Summary: The USS Boxer (LHD-4), a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship of the United States Navy, recently garnered seven prestigious Navy-wide awards, highlighting its sustained superior performance across various operational domains. However, shortly after these commendations, the USS Boxer encountered an engineering issue related to its rudder, forcing a return to San Diego for repairs, estimated to take two to three weeks. This incident has disrupted its deployment plans in the Indo-Pacific region and raised concerns about ongoing maintenance and readiness challenges within the Navy. 

USS Boxer: From High Praise to Sudden Repairs, A Look at Navy Readiness Challenges

What a difference just a few weeks makes. In March, the United States Navy announced that the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD-4) earned seven Navy-wide awards for sustained superior performance. That included the Battle Effectiveness Award; the Maritime Warfare Excellence Award; the Command, Control, Communications and Information Warfare Excellence Award; the Logistics Management Excellence Award; the Self Sufficiency Award; the Force Health and Wellness Unit Award or Green ‘H’; and the Captain Edward F. Ney Memorial Food Service Award.

Moreover, except for February 2024, LHD-4 had been underway every month for every one of the previous seven months since August 2023.

"The crew has worked tirelessly during this time to become America's premier emergency response force," said Boxer Commanding Officer Capt. Brian Holmes. "The credit belongs to our Sailors and Marines. These Navy-wide recognitions speak to the ship's combat credibility and the crew's readiness for what's ahead."

According to the U.S. Navy, the Battle Effectiveness Award recognizes sustained superior performance in an operational environment, and sustained continuous readiness. Governed by Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, the Battle "E" award is not a qualification award or an award for mere excellence­it is awarded to the best ships in the organization. The instruction states that the award is about the warrior skills that combatant ships must demonstrate in conflict.

The USS Boxer has been awarded the Battle 'E' 13 times.

Too Good to be True?

Perhaps the announcement came a bit too soon – and some might even suggest it "jinxed" the warship. Last week, the USS Boxer was forced to return to San Diego, California, after suffering an engineering casualty. The warship, with elements of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, departed on April 1 for a Pacific deployment, which had been on hold due in part to maintenance issues on the big deck.

"USS Boxer is returning to San Diego to undergo additional maintenance in support of its deployment in the Indo-Pacific region. Boxer departed San Diego on April 1 for an Indo-Pacific deployment and was conducting integration exercises with the MV-22 Osprey in the 3rd Fleet Area of Operations," the U.S. 3rd Fleet said in a statement to USNI News. "USS Boxer will resume its deployment in the near future."

The exact nature of the problem hasn't been made clear, but it is reported to involve the ship's rudder – and repairs could take two to three weeks based on early damage estimates.

A Worrisome Trend

The sidelining of a warship is something that does happen, but the delay in the deployment of LHD-4 will upend a series of planned engagements and exercises in the Pacific. USNI further reported that the sailors on the amphibious assault ship had been the subject of two command investigations that found major deficiencies in maintenance and crew discipline.

A defense official even suggested that "quality assurance and contractor performance contributed significantly to the delays in Boxer's deployment," while another official told USNI, "How much longer are we going to accept such catastrophic maintenance management from the U.S. Navy before someone at the Pentagon gets fired?"

Last week, the U.S. Navy's top leader, Adm. Lisa Franchetti, told reporters at the sea service's annual Sea-Air-Space conference earlier this week that she had ordered a "deep dive" into numerous maintenance and readiness issues faced by the ship.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.

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