DepSecDef Visits, Criticizes Littoral Combat Ship; Fox Replacement Is LCS Backer

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http://breakingdefense.com/2014/02/depsecdef-visits-criticizes-littoral-combat-ship-fox-replacement-is-lcs-backer/



The $584,000,000 USS Freedom

DepSecDef Visits, Criticizes Littoral Combat Ship; Fox Replacement Is LCS Backer
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
on February 11, 2014 at 1:25 PM

It’s a delicate time for the Navy’s controversial Littoral Combat Ship, largely because of acting Deputy Defense Secretary Christine Fox.

It was Fox who wrote the memo directing the Navy to slash its long-term LCS buy from 52 vessels to 32. So we’d love to know how strained the smiles were yesterday when Fox stepped aboard the first LCS, the Lockheed Martin-built USS Freedom, which recently returned to San Diego from its malfunction-plagued maiden deployment to Singapore.

Whatever Fox saw and heard aboard the Freedom, it didn’t change her mind. This morning, at the AFCEA West conference in San Diego, Fox warned that the future fleet would face greater threats. ”Niche platforms that can conduct a certain mission in a permissive environment have a valuable place in the Navy’s inventory,” she allowed in her remarks today, “(but) given more advanced anti-ship munitions being developed by potential adversaries, I believe it is an imperative to devote increasing focus and resources to the survivability of our battle fleet.”

Her natural conclusion, therefore, was, “we need more ships with the protection and firepower to survive against a more advanced military adversary.” Her prepared remarks didn’t mention LCS specifically, but they didn’t have to. LCS has long taken intense criticism for its limited firepower and, even more so, its fragility compared to larger and more expensive warships. The Pentagon’s head of Operational Test and Evaluation has said repeatedly the ship is not survivable.