Naval traditionalists, like Polmar, say that even if you can get the ship to work, the basic design is a bad idea, a vulnerable and undergunned warship that provides far less combat power per dollar than foreign designs in the same weight class. The Navy, for its part, argues that it has turned LCS’s early problems around and that the ships’ unusual designs will open bold new possibilities for naval warfare.
Just two months ago, BreakingDefense was leaked a draft LCS report from the Government Accountability Office that said, among other criticisms, that the Navy had only 10 percent confidence in its own estimates of the warships’ long-term cost. GAO is rolling out a major LCS study this week – almost certainly the final version of the same report. The Navy will brief journalists on the GAO report tomorrow, while the seapower subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee will grill Navy officials about it at a hearing Thursday. We’ll keep our readers updated, but already it looks like an ugly week for LCS.
[Updated 2pm Wednesday : The Navy has announced that the ship’s crew and support technicians ashore have repaired two onboard generators that overheated, and the USS Freedom is now back underway and training with US and Royal Singapore Navy vessels.]