Navy Shipbuilding: Improving Warfighter Engagement and Tools for Operational Testing Could Increase Timeliness and Usefulness

What GAO Found Operational testing—used to evaluate the capabilites of a new vessel to perform in realistic and relevant conditions—is critical to the Navy’s understanding of a vessel’s ability to counter the advances of its adversaries. Test Firing of a Navy Aircraft Carrier’s Ship Self-Defense System GAO found that Navy test and evaluation policy does not ensure consistent participation in test and evaluation working-level integrated product teams by key organizations representing the warfighter. Uncertainty about how warfighter organizations are represented in these teams—which are critical to test planning and execution for each shipbuilding program—poses challenges for ensuring that operational testing decisions reflect the current needs and interests of the fleet.

GAO also found that