GAO: Navy should delay some LCS mine systems

GAO: Navy should delay some LCS mine systems
By Zachary M. Peterson - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Nov 13, 2007 17:20:55 EST

A recent report by the Government Accountability Office said the Navy should delay full-rate production of certain mine countermeasures planned for the Littoral Combat Ship until the new ship is capable of testing these new systems — a proposal the Pentagon does not support.

The investigative arm of Congress found that results have been “promising” for the initial mine warfare mission module systems, but “significant challenges” remain before the new capabilities are fielded. The biggest challenge is the lack of LCS sea frames, the first two of which were originally intended for delivery this year but have been delayed. Because of the lack of LCS sea frames, other ships will be used to test such systems as the Fire Scout unmanned helicopter and the MH-60S helicopter. Other vessels may be capable of serving as platforms for these systems, but the GAO report argues “the LCS is their primary platform and it will have different launch and recovery systems from the other ships.”

In a written response to the report’s recommendations, the Defense Department argues that delays in the full-rate production schedule for the mine warfare systems would harm the development of the overall platform. Such a delay would “result in gaps in industrial production, cost increases and delays in delivering the mine warfare capability to operational forces,” according to the Pentagon.

Since 1950, enemy sea mines have damaged or destroyed 15 Navy ships — more than any other weapons combined, the GAO noted in the Oct. 12 report. LCS is intended to be the Navy’s primary platform for mine countermeasures.

The Pentagon concurred with the GAO recommendation to assess options for improving its intelligence preparation investments, which include the capability to locate and map minefield boundaries. Improvements in intelligence preparation could “reduce mine countermeasures mission timelines by 30 to 75 percent,” the GAO report said.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/11/navy_lcsmine_report_071113w/



uhc comment: Two of the four LCS ships were canceled and we're spending money on systems for them?

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