While the Navy has made progress revamping its surface fleet in the aftermath of two fatal warship collisions last year, some sailors based in Japan continue to log 100-hour weeks, often going without much sleep, a government watchdog reported Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Manning shortages, maintenance and training neglect \u2014 plus a bruising operational tempo \u2014 all came under public scrutiny last summer after two destroyer collisions in the western Pacific killed 17 sailors assigned to 7th Fleet<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Navy reports also cited fatigue and crew shortages as factors in the twin tragedies involving the destroyers Fitzgerald<\/a> and John S. McCain<\/a> and a pair of commercial vessels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Testifying on Capitol Hill, Government Accountability Office analyst John Pendleton <\/a>said a team of investigators he led in November to interview 7th Fleet personnel saw improvements to the forward-deployed Navy\u2019s systemic problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the ongoing reforms are overworking sailors, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSailors consistently told us that ship workload has not decreased, and it is still extremely challenging to complete all required workload while getting enough sleep,\u201d Pendleton said in a statement delivered to lawmakers at a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee\u2019s<\/a> seapower and readiness and management subcommittees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s simply not putting enough sailors on the ships to cover the new workload,\u201d Pendleton said. \u201cThey told us they\u2019re still working very hard, sometimes a 100-hour week or more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t