GAO: MARAD needs to take action on workforce problems

While efforts to trim the federal workforce make the headlines, some agencies are plainly understaffed. A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) says that while the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) has about 800 employees to carry out its many missions, it is facing staff turnover, high numbers of employees eligible to retire, and vacancies in critical positions. And it doesn’t have a strategic human capital plan to address how it will hire...

https://www.marinelog.com/news/gao-marad-needs-to-take-action-on-workforce-problems/

GAO: USCG needs to up its MTS cybersecurity game

The more the maritime industry relies on digitalization and tech to increase its efficiency, the more it becomes vulnerable to cyber threats and a new report from the Government Accountability Office says that the cybersecurity risks facing thr U.S. Maritime Transportation System (MTS) are significant and increasing with China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and transnational criminal organizations posing the greatest threats.

Technologies used in MTS

GAO says that, according to federal and...

https://www.marinelog.com/legal/safety-and-security/gao-uscg-needs-to-up-its-mts-cybersecurity-game/

GAO report slams Navy cruiser modernization efforts

cruiser modernization graphic

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a report that is sharply critical of a Navy cruiser modernization program that began when Congress rejected Navy proposals made in 2012 and 2013 to retire several of the ships and instead provided funding to modernize them.

In response, says GAO, the Navy planned to use a phased approach to modernization that would extend 11 cruisers’ service life by five years and upgrade the vessels’ combat capability. The Navy originally planned to...

https://www.marinelog.com/news/gao-report-slams-navy-cruiser-modernization-efforts/

New GAO report highlights sorry condition of Navy amphibious warfare ships

amphibious warfare ships readiness

A new U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report finds that sixteen out of the 32 ships in the Navy’s amphibious warfare ship fleet are considered to be in “poor material condition” by the service’s own standards.

Amphibious warfare ships are critical for Marine Corps missions, but the Navy has struggled to ensure they are available for operations and training, says GAO. In some cases, ships in the amphibious fleet have not been available for years at a time. The Navy and Marine Corps...

https://www.marinelog.com/news/new-gao-report-highlights-sorry-condition-of-navy-amphibious-warfare-ships/