LCS Cut Ripples Through Navy’s New 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan

[unhappycamper]

http://breakingdefense.com/2016/03/lcs-cut-ripples-through-navys-new-30-year-shipbuilding-plan/



Total fleet size per year in current (PB 17) and last year’s (PB 16) 30-year-shipbuilding plan

LCS Cut Ripples Through Navy’s New 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. on March 14, 2016 at 3:13 PM

WASHINGTON: Defense Secretary Ashton Carter cut the Littoral Combat Ship program by 12 vessels last fall, but the surface fleet will feel the impact for decades. The long-term ramifications are laid out in detail by the Navy’s forthcoming 30-year shipbuilding plan, excerpts of which were obtained by Breaking Defense.

Last year’s 30-year plan projected the Navy would meet or exceed its goal of 308 “battle force” ships in twelve years (2022-231 and 2035-2036), peaking at 321 ships — which Carter called excessive — in 2028. By contrast, and entirely as a result of the LCS cut, this year’s projection is that the Navy will fulfill the 308-ship requirement in only eight years, 2021-2028, peaking at 311 vessels — just three ships above the goal.

What’s more, Navy leaders have more than hinted that 308 is not enough and their ongoing Fleet Structure Assessment — the first full review since 2012 — will raise the requirement to reflect the increased threat from China, Russia, and the Islamic State. If the goal goes up as little as four ships, to 312, the current 30-year plan will never meet it.

“I would bet a paycheck it’s going to be a number greater than 308 ships,” the Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. John Richardson, said at last week’s McAleese/Credit Suisse defense conference. “We’re cooking on that right now,” he said, with the new Force Structure Assessment probably coming out “this summer.”

[arendt]

1. I sense a theme today...

overpriced, underperforming, gold-plated crap.

Flying crap. Floating crap.

Does the army have a nag in this race?

The suckers paying for this might want to know how their money is being burned.

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Keep up the good work you do.

[unhappycamper]

2. Oh yea.

They plan on replacing our $240,000 hummers with $600,000 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles.

$120,000,000 Ospreys, new communications, and 15 years of war has more or less worn out everything.