LCS supporter Work confirmed

Retired Marine Colonel, and Littoral Combat Ship supporter, Robert Work was confirmed by the Senate on April 30 as the new deputy secretary of defense. That places the 27-year military veteran as the Defense Department’s front man to battle with Congress over military pay, Tricare fees, weapons systems and the rebalance of forces. The 61-year-old Work, a former Navy undersecretary who clashed in confirmation hearings with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., over support for the LCS, will also be closely watched by the defense industry. After retiring from the Marines, Work became a senior fellow for maritime affairs and later VP for strategic studies at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. He was Navy undersecretary from 2009-13. (Source: Military.com, 05/01/14) Gulf Coast note: Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Ala., builds one of the two Littoral Combat Ship variants.