A new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) seen by CNN reveals damning details about the state of readiness of the US Navy ships, the USS Fitzgerald and the USS John S. McCain, which were involved in deadly crashes with civilian ships earlier this year.
The report stated that the crew of the two ships failed to satisfy fundamental training requirements before the incidents.
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Some of the training certifications had lapsed for more than two years, signifying a systematic failure of the Navy that might have contributed to the deadly accidents.
As of the 26th of June 2017, the USS Fitzgerald had 15 of its 22 certifications expired with some of its qualification not being renewed for almost a year.
The crews' performance particularly suffered in so-called "Tier Two" mission areas, including basic seamanship and communication that sheds light on the reasons behind the fatal collisions.
All ten "Tier Two" training certificates expired on the Fitzgerald and over a half had lapsed on the McCain.
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On the 17th of June, the USS Fitzgerald crashed with a Philippine container ship about 150 kilometers (92 miles) from Tokyo, killing 7 US sailors, who drowned in the flooded compartments of the ship.
On the 21st of August, USS Fitzgerald collided with the Liberian-flagged ship off the coast of Malaysia, resulting in deaths of 10 US servicemen.
The deadly crashes led to the dismissal of the US Navy's 7th Fleet commander Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin and senior commanders on the ships involved.
The full-fledged review into the accidents is still on-going.
