The US Navy’s amphibious assault force is failing to provide enough vessels for use by the US Marine Corps, with half of the fleet in poor condition and some ships having been unavailable for years at a time, according to a report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Published on 3 December 2024, the GAO report painted a concerning picture for a capability that is crucial to the ability of the US Marine Corps to move into theatre, with the US Navy mandated to maintain a 31-ship fleet to meet its requirements.

As of March 2024, half of the amphibious fleet “is in poor condition” and these ships were “not on track to meet their expected service lives”, the GAO report revealed.

While the US Navy and Marine Corps were working to agree on a ship availability goal, they had yet to complete a metrics-based analysis in support of the work, which the GAO states risked jeopardising the ability to align amphibious ship schedules with the USMC units that deploy on them.