The U.S. Navy found through inspections that its fleet of surface ships is experiencing degradation across multiple aspects, Defense News reported Wednesday.
The Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) discovered that ships are degrading in areas including electrical, damage-control, anti-submarine warfare and propulsion systems. The study covered a total of 21 assessment areas, with degradation found in 11 of them.
Inspectors looked at 24 ships so far this year, including a Freedom-class littoral combat ship and 16 destroyers. They also observed signs of degradation in the Aegis system, which facilitates a ship's weapon operation and missile defense.
INSURV also found that the Navy's submarines exhibited more signs of degradation in 2020 compared to the past five years. These findings were present in combat systems and auxiliary engineering systems of the underwater vessels.