Is the U.S. submarine fleet failing for a lack of repairs?

If the United States and Chinese navies ever square off, submarines will be a deciding factor. In a recent war game simulating a conflict between China and the U.S., outcomes showed attack submarines would wreak havoc on the People’s Liberation Army navy. In order to contribute to the fight, however, the submarines need to be in the fight.

A recent report from the Congressional Research Service found of the 49 attack subs the U.S. Navy operates, 18 were out of commission in June. That accounts for 37% of the U.S. Navy’s attack submarine fleet. It’s a number that’s grown over the last few years.

Regular maintenance is expected on any machines of this size, but sometimes repairs need to be made because of operator error.