attack submarine fleet have cost taxpayers about $1.5 billion since 2008.
The Virginian-Pilot reported Thursday that the audit says the Navy needs to balance maintenance work between private shipyards and its four public shipyards. A Department of Defense statement says it agrees with the recommendation and has taken steps to have a more “holistic” view of submarine maintenance requirements.
The audit says private shipyards such as Newport News Shipbuilding can handle extended submarine maintenance, which can help the Navy’s public shipyards that have been operating above capacity. Additionally, the audit says attack submarines have spent more than 10,000 days idling since 2008 while either waiting for work to begin or during maintenance delays.
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