1 LCS may turn into 3, again

Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer was on Capitol Hill in March defending the service’s plan for buying one Littoral Combat Ship for FY 2019. The plan didn’t go over well with U.S. House members who represent Alabama and Wisconsin, where commercial shipyards are located that build the two separate variants. One LCS purchase wouldn’t provide enough work at those shipyards, and cause them to “crumble on us” and become “effectively crippled,” said Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.), whose district includes the Austal USA facility in Mobile that builds the Independence variant. However, analysts say Congress will almost certainly add up to two additional LCS to the Navy’s FY-19 budget – just like it did last year. “The 2019 LCS shortfall is likely to take care of itself from a congressional shipbuilding plus-up perspective,” said Jim McAleese, founder of McAleese and Associates, a government contracts consulting/legal firm. The Navy is trying to focus on ending the LCS program and replacing it with a guided-missile frigate over the next few years. (Source: (Washington Examiner 04/10/18)