LCS Lives: They Still Count In Age Of Frigates

LCS Lives: They Still Count In Age Of Frigates
LCS Lives: They Still Count In Age Of Frigates

Yes, the Navy has cut short its Littoral Combat Ship program and started work on a bigger, tougher, better-armed frigate. But the small ships will still be big part of the future fleet, experts we spoke to agreed, and the frigate will carry on much of the LCS legacy. It’s true the Navy’s needs have…

Big Wars, Small Ships: CSBA’s Alternative Navy Praised By Sen. McCain

Big Wars, Small Ships: CSBA’s Alternative Navy Praised By Sen. McCain
Big Wars, Small Ships: CSBA’s Alternative Navy Praised By Sen. McCain

UPDATED with McCain praise WASHINGTON: The Navy needs a bigger fleet of smaller ships than envisioned in its official Force Structure Assessment, says a congressionally-chartered study from the Center for Strategic & Budgetary Assessments. CSBA emphatically agrees with the Navy that the focus needs to shift from day-to-day counter-terrorism and presence operations to deterring (and if need be,…

Navy Seizes 1,700 Iranian Weapons Bound For Yemen’s Houthi Rebels

Navy Seizes 1,700 Iranian Weapons Bound For Yemen’s Houthi Rebels
Navy Seizes 1,700 Iranian Weapons Bound For Yemen’s Houthi Rebels

We write a lot on this site about high-tech, high-cost weapons. But it’s worth remembering that most of the killing around the world, an estimated 200,000 deaths a year, takes place with low-tech tools, like these AK-47 assault rifles the Navy seized Friday in the Arabian Sea. All told, the small cargo ship carried 21…

US Navy Needs Fast Missile Craft — And LCS — in Persian Gulf

US Navy Needs Fast Missile Craft — And LCS — in Persian Gulf
US Navy Needs Fast Missile Craft — And LCS — in Persian Gulf

The Navy’s Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf doesn’t have an effective long-distance missile for ship-to-ship engagements. The Navy’s plans to eventually position eight Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) in the gulf by 2018 will not alleviate this problem, given current armament and design. (Tarbi wanted to use the Arabian Gulf instead of Persian, but the…