analysis
A new report on the recent deployment of the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman reveals serious deficiencies in leadership, training and maintenance in the US Navy.
Dec 8, 2025, 9:26 p.mDec 8, 2025, 9:26 p.m
Bojan Stula / ch media
Three lost fighter jets, a freighter collision, a deposed commander – and now an investigation report that hits the American Navy to the core: On its most recent mission to the Red Sea, the “USS Harry S. Truman” suffered an unparalleled series of mishaps. According to expert estimates, the accumulated damage amounts to at least 70 million US dollars. No people were killed.
Published at the end of last week Examination result shows how the US aircraft carrier and its support group fell apart several times under real operational pressure. This raises questions about the level of training in the US Navy – and contains a point of particular political irony.
The findings regarding the collision with the freighter “Besiktas-M” on February 12, 2025 near the Egyptian port of Port Said are particularly serious: the collision was “avoidable” and the bridge crew “failed to navigate safely past the merchant ship,” according to the investigation report. The Navy itself speaks of an incident that “could have had catastrophic consequences.” The commander, Captain Dave Snowden, was removed shortly afterwards.
A fighter jet takes off from the deck of the aircraft carrier “USS Harry S. Truman”.Image: keystone
Several failures in the last few months
The other cases also reveal a pattern of structural failures. In December 2024, the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg mistakenly shot down one of its own F/A-18F “Truman” jets – triggered by misidentification due to a lack of joint training.
In April 2025, an F/A-18E and its tug fell from the hangar deck after the “Harry S. Truman” had to avoid a missile attack by the Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. The cause was a failure of the braking system and again inadequate communication between the bridge, flight deck and hangar control. The report emphasizes “the high tempo of operations and the combat situation,” which led to a “stressful situation.”.
Just a few weeks later, on May 6th, the landing of an F/A-18F failed because the fourth arresting cable broke; This was the result of a defective damper, aggravated by “inadequate maintenance, a lack of personnel and a lack of knowledge,” as the Navy writes.
Vice Admiral James Kilby is quoted by the Navy as saying that the right conclusions must now be drawn from the mistakes: “The Navy is a learning organization.” However, “despite the adverse circumstances,” the crews showed “professionalism and complete operational readiness.”
After graduating from a state maritime academy with a US Merchant Marine 3rd Mate’s license, I attended SWOS and served on a frigate.
It’s sad to read this story because it signals to me that things haven’t improved significantly in the SWO training curriculum since I departed… pic.twitter.com/o333nhBS7K
— Jim McGowan (@JFMcGowanIII) December 7, 2025
A former midshipman, however, sees his own negative experiences confirmed by the examination and writes on X regarding the training standard:
“The Navy needs to get serious about addressing these deficiencies now before people get killed.”
The report could have an even more drastic impact on Donald Trump’s Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
Supported by right-wing commentators such as Sebastian Gorka and Bo French, Hegseth exploited the incidents for his campaign against the “woke” US military leadership under Joe Biden. As soon as he took office, he fired Admiral and Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti at the end of February; She was only the second woman to operationally lead a US branch of the armed forces.
BREAKING NEWS
Last night the USS Gettysburg shot down one of our own F-18s. Instead of lethality, our military is focused on checking race/gender boxes. CNO Franchetti needs to resign immediately. DEI has destroyed our military. pic.twitter.com/NKO2PepB6U
— Bo French (@BoFrenchTX) December 22, 2024
But the breakdown of the “Harry S. Truman” did not end there and could now – what an irony – deal another serious blow to Hegseth’s career as Pentagon chief. After the F/A-18 jet was tipped overboard in April, politicians like Democratic Senator Chris Murphy called for the immediate dismissal of Trump’s henchman. Meanwhile, the affair surrounding the killing of shipwrecked drug dealers in the Caribbean has put the US Secretary of War under even greater pressure.