Navy finds 'substandard' practices, knowledge and other failures caused carrier incidents at sea

Main Idea: The U.S. Navy said a series of incidents involving the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group in the Middle East were caused by poor training, weak maintenance, and other failures.

Key Points:

• The Navy investigated four incidents from late 2024 to mid-2025, including the loss of three F/A-18 Super Hornet jets and a collision with a merchant ship.
• One F/A-18 was shot down by USS Gettysburg in a case the Navy tied to weak coordination, poor backup, and lack of training across the strike group.
• The Navy said the Truman’s collision with a merchant vessel was avoidable, and another jet and tow tractor were lost during evasive action against a missile threat.
• A later jet loss was blamed on a trip wire failure, substandard maintenance, and low knowledge among some personnel; the Navy said it will review systems and train more staff.