Investigations reveal combat stress a key factor in costly US Navy mishaps

New investigative reports into a series of high-profile and costly US Navy mishaps during a US-led campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebels reveal that the most intense running sea battle that the military service has faced since World War II took a toll on ships and personnel.

The four reports released on Thursday cover a “friendly fire” incident in December 2024 that saw the cruiser USS Gettysburg shoot at two fighter jets from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, downing one, as well as the Truman’s collision with a merchant vessel and the loss of two more multimillion-dollar jets from the carrier to mishaps earlier this year.

Taken together, the reports paint a picture of an aircraft carrier that was not only beset by regular missile attacks that stressed the crew but also other operational demands that put pressure on top leaders to the point that the ship’s captain and navigator were extremely sleep deprived. That was just halfway through an eight-month deployment originally slated to last six months.

One report also found that, in some parts of the ship, the intense combat operations “led to a numbness among the crew” and some sailors “lost sight of the purpose of their role to the mission”.

The four preventable mishaps cost the US Navy over US$100 million in three lost aircraft and damage to the Truman as well as injuries to multiple sailors. While no one died, several of the mishaps hinged on just seconds of reaction time.