NORFOLK, Va. — After the destroyers USS McCain and USS Fitzgerald in 2017 had at-sea collisions, that resulted in the deaths of 17 sailors, the Navy embarked on a mission to learn from those accidents and take action to fix the problems.
Fixing the problems will help make a more combat-effective force that places the safety, readiness, and training of people first.
"I've got a lot of confidence it'll be corrected," said Admiral Bill Moran, Vice Chief of Naval Operations. "It's never as fast as we'd like it."
From the Readiness Reform Oversight Committee's effort, 103 reforms were ordered, but progress hasn't been instantaneous.
In testimony on Capitol Hill last week, the Navy revealed it is 6,200 sailors short for at-sea billets. A Government Accountability Office report last year found that sailors were being overworked and not getting proper sleep.
The Fleet Forces and Pacific Fleet admirals said if ships aren't ready to go, they won't deploy.
Admiral Moran, after visiting the USS Truxton tied up at Naval Station Norfolk on Thursday, said the Navy still has a ways to go.
"I heard things that gave me a lot of confidence that we're headed in the right direction, but all of them caution me, rightfully, that we're still early into this and we've got to give this time," he said.
Among the reforms, upgraded bridge training and team training, and enhanced mariner mentor-ship.
Moran said he's not happy with the lack of surface ship trainers in Norfolk, adding that the Navy is two to three years away from solving that problem.
He said ensuring ships are fully prepared before deploying is the way to go.
"This is the right thing to do because we are such a high demand situation that we don't want to end up in a place where we're sending people forward that aren't ready," he said.