On LCS: the Right Idea Waiting for the Right Leader

If you missed Jerry Hendrix's article at National Review on the 27th, read it all.

For the long time members of the Front Porch, there will be lots of nodding heads.

Here is all you need to see (and Nic, no need to re-post all the pics);

The Navy had planned to move toward a more robust, “upgunned” frigate in the future. The senators recommend that the Navy take this step as quickly as possible. In doing so, however, I believe that the Navy should not tie itself to the current platforms under production. Their designs have proven to be far too fragile for active sea service under rough conditions. Rather the Navy should look to other relatively cheap and reliable frigate designs, perhaps even foreign designs — such as the Italian and French Fremm class, or perhaps the Dutch Absalon class — for rapid introduction in U.S. shipyards. Given the proven stability of these designs and our nation’s desire that our allies and partners purchase some of our more expensive platforms, such as the Joint Strike Fighter, perhaps it would be a wise to show reciprocity and purchase foreign designs for construction in U.S. yards.

Exactly. It would show a lot of respect that we would do what we ask others to do as well. Oh, and look at NANSEN.

As those who have read Jerry's work we've linked to here in the past, and when we've had him on Midrats, you know he is a big fleet numbers guy - and he ties this in as well;

What is critical is that we continue to refine our littoral combat ships right up to the moment that we are ready to cut the new frigates into production. We simply cannot afford, with a Navy hovering at 272 ships, to cease production of these ships for even a year. Despite our addiction to high-end capabilities, we have discovered in our moment of “accepted risk” that quantity has a quality all its own and that we need to continue investing in a larger, more effective Navy. As for the problems the current ships face, we must depend, with apologies to them, on the technical ingenuity of the Navy’s chiefs and petty officers to figure out how to make these ships more reliable in both the short and the long term. This is not the first time in the history of the Navy that they will have faced such challenges, but, regrettably, never have they faced so many at one time.

He is spot on.

All we need is for the right people to buy on to this idea so we can move forward.