Former US Navy captain: Recent incidents may have been avoidable

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After the USS John S McCain collided with an oil tanker off the coast of Singapore, the US Navy suspended search and rescue efforts for nine missing sailors.

Former US Navy Captain Jan van Tol, who captained two US warships – the USS Essex and the USS O’Brien – through the straits before retiring from the Navy in 2007, questioned where was the lookout "which is supposed to be checking to the side and behind at all times as well as ahead?”

He also mentioned that numerous lookouts should have alerted the McCain’s crew to any danger.

Meanwhile, the head of the US Pacific Command, Admiral Harry Harris, has insisted the recent setbacks won't affect the Navy's ability to defend its allies.

However, military analysts in Washington blame overly-stretched naval resources for the recent collisions.