A new Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report finds the Navy’s Strategic Theater Sealift program office did not reach required performance capabilities for the Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF).
The OIG report said the program office obligated $2 billion for the EPF program but the vessels had deficiencies on two main performance parameters: Transport Capability and Net Ready. The OIG found this happened because the program office did not demonstrate they corrected deficiencies first identified during low-rate initial production.
The EPF has eight key performance parameters that are critical or essential to meet for effective military capability. Of these, Transport Capability means moving medium-sized tactical units across operational distances at high speeds while Net Ready means continuously providing survivable, interoperable, secure, and operationally effective information exchanges.
Because of these issues, the Navy accepted eight EPF ships with deficiencies that may prevent the Military Sealift Command (MSC) from accomplishing is missions, the report said. The OIG said the Navy may now have to spend additional funds to achieve the required performance capabilities for EPFs already delivered to the service and future EPFs currently in production.
The report found the Navy obligated $2 billion for 12 EPFs “that do not meet the required performance capabilities. According to Naval Sea Systems Command, Austal USA billed NAVSEA a total of $1.3 billion for the eight delivered EPF vessels, $77.2 million over the contract target price.”
The independent test agency that evaluates Navy warfighting capabilities is Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force (COMOPTEVFOR). COMOPTEVFOR tested the vessel in Jan. 2014 and Jan. 2015.
While the EPF is required to transport 1.2 million pounds of cargo for 1,200 nautical miles at an average speed of 35 knots, the COMOPTEVFOR found during the testing the vessel could achieve 1.2 million pounds of cargo for only 769 nautical miles at a speed of 31 knots. Separately, the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) determined the EPF was only capable of reaching that weight capacity for 858 nautical miles at an average speed of 31 knots.
The OIG found the program office officials assigned the deficiency as open without resolution and did not correct it.
Program office officials also determined 14 information assurance control deficiencies found during the COMOPTEVFOR testing were related to Net Ready and DOT&E found the EPF included “significant information assurance vulnerabilities.” However, the OIG said the program office marked the deficiencies open without resolution and did not demonstrate these were corrected either.
The OIG recommended Program Executive Officer (PEO) Ships and the Strategic Theater Sealift program office review whether actions were taken to correct deficiencies in the EPFs. If action was taken, the report said PEO Ships should require the office to request Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force to confirm the correction.
If action was not taken, OIG recommends PEO ships require the office to implement a plan to correct deficiencies before delivery of the vessels as appropriate.
The OIG also recommended that the Commander of the MSC, Rear Adm. Dee Mewbourne, identify whether deficiencies on the delivered vessels were corrected. If they were not corrected already, the report says should implement a plan to correct them.
The Navy responded to the OIG recommendations through the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition (ASN-RDA), James Geurts.
Geurts’ office said the Navy partially agreed with the recommendations and Commander, NAVSEA agreed to work with the resource manager and the MSC for concurrence on transport capability and unrefueled range limitation deficiencies. The MSC commander replied it will work with PEO Ships and the Strategic Theater Sealift program office to review and implement appropriate corrections in the vessels already delivered.
The Spearhead-class EPF is built by Austal USA at its Mobile, Ala. shipyard. The shallow draft commercial-based catamaran is capable of transporting up to 600 short tons of intra-theater cargo or 312-416 personnel at a range of 1,200 nautical miles and average speed of 35 knots.
The EPF is meant to provide combatant commanders with a high-speed sealift mobility but also features a flight deck for helicopter operations. The vessels are capable of operating in littoral offload points, including minor or degraded ports, and can on/off-load a combat-loaded M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank.
The Navy has accepted delivery of nine EPFs thus far. The vessels are transferred to MSC, which is responsible for operation and sustainment, including changes after it is accepted. This report was examining the EPF program through August 2017, when the Navy had received vessels.