U.S. Navy Photo Courtesy of Austal USA
The LCS pre-commissioning unit Coronado (LCS-4) rolls out of an Austal USA assembly bay on 9 January 2011. The LCS spent relatively little time in research, design, and development, and ships have been delivered quickly to the Fleet. At this writing, three LCSs have been delivered and two more are under construction. In comparison, it took 14 years for the first Arleigh Burke–class destroyer to be delivered.
U.S. Navy Photo Courtesy of Austal USA

The Right Ship at the Right Time

Despite being mired in controversy from its inception, the LCS is a multi-mission platform that fills the capabilities gap the Navy faces in the littorals.In January 2011, Proceedings published an article entitled “The Wrong Ship at the Wrong Time,” which called for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program to be canceled and replaced by a proven single-mission hull.1 Since then, the LCS has remained one of the most controversial ships the Navy has ever developed. Most of this controversy stems from the typical shortfalls associated with a research-and-development vessel; however, as LCSs transition to Fleet assets, they provide significant capabilities the Navy needs. The potential of these vessels will become even more evident as the USS Freedom (LCS-1) executes and completes her inaugural overseas deployment to the Western Pacific this year. It is now abundantly clear that the LCS is the right ship at the right time.
By Commanders Dale Heinken and Jeff Miller, U.S. Navy
June 2013
Proceedings
Article
View Issue

The U.S. Navy does not operate in a fiscal utopia where all its budgetary needs are met. It operates in a demanding environment with real adversaries and challenges, complicated by severe financial constraints. Since World War II, the Navy has dominated the air, surface, and subsurface environments, and it recently added ballistic-missile-defense capabilities. This is sufficient when engaging a near-peer adversary, but the Navy’s missions since the Cold War have “evolved to include defeating terrorists, pirates, and illegal traffickers; preparing to counter mines and armed small boats; providing humanitarian assistance/disaster relief; and building partnership capacity to take on maritime-security missions.”2

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