State of LCS (Part 1 of 2)

SAN DIEGO – In five years, there may be as many Littoral Combat Ships deployed as Navy destroyers. The ships are growing their footprint, according to Vice Adm. Richard Brown, head of the surface force. “LCS is mainstreamed. It equals the ability to deploy of our DDGs,” Brown told USNI News. In a few years, the Navy will have 66 LCS crews to support 38 hulls in deployments, training and testing activities. There are 68 destroyer crews. While the LCS program won’t rival DDGs in manpower (LCS have smaller crews), the LCS’ higher operational availability makes it conceivable that LCS may be on deployments as much as destroyers. The Austal USA-built USS Montgomery (LCS-8) is now deployed to the Western Pacific. A second Independence-variant hull, USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10), deployed this week, to WESTPAC like its sister ship, the Navy confirmed Aug. 30. Freedom-variants USS Detroit (LCS-7) will deploy from Mayport, Fla., later this year to U.S. Southern Command. A handful of LCS have been operating off San Diego, and in the greater U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations, conducting testing/training activities and surface warfare and maritime domain awareness operations, according to Rear Adm. Casey Moton, executive officer for Unmanned and Small Combatants. LCS class got off to a slow operational start, Brown said, but is moving in the right direction to achieve forward-deployment to Bahrain and Singapore. Brown said there will likely always be multiple LCS on deployment going forward, starting in the fall. (Source: USNI 09/05/19) Gulf Coast Note: Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., builds the Independence variant of the LCS. https://news.usni.org/2019/09/05/the-state-of-lcs-navy-pushing-more-ships-to-sea-this-fall-as-class-matures