Summary and Key Points: The U.S. Navy faces a significant personnel crisis, with a shortage of qualified mariners threatening to sideline up to 17 support ships. This challenge compounds existing issues like limited shipyard capacity and stretched resources due to global commitments.

-To address the shortfall, the Navy has implemented various strategies, including increased enlistment bonuses, relaxed educational requirements, and waivers for previous cannabis use. Despite these efforts, the Navy fell short of its 2023 recruitment goals and faces an even higher target for 2024.

-The situation underscores the broader challenges of maintaining a robust naval force in an increasingly complex global environment.

The U.S. Navy Faces a Sailor and Personnel Issue

The United States Navy increasingly lacks the shipyards to build and maintain its fleet of warships, and it is increasingly stretched thin dealing with multiple crises in global hotspots around the world. However, the lack of aircraft carrier strike groups (CSGs) could be made worse by a lack of sailors to man the warships.

USNI News reported last week that Military Sealift Command (MSC) is warning that the sea service may need to remove crews to as many as 17 U.S. Navy support ships due to a lack of "qualified marines."

"The MSC 'force generation reset' identified two Lewis and Clark replenishment ships, one fleet oiler, a dozen Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transports (EPF) and two forward-deployed Navy expeditionary sea bases that would enter an 'extended maintenance' period and have their crews retasked to other ships in the fleet, three people familiar with the plan," told USNI News Thursday.

Another defense confirmed essentially confirmed the plan to USNI News.

The U.S. Navy is reportedly also considering a plan that could "retask" civilian mariners to serve on the U.S. Navy's support ships.

Ongoing Problem With Novel Solutions

The United States Navy has in recent years increased enlistment bonuses, along with student loan repayments of up to $115,000 to recruit and retain sailors – and that included looking to prior service members, either Navy Veterans or Other Services Veterans (NAVETs/OSVETs).

The sea service has also relaxed some requirements, including no longer requiring a GED or high school diploma for certain recruits – although those seeking to join the Navy and see the world would still score at least a 50 or higher (out of 99) on the Armed Forces Qualification Test that all prospects must take to join the military. The U.S. Navy has become the first (and likely won't be the last) to actively recruit those without such education requirements.

The sea service had a 2023 enlistment goal of 37,700 but brought in just 31,834. For 2024, the U.S. Navy has also raised the bar to 40,600 – as it is set to reach a total strength of 337,800.

All of the U.S. military services have also increasingly issued waivers for some cannabis use as a result of widespread popularity and decriminalization. More than 50% of new recruits hail from states where cannabis is now legal for medical or adult use. Likewise, the branches of the military have been more open to those who have a bit of ink on their skins in the form of tattoos.

In June, the U.S. Navy also announced it would ease the physical fitness rules for some active-duty service members. However, sailors shouldn’t plan on loosening their belts, nor is the Navy entirely loosening the fitness tests. Instead, the Bureau of Naval Personnel will now allow sailors who fail two fitness assessments in a row to stay in the Navy and have an opportunity to try again, provided their commanding officer agrees.

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. You can email the author: [email protected].

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