government accountability office

GAO issues new report on autonomous ships

technology used by autonomous ships

In response to a provision in the FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a new report entitled “Coast Guard: Autonomous Ships and Efforts to Regulate Them.”

GAO found that autonomous ships are developing in the U.S. and internationally and have the potential to transform the maritime environment.

The report, (which uses the term “ship” to include what most of us might think of just as “vessels”) notes that autonomous ships use...

https://www.marinelog.com/technology/gao-issues-new-report-on-autonomous-ships/

GAO Report on Pentagon Transition to PFAS-Free Firefighting Foam

The following is the July 8, 2024, Government Accountability Office report, FIREFIGHTING FOAM: DOD Is Working to Address Challenges to Transitioning to PFAS-Free Alternatives.

From the report

What GAO Found

The Department of Defense (DOD) has taken steps to eliminate use of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF)—a product used to fight flammable liquid fires—at its installations. AFFF contains per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which may have adverse effects on human health, including effects...

https://news.usni.org/2024/07/10/gao-report-on-pentagon-transition-to-pfas-free-firefighting-foam

GAO Report on Generative AI and Commercial Applications

The following is the June 20, 2024, Government Accountability Office report, Artificial Intelligence: Generative AI Technologies and Their Commercial Applications.

Why this matters

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has exploded to over 100 million users globally due to recently enhanced capabilities and user interest. This growth has created both excitement and debate about the technology’s potential to revolutionize entire industries, such as health care, education, and software...

https://news.usni.org/2024/06/21/gao-report-on-generative-ai-and-commercial-applications

GAO: Design instability has stalled Constellation-class frigate construction

design instability aread

In a report prepared for the House Committee on Armed Services, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) says that the Navy’s lead Constellation class guided missile class frigate is forecast to be delivered 36 month’s later than initially planned. The agency sees design instability is a leading issue.

GAO notes that, over at least two decades, the Constellation class program plans to acquire and deliver up to 20 frigates,at a combined cost of over $22 billion. To reduce technical risk,...

https://www.marinelog.com/shipbuilding/gao-design-instability-has-stalled-constellation-class-frigate-construction/

GAO weighs in on Navy shipbuilding delays

Navy shipbuilding delays vs, commercial ships

With delays to major Navy shipbuilding programs continuing to be a major concern, and not least to Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) has released a report that says that the Navy could improve the timeliness of deliveries by learning from leading commercial shipbuilders.

Changing maritime threats are pushing the U.S. Navy to increase its pace for designing and delivering new ships, says GAO. Since 2009, the agency has used leading practices in...

https://www.marinelog.com/shipbuilding/gao-weighs-in-on-navy-shipbuilding-delays/

GAO: USCG needs to act further on sexual assault and harassment

sexual assault and harassment response actions by USCG

A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds that while the U.S. Coast Guard has taken actions to address sexual assault and harassment (SASH) it has not developed a plan to assess its efforts.

In a 2020 internal investigation called “Operation Fouled Anchor,” notes GAO, the Coast Guard examined 102 separate allegations of sexual assault from 1990 to 2006 at the Coast Guard Academy and concluded that the academy often mishandled these cases. More recently, service members...

https://www.marinelog.com/legal/safety-and-security/gao-uscg-needs-to-act-further-on-sexual-assault-and-harassment/

GAO slams BSEE and BOEM delays on offshore decommissioning

Number of wells and platforms in need of decommissioning

Worldwide, decommissioning of end-of-life offshore wells and platforms is an important market for a number of specialist offshore service providers. A recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) indicates that the U.S. market could be a whole lot bigger but for inaction by two U.S. Department of the Interior Agencies: the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).

According to GAO, as of June 2023, more than 2,700...

https://www.marinelog.com/offshore/gao-slams-bsee-and-boem-delays-on-offshore-decommissioning/

Loaded and Rolling: GAO tells FMCSA to release carrier complaint data

GAO tells FMCSA to make carrier complaint data public

(Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

A report published Tuesday by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) must make its complaint database more transparent and publicly available. The 60-page report adds, “Specifically, FMCSA does not make public any information on complaints against truck companies, bus companies, or electronic logging device providers. As a result,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/loaded-and-rolling-gao-tells-fmcsa-to-release-carrier-complaint-data

GAO Report on Coast Guard Disaster Preparedness

The following is the July 2023, Government Accountability Office report, Coast Guard: Clarifying Emergency Policies and Assessing Needs Could Improve Unit Disaster Preparedness.

What GAO Found

Although Coast Guard field personnel serve as first responders for natural and human-made disasters, agency policies about maintaining emergency food and water for field personnel are unclear. For example, Coast Guard disaster preparedness policies
do not identify a clear requirement for field units to...

https://news.usni.org/2023/07/26/gao-report-on-coast-guard-disaster-preparedness

GAO Report on DoD Artificial Intelligence Guidance

Categories of Factors Selected Companies Reported Considering When Acquiring Artificial Intelligence Capabilities

The following is the June 29, 2023, Government Accountability Office report, Artificial Intelligence: DOD Needs Department-Wide Guidance to Inform Acquisitions. 

From the reportWhat GAO Found

The Department of Defense (DOD) designated artificial intelligence (AI) a top modernization area and is allocating considerable spending to develop AI tools and capabilities. AI refers to computer systems designed to replicate a range of human functions and continually get better at their assigned tasks. DOD...

https://news.usni.org/2023/06/30/gao-report-on-dod-artificial-intelligence-guidance

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