Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship Program May Get New Scrutiny

Leaders of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee today asked the Government Accountability Office to expand its probe of the Navy’s $37 billion Littoral Combat Ship program, citing “instability” in the development of the ship’s combat equipment modules.

“With $8 billion already sunk into this program to date without it having delivered a single fully combat-ready ship to support worldwide maritime operations as intended, I remain skeptical about this program and will continue to subject its overall cost, schedule and performance to the vigorous congressional oversight it warrants,” Arizona SenatorJohn McCain, the committee’s senior Republican, said in a written statement.

McCain and Michigan Democratic SenatorCarl Levin, the committee chairman, sent a letter to Gene Dodaro, the U.S. comptroller general, seeking a study that would focus on the ship’s “mission modules,” sets of equipment for specific tasks that are to be integrated into the ship’s seaframe.

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