Navy charting new course after rash of problems - The Lima News

The Navy’s speedy littoral combat ships had propulsion failures. The gun on its stealthy destroyer is a dud because of expensive ammo. Its newest aircraft carrier had problems with the system that launches aircraft.

On top of that, embarrassing photos of rusty ships online have underscored delays in maintaining warships, made worse by the pandemic.

The Navy’s troubles have caused delays and cost billions of dollars. They come as tensions are growing in the South China Sea, Russia’s navy is emboldened, and Iranian speedboats are harassing vessels in the Persian Gulf.

“Are we ready to meet the threat from China? No,” said Loren Thompson, a defense analyst at the Lexington Institute.