GAO weighs in on Navy shipbuilding delays

Image: GAO

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 commercial shipbuilding to evaluate the plans and execution of Navy shipbuilding programs. GAO recommendations have spurred Navy action to improve acquisition practices and the use of taxpayer dollars. Yet the Navy has continued to face persistent challenges in its ability to design and deliver timely, affordable new ships that perform as expected.

GAO found that leading commercial ship buyers and builders prioritize shorter, predictable periods for design and construction, which result in delivering timely ships that meet current user needs. In contrast, the Navy’s approach often results in significantly longer design and construction cycle times for its shipbuilding programs’ lead ships.

Key differences between commercial companies’ and the Navy’s ship design practices contribute to the slower pace and less predictable cost, schedule, and performance outcomes for Navy shipbuilding programs. Leading design practices involve

• effective management of a ship’s business case—a reflection of the balance of customer needs and the resources needed to develop and produce the ship; and
• focus on efficiently maturing new ship designs to better inform decisions on schedule, cost, and performance. This includes using consistent, meaningful design maturity measures to determine readiness to move from design to construction.

Download the full GAO report to learn which ship buyers and which shipbuilders it consulted, what matters it thought Congress should consider and what eight recommendations it made to the Navy.

• Download the full report HERE