The Navy will commission its newest Independence-variant littoral combat ship, the future USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10), during a ceremony on Saturday, June 10, at 12:00 p.m. CDT on the waterfront in Galveston, Texas.
| Overhaul of Littoral Combat Ship Program Likely to Increase Risks and Costs
The Navy’s $29 billion Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program provides a step-by-step case study in acquisition failures and the costs and risks of unacceptable levels of concurrency. Its design requirements were poorly conceived; the manpower planning was wildly unrealistic; Navy leadership and program managers repeatedly circumvented acquisition rules, increasing concurrency and cost risk; production was approved despite poor and rushed analysis; and production milestones were approved despite glaring program failures. Moreover, the program is an example of how unwilling Congress is to step in and hold defense acquisition programs accountable: Congress repeatedly failed to intervene despite warnings from the Government Accountability Office, Congressional Research Service, and experienced independent analysts that this program was grossly off track. |
The future USS Gabrielle Giffords, designated LCS 10, is named after former United States Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona’s 8th district.
Adm. William Moran, the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, will deliver the ceremony’s principal address. For some reason, Dr. Jill Biden, wife of former Vice President Joseph Biden, is serving as the ship’s sponsor.
“The commissioning of USS Gabrielle Giffords adds the advanced capability of a versatile warship to our nation’s growing fleet,” said the Honorable Sean Stackley, acting Secretary of the Navy. “Today’s ceremony is also a testament to the skill and dedication of our nation’s remarkable shipbuilders, who will be remembered for decades to come as LCS 10 deploys around the world to protect our freedoms.”
The future USS Gabrielle Giffords is a fast, agile, focused-mission platform designed for operation in near-shore environments yet capable of open-ocean operation. It is designed to defeat asymmetric “anti-access” threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft.
The LCS class consists of two variants, the Freedom variant and the Independence variant, designed and built by two industry teams. The Freedom variant team is led by Lockheed Martin (for the odd-numbered hulls, e.g. LCS 1). The Independence variant team is led by Austal USA (for LCS 6 and the subsequent even-numbered hulls).
Each LCS seaframe will be outfitted with a single mission package made up of mission modules containing warfighting systems and support equipment. A dedicated ship crew will combine with aviation assets to deploy manned and unmanned vehicles and sensors in support of mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare or surface warfare missions.