LCS WTF of the Week

LCS just continues to give and give and give and give.

Roughead downplayed competition between the builders to secure contracts to build addition ships by the middle of the decade.

The ships "are different and they have different attributes, different strengths, different capabilities … and that's going to allow our operators to take those different capabilities, blend them together … and get the most out of the total littoral combat ship concept and system," Roughead said. "I don't see the two variants of LCS as competitive, I see it as complementary."

OK, that 's a new one on me.

Another data point why Navy has so little credibility on The Hill. So, where can we take this logic?

"Sure I have two girlfriends I am dating right now. I am going to marry one of them soon, but I don't see them as competitive, I see them as complimentary."

Yep; try that - it works about as well.

Let's go back, literally, just a couple of years.

The Navy announced today it will down select between the two Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) designs in fiscal 2010.
...
"This change to increase competition is required so we can build the LCS at an affordable price," said Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy. "LCS is vital to our Navy's future. It must succeed."

"Both ships meet our operational requirements and we need LCS now to meet the warfighters' needs," said Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations. "Down selecting now will improve affordability and will allow us to build LCS at a realistic cost and not compromise critical warfighting capabilities."

I know Ralph said,

A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, ...

... but really.

What will it take to have an honest conversation about LCS from someone in uniform O-8 or above? Good people can disagree on LCS - even though I may pull their tail now and then - I am willing to be proven wrong and convinced otherwise.

That being said, when the CNO of all people puts out a lame spin like that - the more and more I am convinced that even the true believers don't have confidence, they are just trapped by their own past and don't know what to do.

Like I said a few years ago - the LCS true believers continue to remind me of the sled dogs from The Thing. This is just another drop, flop, and foam --- and as a result our Sailors miss another day to having a future Fleet that you can fight and win with.