US Military Sealift Capabilities Now 'Screaming National Security Vulnerability' - Congressman

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US capability to move the troops and logistics support it needs across the oceans in any conflict with Russia or China is woefully inadequate and suffering critical shortages and "screaming vulnerabilities," House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mike Gallagher warned on Wednesday.

"Almost 90% of all Army and Marine Corps equipment supporting large-scale overseas operations will be transported by ship," Gallagher wrote in a letter to Transportation Command Chief General Jacqueline Van Ovost and Department of Commerce Marine Administration head Ann Phillips.

A senior official responsible for US military sealift capability described the current situation as a “screaming national security vulnerability," Gallagher wrote.

"In responding to a conflict in the Indo-Pacific, US forces will depend on a fleet of sealift vessels to move equipment across the region. However, ... the United States’ sealift fleet has continued to age and go underfunded, appearing woefully inadequate for the daunting task of providing logistical support to troops thousands of miles away from the homeland," the letter said.

The situation has now led to "a perfect storm" in which the United States appears unprepared to carry out major sealift operations during a crisis, Gallagher cautioned.