Collisions Spur Navy To Overhaul 7th Fleet Training, Turn On Ships' AIS

The Navy announced in September that it will establish a new command to oversee training for the 7th Fleet.

- Bill Bleyer

The creation of the Naval Surface Group Western Pacific follows fatal collisions involving two of the fleet’s Japan-based destroyers and a subsequent highly critical report by the Government Accountability Office.

The GAO found that USS John S. McCain and USS Fitzgerald, which collided with merchant ships earlier this year, had multiple missing certifications for warfare training. The chief of naval operations, Adm. John Richardson, responded that the Navy is creating a new command because the report indicated there was a pattern of waived training requirements throughout the 7th Fleet.

In written testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Richardson said, “We have commenced a review of certifications of each ship, to include developing a plan for each to regain currency and proficiency across all certification areas.” He added that the commander of the Pacific Fleet will now approve all waivers for ships whose certifications have expired.

Richardson attributed his service’s readiness shortcomings to three factors beyond its control: The “corrosive confluence of high operational tempo, constrained funding levels and budget uncertainty.”