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US Navy surface fleet fatigue management and circadian watchbills

Also: Comprehensive Endurance, Fatigue Management Program

After fatigue was found to have contributed to the 2017 USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain collisions, the Navy's surface force ordered ships to set watch rotations that follow the body clock and to protect sailors' sleep periods. A revised Comprehensive Endurance, Fatigue Management Program followed in December 2020, but government auditors found the policy unevenly applied and sailors still short of sleep.

Years
2017–now
Country
United States
Topic
Sleep
Asks people to
Start
Strategy
Environmental supportPolicy paired
Channel
Interpersonal
Audience
Military and veterans
Surface fleet sailors, commanding officers and ship leaders

Evidence

ObservationalMixed

GAO (2021) found the 2017 policy inconsistently implemented; in its 2020 survey an estimated 14% of officers got 7 or more hours of sleep a day on their last deployment and 67% got 5 hours or less. The Navy reported better fitness-test results and morale on ships using circadian watchbills (not independently measured).

Sponsor (who paid)

  • Naval Surface Forces, US Navy Federal government

Credits (who made it)

  • Naval Postgraduate School and Naval Health Research Center Research evaluation, 2020

Related campaigns

Sources

  1. Surface fleet rolls out revised instruction to get sailors better rest at sea (Navy Times, 5 Jan 2021) news · 2021
  2. Navy Readiness: Additional Efforts Are Needed to Manage Fatigue, Reduce Crewing Shortfalls, and Implement Training (GAO-21-366) evaluation · 2021

Research notes

Created 2026-10-24 by an AI research pass for #103 (G2); not reviewed by a person. An internal military policy rather than a public campaign; included as a workplace programme pushing schedules and messages to a population. Navy.mil release could not be opened. To verify: collisions in 2017 (17 sailors killed); 2017 policy; revised instruction 11 Dec 2020; GAO figures 14% and 67%; GAO report 27 May 2021.

Record cases/us-navy-circadian-watchbills-fatigue-management.json, updated 2026-10-24· Link to this campaign