Oversight of vessels, modules combined

MOBILE, Ala. - The Navy put a rear admiral in charge of a new office overseeing the entire littoral combat ship program, a change from the previous division between building the vessels and the mission modules. The vessel program is ahead of the modules, packages of weapons and equipment designed for hunting mines, fighting submarines and attacking surface enemies. Navy officials said the decision to merge oversight of the programs had nothing to do with their respective performances, but simply to put both programs under the same leadership. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 07/11/11)