Admiral's Thoughts on the LCS Program
The Director, Navy Staff, Vice-Adm. Richard W. Hunt, recommends the LCS council continue, looks to program future.
In a recent memo to the Chief of Naval Operations , the Director, Navy Staff, Vice Adm. Richard W. Hunt provided an update on the progress of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Council and outlined the council’s way ahead, including a recommendation that the council remain in place to monitor and provide oversight of the LCS program.
Specific achievements attributable to the LCS Council, which has completed all tasks assigned by the CNO in their initial charter, include:
• A Plan of Action and Milestones (POAM) to ensure LCS meets assigned capabilities and missions has been developed
• LCS is on a course to evolve, improve and ultimately deliver critical combat power to the Navy
• An LCS program review has been conducted
• USS Freedom (LCS 1) is on schedule to deploy in March
• Adjustments to manpower, training, maintenance and seaframe have been made to ensure program success
In a separate interview, Vice-Admiral Hunt has also addressed the LCS's immediate future :
“We are demonstrating an improved product on an almost weekly basis as we move forward with this. I am very optimistic that Freedom is going to get out there, deploy on time and operate exceptionally well. I think we’re going to learn a lot every day (during Freedom’s deployment) and what we learn is going to come back and change things. I think it will drive material change on the ships. I think it will inform and perhaps change future mission modules beyond just the surface modules (Freedom) is carrying with her as she does this first deployment.
Certainly there will be operational changes based on how she interacts with other navies in the Western Pacific and how she operates with the U.S. Navy for the occasions where she gets together with strike groups or amphibious ships during the deployment. This is going to be a really exciting and good time and, I think, a pivotal time as we move forward in the program. I have every confidence of success as we move forward.”