NAVSEA NAUSEA

Ever wonder why NAVSEA has its own tag at CDRSalamander?

The situation regarding which of NAVSEA's two SUPSHIP offices oversees the LCS is somewhat confusing. The Lockheed Martin team is building its ships at Marinette Marine, in Marinette, Wis., while the General Dynamics ships are built at Mobile, Ala. But the territorial demarcation lines are drawn on a rough north-south axis: the SUPSHIP office in Bath oversees the Mobile operations, while the SUPSHIP operation based in Pascagoula - about 40 miles from Mobile - is responsible for the Marinette operations.

You can't make this stuff up.

In the same article though is a great demonstration of what will make having a politician as SECNAV so much fun.

Levin had just finished remarking about the LCS program's cost growth. Although he did not mention that one of the first two ships had passed the $700 million mark, he questioned if the service can meet the $460 million cost cap imposed by Congress on the ships the Navy is asking for in 2010.

"Is there a realistic prospect that you'll be able to do it?" Levin asked.

"I think there's a realistic prospect we can strive toward that goal," replied Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who cited the lack of a cost escalation provision in the congressional spending limit on LCS, despite rising labor costs and inflation, which "have frankly made that less realistic."

Translation contest. The above quote - please translate into clear, taxpayer English.