Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program:
Background, Issues, and Options for Congress
Ronald O'Rourke
Specialist in Naval Affairs
September 27, 2010
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
RL33741
CRS Report for Congress
P
repared for Members and Committees of Congress
Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program
Summary
The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is a relatively inexpensive Navy surface combatant equipped
with modular “plug-and-fight” mission packages. The basic version of the LCS, without any
mission packages, is referred to as the LCS sea frame.
The Navy wants to field a force of 55 LCSs. The first two (LCS-1 and LCS-2) were procured in
FY2005 and FY2006 and were commissioned into service on November 8, 2008, and January 16,
2010. Another two (LCS-3 and LCS-4) were procured in FY2009 and are under construction.
Two more (LCS-5 and LCS-6) were procured in FY2010.
The Navy’s FY2011-FY2015 shipbuilding plan calls for procuring 17 more LCSs in annual
quantities of 2, 3, 4, 4, and 4. The Navy’s proposed FY2011 budget requests $1,231.0 million in
procurement funding for the two LCSs that the Navy wants to procure in FY2011, and $278.4
million in FY2011 advance procurement funding for the 11 LCSs that the Navy wants to procure
in FY2012-FY2014. The Navy’s proposed FY2011 budget also requests procurement funding to
procure LCS module weapons and LCS mission packages, and research and development funding
for the LCS program.
There are currently two very different LCS designs—one developed and produced by an industry
team led by Lockheed, and another developed and produced by an industry team led by General
Dynamics. LCS-1 and LCS-3 use the Lockheed design; LCS-2 and LCS-4 use the General
Dynamics design.
On September 16, 2009, the Navy announced a proposed new LCS acquisition strategy. Under
the strategy, the Navy would hold a competition to pick a single design to which all LCSs
procured in FY2010 and subsequent years would be built. (The process of selecting the single
design for all future production is called a down select.) The winner of the down select would be
awarded a contract to build 10 LCSs over the five-year period FY2010-FY2014, at a rate of two
ships per year. The Navy would then hold a second competition—open to all bidders other than
the shipyard building the 10 LCSs in FY2010-FY2014—to select a second shipyard to build up to
five additional LCSs to the same design in FY2012-FY2014 (one ship in FY2012, and two ships
per year in FY2013-FY2014). These two shipyards would then compete for contracts to build
LCSs procured in FY2015 and subsequent years.
Section 121(a) and (b) of the FY2010 defense authorization act (H.R. 2647/P.L. 111-84 of
October 28, 2009) grant the Navy contracting and other authority needed to implement this new
LCS acquisition strategy.
The Navy had earlier planned to make the down select decision and award the contract to build
the 10 LCSs sometime this past summer, but the decision was delayed and reportedly will now
occur within 90 days of September 15—the date by which the two industry teams were told by
the Navy to submit new proposal revisions. On this basis, it would appear that the decision could
be announced as late as December 14.
FY2011 issues for Congress include whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy’s request for
FY2011 procurement and advance procurement funding for the LCS program, and whether to
provide any additional direction to the Navy regarding LCS acquisition strategy.
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Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program
Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1
Background ................................................................................................................................ 2
The LCS in General .............................................................................................................. 2
Two Industry Teams, Each with Its Own Design.................................................................... 3
Planned Procurement Quantities............................................................................................ 3
Unit Procurement Cost Cap................................................................................................... 3
Growth in Sea Frame Procurement Costs .............................................................................. 4
2007 Program Restructuring and Ship Cancellations ............................................................. 5
New Acquisition Strategy Announced in September 2009...................................................... 5
FY2011 Funding Request ...................................................................................................... 6
Issues for Congress ..................................................................................................................... 6
New Acquisition Strategy Announced in September 2009...................................................... 6
Enough Time for Adequate Congressional Review of Navy Proposal? ............................. 7
Enough Time to Evaluate the Two Designs’ Operational Characteristics? ...................... 10
Weight Given to Procurement Cost vs. Other Factors in Request for Proposals
(RFP)......................................................................................................................... 11
Potential Risks If First Shipyard Cannot Build Ships Within Cost.................................. 13
Increasing LCS Combat System Commonality with Other Combat Systems .................. 13
Navy’s Longer-Term Plans Regarding Two “Orphan” Ships .......................................... 13
Potential Alternatives to Navy’s New Strategy............................................................... 14
Unit Procurement Cost Cap................................................................................................. 16
Cost Growth on LCS Sea Frames ........................................................................................ 16
Total Program Acquisition Cost........................................................................................... 17
Operation and Support (O&S) Cost ..................................................................................... 18
Operational Concepts .......................................................................................................... 19
Combat Survivability .......................................................................................................... 19
Technical Risk .................................................................................................................... 20
Seaframe....................................................................................................................... 20
Mission Packages.......................................................................................................... 21
Impact of Cancellation of NLOS-LS Missile System ........................................................... 24
Legislative Activity for FY2011 ................................................................................................ 25
Summary of Congressional Action on FY2011 Funding Request ......................................... 25
FY2011 Defense Authorization Bill (H.R. 5136/S. 3454)..................................................... 26
House ........................................................................................................................... 26
Senate ........................................................................................................................... 27
FY2011 DOD Appropriations Bill (S. 3800)........................................................................ 28
Senate ........................................................................................................................... 28
Tables
Table 1. Congressional Action on FY2011 LCS Funding Request .............................................. 25
Table C-1. Status of LCSs Funded in FY2005-FY2009.............................................................. 40
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Appendixes
Appendix A. Summary of Congressional Action in FY2005-FY2010......................................... 30
Appendix B. Cost Growth on LCS Sea Frames.......................................................................... 32
Appendix C. 2007 Program Restructuring and Ship Cancellations ............................................. 38
Appendix D. LCS Acquisition Strategy Announced in September 2009 ..................................... 41
Appendix E. May 2010 Navy Testimony Regarding Fuel Costs as Evaluation Factor................. 45
Appendix F. May 2010 Navy Testimony Regarding Impact of NLOS-LS Cancellation .............. 51
Appendix G. Potential for Common Hulls.................................................................................. 53
Contacts
Author Contact Information ...................................................................................................... 58
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Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program
Introduction
The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is a relatively inexpensive Navy surface combatant equipped
with modular “plug-and-fight” mission packages. The basic version of the LCS, without any
mission packages, is referred to as the LCS sea frame.
The Navy wants to field a force of 55 LCSs. The first two (LCS-1 and LCS-2) were procured in
FY2005 and FY2006 and were commissioned into service on November 8, 2008, and January 16,
2010. Another two (LCS-3 and LCS-4) were procured in FY2009 and are under construction.
Two more (LCS-5 and LCS-6) were procured in FY2010.
The Navy’s FY2011-FY2015 shipbuilding plan calls for procuring 17 more LCSs in annual
quantities of 2, 3, 4, 4, and 4. The Navy’s proposed FY2011 budget requests $1,231.0 million in
procurement funding for the two LCSs that the Navy wants to procure in FY2011, and $278.4
million in FY2011 advance procurement funding for the 11 LCSs that the Navy wants to procure
in FY2012-FY2014. The Navy’s proposed FY2011 budget also requests procurement funding to
procure LCS module weapons and LCS mission packages, and research and development funding
for the LCS program.
There are currently two very different LCS designs—one developed and produced by an industry
team led by Lockheed, and another developed and produced by an industry team led by General
Dynamics. LCS-1 and LCS-3 use the Lockheed design; LCS-2 and LCS-4 use the General
Dynamics design.
On September 16, 2009, the Navy announced a proposed new LCS acquisition strategy. Under
the strategy, the Navy would hold a competition to pick a single design to which all LCSs
procured in FY2010 and subsequent years would be built. (The process of selecting the single
design for all future production is called a down select.) The winner of the down select would be
awarded a contract to build 10 LCSs over the five-year period FY2010-FY2014, at a rate of two
ships per year. The Navy would then hold a second competition—open to all bidders other than
the shipyard building the 10 LCSs in FY2010-FY2014—to select a second shipyard to build up to
five additional LCSs to the same design in FY2012-FY2014 (one ship in FY2012, and two ships
per year in FY2013-FY2014). These two shipyards would then compete for contracts to build
LCSs procured in FY2015 and subsequent years.
Section 121(a) and (b) of the FY2010 defense authorization act (H.R. 2647/P.L. 111-84 of
October 28, 2009) grant the Navy contracting and other authority needed to implement this new
LCS acquisition strategy.
The Navy had earlier planned to make the down select decision and award the contract to build
the 10 LCSs sometime this past summer, but the decision was delayed and reportedly will now
occur within 90 days of September 15—the date by which the two industry teams were told by
the Navy to submit new proposal revisions. On this basis, it would appear that the decision could
be announced as late as December 14.1
1 Cid Standifer and Andrew Burt, “LCS Decision May Extend To December; Senate Cuts One Ship From FY-11,
Inside the Navy, September 20, 2010.
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FY2011 issues for Congress include whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy’s request for
FY2011 procurement and advance procurement funding for the LCS program, and whether to
provide any additional direction to the Navy regarding LCS acquisition strategy. Decisions that
Congress makes on this issue could affect future Navy capabilities and funding requirements, and
the shipbuilding industrial base.
Background
The LCS in General
The LCS program was announced on November 1, 2001.2 The LCS is a relatively inexpensive
Navy surface combatant that is to be equipped with modular “plug-and-fight” mission packages,
including unmanned vehicles (UVs). Rather than being a multimission ship like the Navy’s larger
surface combatants, the LCS is to be a focused-mission ship equipped to perform one primary
mission at any one time. The ship’s mission orientation can be changed by changing out its
mission packages. The basic version of the LCS, without any mission packages, is referred to as
the LCS sea frame.
The LCS’s primary intended missions are antisubmarine warfare (ASW), mine countermeasures
(MCM), and surface warfare (SUW) against small boats (including so-called “swarm boats”),
particularly in littoral (i.e., near-shore) waters. The LCS program includes the development and
procurement of ASW, MCM, and SUW mission packages for LCS sea frames. Additional
missions for the LCS include peacetime engagement and partnership-building operations,
intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations, maritime intercept operations,
operations to support special operations forces, and homeland defense operations.
The LCS displaces about 3,000 tons, making it about the size of a corvette (i.e., a light frigate) or
a Coast Guard cutter. It has a maximum speed of more than 40 knots, compared to something
more than 30 knots for the Navy cruisers and destroyers. The LCS has a shallower draft than
Navy cruisers and destroyers, permitting it to operate in certain coastal waters and visit certain
ports that are not accessible to Navy cruisers and destroyers. The LCS employs automation to
achieve a reduced “core” crew of 40 sailors. Up to 35 or so additional sailors are to operate the
ship’s embarked aircraft and mission packages, making for a total crew of about 75, compared to
more than 200 for the Navy’s frigates and about 300 (or more) for the Navy’s current cruisers and
destroyers.
2 On November 1, 2001, the Navy announced that it was launching a Future Surface Combatant Program aimed at
acquiring a family of next-generation surface combatants. This new family of surface combatants, the Navy stated,
would include three new classes of ships: a destroyer called the DD(X)—later redesignated the DDG-1000—for the
precision long-range strike and naval gunfire mission; a cruiser called the CG(X) for the air defense and ballistic
missile mission, and a smaller combatant called the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) to counter submarines, small surface
attack craft, and mines in heavily contested littoral (near-shore) areas. For more on the DDG-1000 program, see CRS
Report RL32109, Navy DDG-51 and DDG-1000 Destroyer Programs: Background and Issues for Congress, by
Ronald O'Rourke. For more on the CG(X) program, see CRS Report RL34179, Navy CG(X) Cruiser Program:
Background for Congress, by Ronald O'Rourke.
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Two Industry Teams, Each with Its Own Design
On May 27, 2004, the Navy awarded contracts to two industry teams—one led by Lockheed
Martin, the other by General Dynamics (GD)—to design two versions of the LCS, with options
for each team to build up to two LCSs each. The two teams’ LCS designs are quite different—
Lockheed’s design is based on a steel semi-planing monohull, while GD’s design is based on an
aluminum trimaran hull. The two ships also use different combat systems (i.e., different
collections of built-in sensors, computers, software, and tactical displays) that were designed by
each industry team. The Navy states that both designs meet the Key Performance Parameters
(KPPs) for the LCS program. The Lockheed team built LCS-1 and is building LCS-3 at Marinette
Marine of Marinette, WI. The General Dynamics team built LCS-2 and is building LCS-4 at the
Austal USA shipyard of Mobile, AL.3
Planned Procurement Quantities
The Navy plans to field a force of 55 LCS sea frames and 64 LCS mission packages (16 ASW, 24
MCM, and 24 SUW). The Navy’s planned force of 55 LCSs would account for about 18% of the
Navy’s planned force of 313 ships of all types.4
The Navy’s five-year (FY2011-FY2015) shipbuilding plan calls for procuring 17 LCSs in annual
quantities of 2, 3, 4, 4, and 4. The Navy’s 30-year (FY2011-FY2040) shipbuilding plan shows
three LCSs per year for FY2016-FY2019, two per year for FY2020-FY2024, a 1-2-1-2 pattern for
FY2025-FY2033, and two per year for FY2034-FY2040. LCSs scheduled for procurement in the
final years of the 30-year plan would be replacements for LCSs that will have reached the end of
their 25-year expected service lives by that time.
Unit Procurement Cost Cap
LCS sea frames procured in FY2010 and subsequent years are subject to a unit procurement cost
cap. The legislative history of the cost cap is as follows:
• The cost cap was originally established by Section 124 of the FY2006 defense
authorization act (H.R. 1815/P.L. 109-163 of January 6, 2006). Under this
provision, the fifth and sixth ships in the class were to cost no more than $220
million each, plus adjustments for inflation and other factors.
• The cost cap was amended by Section 125 of the FY2008 defense
authorization act (H.R. 4986/P.L. 110-181 of January 28, 2008). This provision
amended the cost cap to $460 million per ship, with no adjustments for inflation,
and applied the cap to all LCSs procured in FY2008 and subsequent years.
3 Austal USA was created in 1999 as a joint venture between Austal Limited of Henderson, Western Australia and
Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Company of Mobile, AL. The GD LCS team also includes GD/BIW as prime contractor
to provide program management and planning, provide technical management, and to serve as “LCS system production
lead.”
4 For more on the Navy’s planned 313-ship fleet, see CRS Report RL32665, Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding
Plans: Background and Issues for Congress, by Ronald O'Rourke.
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• The cost cap was amended again by Section 122 of the FY2009 defense
authorization act (S. 3001/P.L. 110-417 of October 14, 2008). This provision
deferred the implementation of the cost cap by two years, applying it to all LCSs
procured in FY2010 and subsequent years.
• The cost cap was amended again by Section 121(c) and (d) of the FY2010
defense authorization act (H.R. 2647/P.L. 111-84 of October 28, 2009). The
provision adjusted the cost cap to $480 million per ship, excluded certain costs
from being counted against the $480 million cap, included provisions for
adjusting that figure over time to take inflation and other events into account, and
permitted the Secretary of the Navy to waive the cost cap under certain
conditions.5
Growth in Sea Frame Procurement Costs
The Navy originally spoke of building LCS sea frames for about $220 million each in constant
FY2005 dollars. Estimated LCS sea frame unit procurement costs have since more than doubled.
The FY2011 budget estimates the procurement costs of LCS sea frames to be procured in
FY2011-FY2015 at roughly $600 million each in then-year dollars. An August 2010 Government
Accountability Office (GAO) report on the LCS program stated:
The Navy entered contract negotiations in 2009 for fiscal year 2010 funded [LCS] seaframes
with an incomplete understanding of LCS program costs. These contract negotiations proved
unsuccessful, prompting the Navy to revise its acquisition strategy for the program. The
contractors’ proposals for construction of the next three ships exceeded the approximate $1.4
billion in funds the Navy had allocated in its fiscal year 2010 budget. In response, the Navy
revised its strategy to construct one seaframe design instead of two for fiscal year 2010 ships
and beyond in an effort to improve affordability. Navy cost analyses completed prior to the
failed negotiations in 2009 lack several characteristics essential to a high-quality cost
estimate. These characteristics include the completion of sensitivity and uncertainty analyses
and an independent review of the cost estimate. The Navy plans to complete a more
comprehensive cost estimate before award of additional ship contracts in 2010.6
For a detailed discussion of cost growth on LCS sea frames from the FY2006 budget cycle
through the FY2009 budget cycle, see Appendix B.
5 Section 121(d)(1) states that the Secretary of the Navy may waive the cost cap if:
(A) the Secretary provides supporting data and certifies in writing to the congressional defense
committees that—
(i) the total amount obligated or expended for procurement of the vessel-
(I) is in the best interest of the United States; and
(II) is affordable, within the context of the annual naval vessel construction plan required
by section 231 of title 10, United States Code; and
(ii) the total amount obligated or expended for procurement of at least one other vessel
authorized by subsection (a) has been or is expected to be less than $480,000,000; and
(B) a period of not less than 30 days has expired following the date on which such certification and
data are submitted to the congressional defense committees.
6 Government Accountability Office, Defense Acquisitions[:] Navy’s Ability to Overcome Challenges Facing the
Littoral Combat Ship Will Determine Eventual Capabilities, GAO-10-523, August 2010, summary page.
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2007 Program Restructuring and Ship Cancellations
The Navy substantially restructured the LCS program in 2007 in response to significant cost
growth and delays in constructing the first LCS sea frames. This restructuring led to the
cancellation of four LCSs that were funded in FY2006 and FY2007. A fifth LCS, funded in
FY2008, was cancelled in 2008. For details on the 2007 program restructuring and the
cancellation of the five LCSs funded in FY2006-FY2008, see Appendix C.
New Acquisition Strategy Announced in September 2009
On September 16, 2009, the Navy announced a proposed new LCS acquisition strategy.7 Under
the strategy, the Navy would hold a competition to pick a single design to which all LCSs
procured in FY2010 and subsequent years would be built. (The process of selecting the single
design for all future production is called a down select.) The winner of the down select would be
awarded a contract to build 10 LCSs over the five-year period FY2010-FY2014, at a rate of two
ships per year. The Navy would then hold a second competition—open to all bidders other than
the shipyard building the 10 LCSs in FY2010-FY2014—to select a second shipyard to build up to
five additional LCSs to the same design in FY2012-FY2014 (one ship in FY2012, and two ships
per year in FY2013-FY2014). These two shipyards would then compete for contracts to build
LCSs procured in FY2015 and subsequent years.
Section 121(a) and (b) of the FY2010 defense authorization act (H.R. 2647/P.L. 111-84 of
October 28, 2009) grant the Navy contracting and other authority needed to implement this new
LCS acquisition strategy.
The Navy had earlier planned to make the down select decision and award the contract to build
the 10 LCSs sometime this past summer, but the decision was delayed and reportedly will now
occur within 90 days of September 15—the date by which the two industry teams were told by
the Navy to submit new proposal revisions. On this basis, it would appear that the decision could
be announced as late as December 14.8 An August 25, 2010, press report stated that “the Defense
7 Prior to the Navy’s announcement of September 16, 2009, the Navy had announced an acquisition strategy for LCSs
to be procured in FY2009 and FY2010. Under this acquisition strategy, the Navy bundled together the two LCSs
funded in FY2009 (LCSs 3 and 4) with the three LCSs to be requested for FY2010 into a single, five-ship solicitation.
The Navy announced that each LCS industry team would be awarded a contract for one of the FY2009 ships, and that
the prices that the two teams bid for both the FY2009 ships and the FY2010 ships would determine the allocation of the
three FY2010 ships, with the winning team getting two of the FY2010 ships and the other team getting one FY2010
ship. This strategy was intended to use the carrot of the third FY2010 ship to generate bidding pressure on the two
industry teams for both the FY2009 ships and the FY2010 ships.
The Navy stated that the contracts for the two FY2009 ships would be awarded by the end of January 2009. The first
contract (for Lockheed Martin, to build LCS-3) was awarded March 23, 2009; the second contract (for General
Dynamics, to build LCS-4) was awarded May 1, 2009. The delay in the awarding of the contracts past the end-of-
January target date may have been due in part to the challenge the Navy faced in coming to agreement with the industry
teams on prices for the two FY2009 ships that would permit the three FY2010 ships to be built within the $460 million
LCS unit procurement cost cap. See also Statement of RADM Victor Guillory, U.S. Navy Director of Surface Warfare,
and RADM William E. Landay, III, Program Executive Officer Ships, and Ms. E. Anne Sandel, Program Executive
Officer Littoral and Mine Warfare, before the Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary Forces of the House
Armed Services Committee [hearing] on the Current Status of the Littoral Combat Ship Program, March 10, 2009, pp.
7-8.
8 Cid Standifer and Andrew Burt, “LCS Decision May Extend To December; Senate Cuts One Ship From FY-11,
Inside the Navy, September 20, 2010.
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Acquisition Board now won’t meet until mid-October to give the green light to the Navy to
proceed with the LCS contract award.”9 An August 30, 2010, press report stated:
A Navy official said that the contract for the next batch of LCSs cannot be awarded before
the DAB meets; however, the Navy could [nevertheless] make its downselect decision
between the designs…. He added that the Navy hasn't determined whether it would announce
its downselect decision at that time.10
For additional background information on the Navy’s new acquisition strategy, see Appendix D.
FY2011 Funding Request
The Navy’s proposed FY2011 budget requests $1,231.0 million in procurement funding for the
two LCSs that the Navy wants to procure in FY2011, and $278.4 million in FY2011 advance
procurement funding for the 11 LCSs that the Navy wants to procure in FY2012-FY2014. The
Navy’s proposed FY2011 budget estimates the procurement costs of LCS sea frames to be
procured in FY2011-FY2015 at roughly $600 million each in then-year dollars. The Navy’s
proposed FY2011 budget also requests $9.8 million in procurement funding to procure LCS
module weapons, $83.0 million in procurement funding for procurement of LCS mission
packages, and $226.3 million in research and development funding for the LCS program.
Issues for Congress
New Acquisition Strategy Announced in September 2009
The new LCS acquisition strategy announced by the Navy on September 16, 2009, poses several
potential oversight questions for Congress, including the following:
• Did the timing of the Navy’s September 2009 announcement of the new
strategy—very late in the congressional process for reviewing, marking up, and
finalizing action on the FY2010 defense budget—provide Congress with
sufficient time to adequately review the proposal prior to finalizing its action on
the FY2010 defense budget?
• Does the Navy’s proposed strategy allow the Navy enough time to adequately
evaluate the operational characteristics of the two LCS designs before selecting
one of those designs for all future production?
• Does the Navy’s proposed method for conducting the LCS down select—the
Request for Proposals (RFP)—appropriately balance procurement cost against
other criteria, such as life-cycle operation and support (O&S) cost and ship
capability?
9 Geoff Fein, “Navy Won’t Make LCS Award Before Fall As It Awaits Additional Industry Responses,” Defense Daily,
August 25, 2010: 4-5. See also Cid Standifer, “Navy Reopens Negotiations For LCS While Pentagon Delays DAB,”
Inside the Navy, August 30, 2010.
10 Cid Standifer, “Navy Reopens Negotiations For LCS While Pentagon Delays DAB,” Inside the Navy, August 30,
2010.
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• What risks would the Navy face if the shipyard that wins the competition to build
the 10 LCSs in FY2010-FY2014 cannot build them within the contracted cost?
• How does the Navy plan to evolve the combat system on the winning LCS design
to a configuration that has greater commonality with one or more existing Navy
surface ship combat systems?
• What are the Navy’s longer-term plans regarding the two “orphan” LCSs that are
built to the design that is not chosen in the down select?
• What potential alternatives are there to the Navy’s new acquisition strategy?
Each of these questions is discussed briefly below.
Enough Time for Adequate Congressional Review of Navy Proposal?
One potential issue for Congress concerning the Navy’s proposed acquisition strategy is whether
the timing of the Navy’s September 2009 announcement of the new LCS acquisition strategy—
very late in the congressional process for reviewing, marking up, and finalizing action on the
FY2010 defense budget—provided Congress with sufficient time to adequately review the
proposal prior to finalizing its action on the FY2010 defense budget. The announcement of the
Navy’s proposed acquisition strategy on September 16, 2009, came
• after the defense committees of Congress had held their hearings to review the
FY2010 budget submission;
• after the FY2010 defense authorization bill (H.R. 2647/S. 1390) and the
Department of Defense (DOD) appropriations bill (H.R. 3326) had been reported
in the House and Senate;
• after both the House and Senate had amended and passed their versions of the
FY2010 defense authorization bill, setting the stage for the conference on that
bill; and
• after the House had passed its version of the FY2010 DOD appropriations bill.
The timing of the Navy’s announcement was a byproduct of the fact that the Navy was not able to
see and evaluate the industry bids for the three LCSs that the navy had originally requested for
FY2010 until August 2009. The September 16, 2009, announcement date may have been the
earliest possible announcement date, given the time the Navy needed to consider the situation
created by the bids, evaluate potential courses of action, and select the newly proposed
acquisition strategy.
Although the Navy might not have been able to present the proposed strategy to Congress any
sooner than September 16, the timing of the Navy’s announcement nevertheless put Congress in
the position of being asked to approve a major proposal for the LCS program—a proposal that
would determine the basic shape of the acquisition strategy for the program for many years into
the future—with little or no opportunity for formal congressional review and consideration
through hearings and committee markup activities.
A shortage of time for formal congressional review and consideration would be a potential
oversight issue for Congress for any large weapon acquisition program, but this might be
especially the case for the LCS program, because it would not be the first time that the Navy has
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put Congress in the position of having to make a significant decision about the LCS program with
little or no opportunity for formal congressional review and consideration. As discussed in
previous CRS reporting on the LCS program, a roughly similar situation occurred in the summer
of 2002, after Congress had completed its budget-review hearings on the proposed FY2003
budget, when the Navy submitted a late request for the research and development funding that
effectively started the LCS program.11
11 The issue of whether Congress was given sufficient time to review and consider the merits of the LCS program in its
early stages was discussed through multiple editions of past CRS reports covering the LCS program. The discussion in
those reports raised the question of whether “Navy officials adopted a rapid acquisition strategy for the LCS program in
part to limit the amount of time available to Congress to assess the merits of the LCS program and thereby effectively
rush Congress into approving the start of LCS procurement before Congress fully understands the details of the
program.” The discussion continued:
With regard to the possibility of rushing Congress into a quick decision on LCS procurement, it can
be noted that announcing the LCS program in November 2001 and subsequently proposing to start
procurement in FY2005 resulted in a situation of Congress having only three annual budget-review
seasons to learn about the new LCS program, assess its merits against other competing DOD
priorities, and make a decision on whether to approve the start of procurement. These three annual
budget-review seasons would occur in 2002, 2003, and 2004, when Congress would review the
Navy’s proposed FY2003, FY2004, and FY2005 budgets, respectively. Congress’ opportunity to
conduct a thorough review of the LCS program in the first two of these three years, moreover, may
have been hampered:
• 2002 budget-review season (for FY2003 budget). The Navy’s original FY2003 budget
request, submitted to Congress in February 2002, contained no apparent funding for
development of the LCS. In addition, the Navy in early 2002 had not yet announced that it
intended to employ a rapid acquisition strategy for the LCS program. As a result, in the early
months of 2002, there may have been little reason within Congress to view the LCS program
as a significant FY2003 budget-review issue. In the middle of 2002, the Navy submitted an
amended request asking for $33 million in FY2003 development funding for the LCS
program. Navy officials explained that they did not decide until the middle of 2002 that they
wanted to pursue a rapid acquisition strategy for the LCS program, and consequently did not
realize until then that there was a need to request $33 million in FY2003 funding for the
program. By the middle of 2002, however, the House and Senate Armed Services committees
had already held their spring FY2003 budget-review hearings and marked up their respective
versions of the FY2003 defense authorization bill. These two committees thus did not have an
opportunity to use the spring 2002 budget-review season to review in detail the Navy’s
accelerated acquisition plan for the LCS program or the supporting request for $33 million in
funding.
• 2003 budget-review season (for FY2004 budget). To support a more informed review of the
LCS program during the spring 2003 budget-review season, the conferees on the FY2003
defense authorization bill included a provision (Section 218) requiring the Navy to submit a
detailed report on several aspects of the LCS program, including its acquisition strategy. In
response to this legislation, the Navy in February 2003 submitted a report of eight pages in
length, including a title page and a first page devoted mostly to a restatement of Section 218’s
requirement for the report. The House and Senate Armed Services committees, in their reports
on the FY2004 defense authorization bill, have expressed dissatisfaction with the
thoroughness of the report as a response to the requirements of Section 218. (For details, see
the “Legislative Activity” section of this report.) It is thus not clear whether the defense
authorization committees were able to conduct their spring 2003 budget-review hearings on
the FY2004 budget with as much information about the LCS program as they might have
preferred.
(See, for example, CRS Report RL 32109, Navy DD(X), CG(X), and LCS Ship Acquisition Programs: Oversight Issues
and Options for Congress, by Ronald O’Rourke, updated July 29, 2005, pp. CRS-59 to CRS-60. This discussion was
carried through multiple updates of CRS reports covering the LCS program.)
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Supporters of the idea of approving the Navy’s proposed acquisition strategy as part of
Congress’s work to finalize action on the FY2010 defense budget could argue one or more of the
following:
• The timing of the Navy’s proposal, though not convenient for Congress,
nevertheless represented a good-faith effort by the Navy to present the proposal
to Congress at the earliest possible date. The Navy conducted multiple briefings
with congressional offices starting in September 2009 to explain the proposed
strategy.
• The LCS program needed to be put on a more stable long-term path as soon as
possible, and if Congress did not approve the proposal as part of its work in
finalizing action on the FY2010 defense budget, another year would pass before
the LCS program could be put on a stable path approved by Congress.
• Although cost growth and construction problems with the LCS program can be
viewed as a consequence of past attempts to move ahead too quickly on the LCS
program, the Navy’s new acquisition strategy does not risk repeating this
experience, because it does not represent another attempt to move ahead on the
program at an imprudent speed. To the contrary, the strategy seeks to reduce
execution risks by limiting LCS procurement to a maximum of four ships per
year and providing a stable planning environment for LCS shipyards and
suppliers.
• If the proposed strategy were not approved by Congress as part of its action on
the FY2010 budget, the LCSs procured in FY2010 would be more expensive to
procure, since they would not benefit from economies of scale that would come
from awarding the FY2010 ships as part of a contract that also includes LCSs to
be procured in FY2011-FY2014.
Supporters of the idea of deferring a decision on the Navy’s proposed acquisition strategy until
the FY2011 budget cycle could argue one or more of the following:
• Navy briefings to Congress on the proposed strategy starting in September 2009,
though helpful, were not sufficient for Congress to fully understand the features
and potential implications of the Navy’s proposed acquisition strategy—much
less the relative merits of potential alternatives to that strategy.
• The risks of making a quick decision on the Navy’s proposed acquisition
strategy, with little time for formal congressional review and consideration, are
underscored by the history of the LCS program, which includes substantial cost
growth and construction problems that can be viewed as the consequence of past
attempts to move ahead quickly on the program, without more-extensive
congressional review and consideration.
• The desire to avoid a paying a relatively high cost for LCSs procured in FY2010,
though real, should not have been a controlling factor in this situation (i.e.,
should not have been “the tail that wags the dog”). Paying a higher cost for LCSs
procured in FY2010, though not optimal, would be an investment to buy time for
Congress to more fully review and consider the merits of both the Navy’s
proposal and potential alternatives to it. Problems avoided through a full
congressional review and consideration of the Navy’s proposal and potential
alternatives during the FY2011 budget cycle could eventually save the Navy a lot
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more money than the Navy hopes to save on the LCSs procured in FY2010 by
procuring them as part of a contract that also includes LCSs to be procured in
FY2011-FY2014.
• Approving the Navy’s proposed acquisition strategy at a late juncture in the
annual congressional process for reviewing and marking up the defense budget
would set an undesirable precedent from Congress’s standpoint regarding late
submissions to Congress of significant proposals for large defense acquisition
programs, and encourage DOD to do the same with other large weapon
acquisition programs in the future in the hopes of stampeding Congress into
making quick decisions on major proposals for those programs.
Enough Time to Evaluate the Two Designs’ Operational Characteristics?
Another potential issue for Congress concerning the Navy’s proposed acquisition strategy is
whether the strategy allows the Navy enough time to adequately evaluate the operational
characteristics of the two LCS designs before selecting one of those designs for all future
production. Potential oversight questions for Congress include the following:
• Since LCS-1 as of September 2009 had been in commissioned service for less
than a year, and LCS-2 as of that date had not yet been delivered to the Navy,
how firm was the basis for the Navy’s determination that both LCS designs meet
the Navy’s operational requirements for LCS?
• By the summer of 2010—when the Navy plans to award a contract to the winner
of the down select—the Navy will have had only a limited time to evaluate the
operational characteristics of LCS-1 and LCS-2 through fleet exercises and use in
actual Navy deployments. Will the Navy at that point have a sufficient
understanding of the two designs’ operational characteristics to appropriately
treat the operational characteristics of the two designs in the down select?
The Navy and its supporters could argue that the Navy has chosen a preferred design for other
new Navy ships (such as the DDG-1000 destroyer) on the basis of paper designs only, and
consequently that the Navy would have a firmer basis for performing the LCS down select than it
has had on other shipbuilding programs. They can argue that the Navy has a good understanding
of the basic differences between the ships—that the Lockheed design, for example, may have
better features for supporting small boat operations (which are used for certain LCS missions),
while the General Dynamics design may have better features for supporting helicopter and
unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations (which are used for certain LCS missions).
Skeptics could argue that the Navy in the past has talked about performing an extensive
operational review of each design prior to settling on an acquisition strategy for follow-on ships
in the program, and that the innovative nature of the LCS—a modular ship with plug-and-fight
mission packages and a small crew—increases the risks associated with selecting a single LCS
design before performing such an extensive operational review. Skeptics could argue that the
Navy is depriving itself of the opportunity to better understand, through exercises and real-world
deployments, the implications for overall fleet operations of building all LCSs to one design or
the other before performing the down select.
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Weight Given to Procurement Cost vs. Other Factors in Request for Proposals
(RFP)
Another potential issue for Congress concerning the Navy’s proposed acquisition strategy
concerns the criteria that the Navy will use for selecting a winning design in the down select.
Some observers, particularly supporters of the General Dynamics LCS design, argue that the
Navy’s proposed method for evaluating the two LCS designs in the LCS down select—set forth
in the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the down select—focuses too much on procurement cost
and not enough on other factors, particularly life-cycle fuel cost, other components of life-cycle
operating and support (O&S) cost, and ship capability. Other observers, particularly supporters of
the Lockheed LCS design, argue (as does the Navy) that the Navy’s proposed method for
conducting the LCS down select adequately takes into account factors other than procurement
cost. The issue is viewed as having the potential for leading to a protest of the Navy’s down select
decision by the firm that is not selected.12
Regarding the role of life-cycle operation and support (O&S) cost in the Navy’s down select
decision, a February 2010 GAO report stated:
The Navy estimated operating and support costs for LCS seaframes and mission packages in
2009, but the estimates do not fully reflect DOD and GAO best practices for cost estimating
and may change due to program uncertainties. GAO’s analysis of the Navy’s 2009 estimates
showed that the operating and support costs for seaframes and mission packages could total
$84 billion (in constant fiscal year 2009 dollars) through about 2050. However, the Navy did
not follow some best practices for developing an estimate such as (1) analyzing the
likelihood that the costs could be greater than estimated, (2) fully assessing how the estimate
may change as key assumptions change, and (3) requesting an independent estimate and
comparing it with the program estimate. The estimates may also be affected by program
uncertainties, such as potential changes to force structure that could alter the number of ships
and mission packages required. The costs to operate and support a weapon system can total
70 percent of a system’s costs, and the lack of an estimate that fully reflects best practices
could limit decision makers’ ability to identify the resources that will be needed over the
long term to support the planned investment in LCS force structure. With a decision pending
in 2010 on which seaframe to buy for the remainder of the program, decision makers could
lack critical information to assess the full costs of the alternatives.13
A February 8, 2010, press report stated that “the Navy will draw up total life-cycle cost estimates
for both the Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics versions of the Littoral Combat Ship before
the program goes before the Defense Acquisition Board this year for its Milestone B. review. The
12 For examples of articles discussing this issue, see Sean Reilly, “Loser To Fight In LCS Deal?” Mobile (AL) Press-
Register, March 28, 2010: 1; Cid Standifer, “Austal USA, GD Officials Criticize Navy’s RFP Criteria For LCS
Award,” Inside the Navy, March 29, 2010; Zachary M. Peterson, “Navy LCS Proposal Request Seeks ‘Qualitative’
Total Ownership Cost Figures,” Inside the Navy, March 22, 2010; Emelie Rutherford, “Navy Stands By LCS Due Date
As Hill Backers Of Each Bidder Swap Barbs,” Defense Daily, March 18, 2010: 2-3; Geoff Fein, “General Dynamics’
LCS Burns Less Fuel At Higher Speeds, Navy Documents Show,” Defense Daily, March 2, 2010: 1-2; Geoff Fein,
“Sessions Presses Navy Over Fairness of LCS RFP Evaluation,” Defense Daily, March 1, 2010: 6-7; Geoff Fein, “USS
Independence [LCS-2] Is The More Fuel Efficient of Two LCS Variants, Austal Official Says,” Defense Daily,
February 24, 2010: 2-3; Geoff Fein, “LCS RFP: Greater Emphasis Placed On Ship Price, Less On Life-Cycle Cost,”
Defense Daily, January 29, 2010: 5-7; Christopher P. Cavas, “RFP for LCS: Cost Main Factor in Winning Bid,”
NavyTimes.com, January 28, 2010.
13 Government Accountability Office, Littoral Combat Ship[:] Actions Needed to Improve Operating Cost Estimates
and Mitigate Risks in Implementing New Concepts, GAO-10-257, February 2010, summary page.
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service included the announcement in a response to a Government Accountability Office report
that criticized LCS life-cycle estimates.”14
At the request of Senator Jeff Sessions, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analyzed the
impact of O&S cost and other types of costs on the total life-cycle costs of the LCS and (for
purposes of comparison) four other types of Navy ships. The results of CBO’s analysis were
released in the form of an April 28, 2010, letter to Senator Sessions. The letter states:
CBO projected the life-cycle cost of the LCS-1 under three different assumptions about the
average annual amount of fuel the ship will use over its 25-year life: low, moderate, and
high. In all three scenarios, procurement costs dominate the life-cycle cost of the LCS-1,
ranging from 58 percent to 66 percent of the total.… Personnel costs make up 14 percent to
16 percent of the LCS-1’s total life-cycle cost in the various scenarios, and fuel costs account
for 8 percent to 18 percent.
The low-fuel case assumes that the LCS-1 generally operates at relatively low speeds—10
knots or less 90 percent of the time it is under way and 30 knots or more only about 3 percent
of the time. That speed profile is based in part on how the Navy operated the LCS-1 between
March 2009 and March 2010. In that scenario, operation and support costs total 33 percent of
the ship’s life-cycle cost: 16 percent for personnel costs, 8 percent for fuel costs (assuming
that the ship consumes 25,000 barrels of fuel per year), and 9 percent for other O&S costs….
The moderate-fuel case—which CBO considers the most likely of the three scenarios—
assumes that the LCS-1 operates at 30 or more knots for about 5 percent of the time, at 14
knots to 16 knots 42 percent of the time (a range that might be typical when the ship was
traveling from its home port to a deployment location), and at less than 12 knots for the rest
of its time under way. In that scenario, O&S costs total 34 percent of the ship’s life-cycle
cost: 15 percent for personnel, 11 percent for fuel, and 8 percent for other O&S costs. The
moderate speed profile would result in fuel usage of about 35,000 barrels per year, slightly
less than the 37,600 barrels that the Navy assumed in formulating its 2011 budget request.
By comparison, the [Navy’s] FFG-7 class frigates consumed about 31,000 barrels of fuel per
ship in 2009.
The high-fuel case assumes that the LCS-1 operates at 30 or more knots for about 20 percent
of its time under way, an assumption based partly on a speed profile developed by the Naval
Sea Systems Command for the LCS program. In that scenario, O&S costs represent about 40
percent of the ship’s life-cycle cost—more than in the other scenarios for the LCS-1 but less
than for any of the other types of ships considered in this analysis. Personnel costs make up
14 percent of the life-cycle total; fuel costs, 18 percent; and other O&S costs, 8 percent.
Projected fuel usage in this scenario is about 67,000 barrels per year. That estimate is
unlikely to be exceeded in actual practice: It is twice the historical average for frigates and
about 80 percent of the amount used by the Navy’s destroyers (which do not have the
capability to speed at 40 knots, as the littoral combat ship does, but are three times larger
than the LCS-1).15
At a May 6, 2010, hearing on Navy shipbuilding programs before the Seapower Subcommittee of
the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Sessions questioned Sean Stackley, the Navy’s
14 Cid Standifer, “Navy Will Project Operation Costs Of Both LCS Models for DAB Review,” Inside the Navy,
February 8, 2010.
15 Letter dated April 28, 2010, from Douglas W. Elmendorf, Director, CBO, to the Honorable Jeff Sessions, pp. 3-5.
The letter is available online at http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/114xx/doc11431/04-28-SessionsLetter.pdf.
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acquisition executive (i.e., the Assistant Secretary of the Navy [Research, Development and
Acquisition]), regarding the role of fuel costs in the Navy’s evaluation of the two LCS designs.
For the text of this exchange, see Appendix E.
Potential Risks If First Shipyard Cannot Build Ships Within Cost
Another potential issue for Congress concerning the Navy’s proposed acquisition strategy
concerns the potential risks the Navy would face if the shipyard that wins the competition to build
the 10 LCSs in FY2010-FY2014 cannot build them within the contracted cost. The competition
between the two existing LCS industry teams to be the winner of the down select could be intense
enough to encourage the teams to bid unrealistically low prices for the contract to build the 10
ships.
The Navy and its supporters could argue that the Navy’s plan to award a fixed-price contract to
the winner of the down select would shift the cost risk on the 10 ships from the government to the
shipyard. They could also argue that the Navy plans to carefully evaluate the bid prices submitted
by the two industry teams for the down select to ensure that they are realistic, and that the
existence of the second LCS shipyard would provide the Navy with an ability to continue
building LCSs if production at the first yard were disrupted due to financial issues.
Skeptics could argue that even with a fixed-price contract, the Navy’s proposed strategy poses
cost risks for the government, because a shipyard could submit an unrealistically low bid so as to
win the down select, and then recover its losses on those 10 ships by rolling the losses into prices
for downstream ships in the program. Alternatively, the shipyard could present the Navy with the
prospect of going out of business and disrupting the LCS production effort unless the Navy were
to provide a financial bailout to cover the yard’s losses on the 10 ships. Skeptics could argue that
Navy decisions dating back to the 1970s to award multi-ship construction contracts to shipyards
that had not yet built many ships of the kind in question sometimes led to less-than-satisfactory
program outcomes, including substantial financial bailouts.
Increasing LCS Combat System Commonality with Other Combat Systems
Another potential issue for Congress regarding the Navy’s proposed acquisition strategy concerns
the Navy’s plan to evolve the combat system on the winning LCS design to a configuration that
has greater commonality with one or more existing Navy surface ship combat systems. The Navy
in its September 16, 2009, announcement did not provide many details on this part of its proposed
acquisition strategy, making it difficult to evaluate the potential costs and risks of this part of the
strategy against potential alternatives, including an alternative (which Navy officials have
discussed in the past) of designing a new LCS combat system that would, from the outset, be
highly common with one or more existing Navy surface ship combat systems.
Navy’s Longer-Term Plans Regarding Two “Orphan” Ships
Another potential issue for Congress concerning the Navy’s proposed acquisition strategy
concerns the Navy’s longer-term plans regarding the two “orphan” LCSs built to the design that
was not selected in the down select. The Navy states that it plans to keep these two ships in the
fleet because they will be capable ships and the Navy has an urgent need for LCSs. These two
LCSs, however, will have unique logistic support needs, potentially making them relatively
expensive to operate and support. At some point, as larger numbers of LCSs enter service, the
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costs of operating and supporting these two ships may begin to outweigh the increasingly
marginal addition they make to total LCS fleet capabilities. Potential alternatives to keeping the
ships in the active-duty fleet as deployable assets include selling them to foreign buyers,
converting them into research and development platforms, shifting them to the Naval Reserve
Force (where they would be operated by crews consisting partially of reservists), or
decommissioning them and placing them into preservation (i.e., “mothball”) status as potential
mobilization assets. Potential questions for Congress include the following:
• Does the Navy intend to keep the two orphan LCSs in the active-duty fleet as
deployable assets for a full 25-year service life?
• If so, how would be the life-cycle operation and support (O&S) costs of these
two ships compare to those of the other LCSs? In light of these O&S costs,
would it be cost effective to keep these two ships in the active-duty fleet as
deployable assets for a full 25-year service life, particularly as large numbers of
LCSs enter service?
• If the Navy does not intend to keep the two orphan LCSs in the active-duty fleet
as deployable assets for a full 25-year service life, when does the Navy anticipate
removing them from such service, and what does the Navy anticipate doing with
them afterward?
Potential Alternatives to Navy’s New Strategy
Another potential issue for Congress concerning the Navy’s proposed acquisition strategy
concerns potential alternatives to the Navy’s new acquisition strategy for acquiring LCSs
procured in FY2010 and subsequent years. A variety of alternatives can be generated by changing
one or more elements of the Navy’s proposed strategy. One alternative would be a strategy that
would keep both LCS designs in production, at least for the time being. Such a strategy might
involve the following:
• the use of block-buy contracts with augmented EOQ authority, as under the
Navy’s proposed acquisition strategy, to continue producing both LCS designs,
so as to provide stability to shipyards and suppliers involved in producing both
LCS designs;
• the use of Profit Related to Offer (PRO) bidding between the builders of the two
LCS designs, so as to generate competitive pressure between them and thereby
restrain LCS production costs;16 and
• designing a new LCS combat system that would have a high degree of
commonality with one or more existing Navy surface ship combat systems and
be provided as government-furnished equipment (GFE) for use on both LCS
designs—an idea that was considered by the Navy at an earlier point in the
program.
16 Under PRO bidding, the two shipyards would compete not for LCS quantities (because each shipyard would know
that it was going to build a certain number of LCSs over the term of their block-buy contracts), but rather for profit,
with the lowest bidder receiving the higher profit margin. PRO bidding has been used in other defense acquisition
programs where bidders do not compete for quantity. The Navy, for example, began using PRO bidding in the DDG-51
destroyer program it in the 1990s.
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Supporters of an alternative like the one outlined above could argue that it would
• provide stability to LCS shipyards and suppliers;
• use competition to restrain LCS production costs;
• permit the Navy to receive a full return on the investment the Navy made in
creating both LCS designs;
• reduce the life-cycle operation and support costs associated with building two
LCS designs by equipping all LCSs with a common combat system;
• allow the Navy to design an LCS combat system that is, from the outset, highly
common with one or more of the Navy’s existing surface ship combat systems;
• achieve a maximum LCS procurement rate of four ships per year starting in
FY2011 (two years earlier than under the Navy’s proposal), thus permitting more
LCSs to enter service with the Navy sooner;
• build both LCS designs in substantial numbers, thereby avoiding a situation of
having a small number of orphan LCS ships that could have potentially high
operation and support costs;
• preserve a potential to neck down to a single LCS design at some point in the
future, while permitting the Navy in the meantime to more fully evaluate the
operational characteristics of the two designs in real-world deployments; and
• increase the potential for achieving foreign sales of LCSs (which can reduce
production costs for LCSs made for the U.S. Navy) by offering potential foreign
buyers two LCS designs with active production lines.
Supporters of the Navy’s proposed acquisition strategy could argue that an alternative like the one
outlined above would, compared to the Navy’s proposed strategy
• achieve lower economies of scale in LCS production costs by splitting
production of LCS components between two designs;
• achieve, at the outset of series production of LCSs, less bidding pressure on
shipyards, and thus higher LCS production costs, than would be achieved under
the Navy’s proposed strategy of using a price-based competition to select a single
design for all future LCS production;
• miss out on the opportunity to restrain LCS costs by using the level of efficiency
achieved in building an LCS design at one shipyard as a directly applicable
benchmark for gauging the level of efficiency achieved by the other shipyard in
building the same LCS design;
• increase Navy LCS program-management costs and the burden on Navy
program-management capabilities by requiring the Navy to continue managing
the construction of two very different LCS designs;
• achieve lower economies of scale in LCS operation and support costs because the
two LCS designs would still differ in their basic hull, mechanical, and electrical
(HM&E) systems, requiring the Navy to maintain two separate HM&E logistics
support systems;
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• receive only a limited return on the investment the Navy made in developing the
two current LCS combat systems (since LCSs in the long run would not use
either one), and require the Navy to incur the costs and the technical risks
associated with designing a completely new LCS combat system;
• require the Navy to build some number of LCSs with their current combat
systems—which are different from one another and from other Navy surface ship
combat systems—while awaiting the development of the new LCS combat
system, and then incur the costs associated with backfitting these earlier LCSs
with the new system when it becomes available;
• send to industry a signal that is undesirable from the government’s perspective
that if the Navy or other parts or DOD begin producing two designs for a new
kind of weapon system, the Navy or DOD would be reluctant to neck production
down to a single design at some point, even if government believes that doing so
would reduce program costs while still meeting operational objectives; and
• miss out on the opportunity that would be present under the Navy’s proposed
acquisition strategy to increase the potential for achieving foreign sales of LCSs
by offering potential foreign buyers an LCS design that, through U.S. production,
enjoys significant economies of scale for both production and operation and
support.
Unit Procurement Cost Cap
Another potential oversight matter for Congress for the LCS program is where the estimated
procurement costs of LCSs stand in relation to the unit procurement cost cap for the LCS program
as amended by Section 121(c) and (d) of the FY2010 defense authorization act (H.R. 2647/P.L.
111-84 of October 28, 2009). As mentioned earlier, the Navy’s proposed FY2011 budget
estimates the procurement costs of LCS sea frames to be procured in FY2011-FY2015 at roughly
$600 million each in then-year dollars. At first glance, this appears to be well above the $480
million unit procurement cost cap. As also mentioned earlier, however, the cost cap excludes
certain costs from being counted against the $480 million cap, includes provisions for adjusting
that figure over time to take inflation and other events into account, and permits the Secretary of
the Navy to waive the cost cap under certain conditions.
Cost Growth on LCS Sea Frames
Another potential oversight issue for Congress for the LCS program concerns cost growth on
LCS sea frames. Potential questions for Congress on this issue include the following:
• Has the Navy taken sufficient action to prevent further cost growth on LCS sea
frames?
• Has the Navy financed cost growth on LCS sea frames by reducing funding for
the procurement of LCS mission packages? For example, is cost growth on LCS
sea frames linked in some way to the reduction in the planned number of LCS
mission packages from an earlier figure of 90 to 110 to the current figure of 64?
If the Navy has financed cost growth on LCS sea frames by reducing funding for
the procurement of LCS mission packages, how might this have affected the
capabilities of the planned 55-ship LCS fleet?
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• In light of the cost growth, is the LCS program still cost-effective? What is the
LCS sea frame unit procurement cost above which the Navy would no longer
consider the LCS program cost-effective?
• If Congress had known in 2004, when it was acting on the FY2005 budget that
contained funding to procure LCS-1, that LCS sea frame unit procurement costs
would increase to the degree that they have, how might that have affected
Congress’s views on the question of approving the start of LCS procurement?
An August 2010 GAO report stated:
The Navy faces technical, design, and construction challenges to completing the first four
[LCS] seaframes within current cost and schedule estimates. The Navy and its shipbuilders
have learned lessons from construction of the first two seaframes that have positioned them
to more effectively construct future vessels. However, technical issues with the first two
seaframes have yet to be fully resolved. Addressing these technical issues has required the
Navy to implement design changes at the same time LCS 3 and LCS 4 are being built.
Incorporating changes during this phase will likely require additional labor hours beyond
current forecasts. Together, these challenges may hinder the ability of shipbuilders to apply
lessons learned to follow-on ships and could undermine anticipated benefits from recent
capital investments in the LCS shipyards.17
On September 3, 2010, the Navy provided the press with a point paper responding to certain
points made in the August 2010 GAO report.18 The point paper stated in part:
LCS 3 and LCS 4 are in production under fixed-priced contracts. Delaying production until
testing is complete on LCS 1 and LCS 2 would result in a significant increase in the ships’
costs, as it would cause a lengthy disruption in the shipbuilding workforce and vendor base
required for ship construction. Navy’s approach to building LCS 3 and 4 is not different from
that used in other Navy shipbuilding programs.19
Total Program Acquisition Cost
Another potential oversight issue for Congress for the LCS program concerns the program’s
potential total acquisition (i.e., research and development plus procurement) cost. DOD has not
reported a total estimated acquisition cost for the entire LCS program, including both 55 LCS sea
frames and 64 LCS mission packages. Supporters of the LCS program could argue that
substantial data is available in the FY2011 budget submission on annual LCS research and
development and procurement costs for the period FY2011-FY2015. Skeptics could argue that a
major acquisition program like the LCS program should not proceed to higher annual rates of
production until the program’s potential total acquisition costs is reported and assessed against
other defense spending priorities.
17 Government Accountability Office, Defense Acquisitions[:] Navy’s Ability to Overcome Challenges Facing the
Littoral Combat Ship Will Determine Eventual Capabilities, GAO-10-523, August 2010, summary page.
18 See Cid Standifer, “Navy Pushes Back Against GAO Criticism Of Littoral Combat Ship,” Inside the Navy,
September 6, 2010.
19 Undated Navy point paper provided to CRS by Navy Office of Legislative Affairs on September 8, 2010.
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Operation and Support (O&S) Cost
Another potential oversight issue for Congress for the LCS program concerns the ship’s operation
and support (O&S) cost. At the request of Senator Jeff Sessions, the Congressional Budget Office
(CBO) analyzed the impact of O&S cost and other types of costs on the total life-cycle costs of
the LCS and (for purposes of comparison) four other types of Navy ships. The results of CBO’s
analysis were released in the form of an April 28, 2010, letter to Senator Sessions.20 CBO
estimates in the letter that LCS-1 (the Lockheed Martin LCS design) would have an O&S cost, in
constant FY2010 dollars, of $41 million to $47 million per year, depending on how often the ship
travels at higher speeds and consequently how much fuel the ship uses each year.21 For an excerpt
from CBO’s letter, see the earlier section entitled “Weight Given to Procurement Cost vs. Other
Factors in Request for Proposals (RFP).”
A February 2010 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report stated:
The Navy estimated operating and support costs for LCS seaframes and mission packages in
2009, but the estimates do not fully reflect DOD and GAO best practices for cost estimating
and may change due to program uncertainties. GAO’s analysis of the Navy’s 2009 estimates
showed that the operating and support costs for seaframes and mission packages could total
$84 billion (in constant fiscal year 2009 dollars) through about 2050. However, the Navy did
not follow some best practices for developing an estimate such as (1) analyzing the
likelihood that the costs could be greater than estimated, (2) fully assessing how the estimate
may change as key assumptions change, and (3) requesting an independent estimate and
comparing it with the program estimate. The estimates may also be affected by program
uncertainties, such as potential changes to force structure that could alter the number of ships
and mission packages required. The costs to operate and support a weapon system can total
70 percent of a system’s costs, and the lack of an estimate that fully reflects best practices
could limit decision makers’ ability to identify the resources that will be needed over the
long term to support the planned investment in LCS force structure. With a decision pending
in 2010 on which seaframe to buy for the remainder of the program, decision makers could
lack critical information to assess the full costs of the alternatives.22
A February 8, 2010, press report stated:
The Navy will draw up total life-cycle cost estimates for both the Lockheed Martin and
General Dynamics versions of the Littoral Combat Ship before the program goes before the
Defense Acquisition Board this year for its Milestone B. review.
The service included the announcement in a response to a Government Accountability Office
report that criticized LCS life-cycle estimates.23
20 Letter dated April 28, 2010, from Douglas W. Elmendorf, Director, CBO, to the Honorable Jeff Sessions, 8 pp. The
full text of the letter is available online at http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/114xx/doc11431/04-28-SessionsLetter.pdf.
21 Letter dated April 28, 2010, from Douglas W. Elmendorf, Director, CBO, to the Honorable Jeff Sessions, Table 1 on
page 7.
22 Government Accountability Office, Littoral Combat Ship[:] Actions Needed to Improve Operating Cost Estimates
and Mitigate Risks in Implementing New Concepts, GAO-10-257, February 2010, summary page.
23 Cid Standifer, “Navy Will Project Operation Costs Of Both LCS Models for DAB Review,” Inside the Navy,
February 8, 2010.
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Operational Concepts
Another potential oversight issue for Congress for the LCS program concerns operational
concepts for using LCSs once they enter service. The February 2010 GAO report cited above also
stated:
The Navy has made progress in developing operational concepts for LCS, but faces risks in
implementing its new concepts for personnel, training, and maintenance that are necessitated
by the small crew size. Specifically, the Navy faces risks in its ability to identify and assign
personnel given the time needed to achieve the extensive training required. GAO’s analysis
of a sample of LCS positions showed an average of 484 days of training is required before
reporting to a crew, significantly more than for comparable positions on other surface ships.
Moreover, the Navy’s maintenance concept relies heavily on distance support, with little
maintenance performed on ship. The Navy acknowledges that there are risks in
implementing its new concepts and has established groups to address how to implement
them. However, these groups have not performed a risk assessment as described in the 2008
National Defense Strategy. The Strategy describes the need to assess and mitigate risks to
executing future missions and managing personnel, training, and maintenance. If the Navy
cannot implement its concepts as envisioned, it may face operational limitations, have to
reengineer its operational concepts, or have to alter the ship design. Many of the concepts
will remain unproven until 2013 or later, when the Navy will have committed to building
almost half the class. Having a thorough risk assessment of the new operational concepts
would provide decision makers with information to link the effectiveness of these new
concepts with decisions on program investment, including the pace of procurement.24
Combat Survivability
Another potential oversight issue for Congress for the LCS program concerns the combat
survivability of the LCS. A December 2009 report from DOD’s Director of Operational Test and
Evaluation stated:
LCS was designated by the Navy as a Level I survivability combatant ship, but neither
design is expected to achieve the degree of shock hardening as required by the CDD
[Capabilities Development Document]. Shock hardening (ability to sustain a level of
operations following an underwater explosive attack) is required for all mission critical
systems, as required by a Level 1 survivability requirement. Only a few selected subsystems
will be shock hardened, supporting only mobility to evacuate a threat area following a
design-level shock event. Accordingly, the full, traditional rigor of Navy-mandated ship
shock trials is not achievable, due to the damage that would be sustained by the ship and its
many non-shock-hardened subsystems.
The LCS LFT&E [Live Fire Test and Evaluation] program has been hampered by the Navy’s
lack of credible modeling and simulation tools for assessing the vulnerabilities of ships
constructed to primarily commercial standards (American Bureau of Shipping Naval Vessel
Rules and High Speed Naval Craft Code), particularly aluminum and non-traditional hull
forms. Legacy LFT&E models were not developed for these non-traditional factors, nor have
they been accredited for such use. These knowledge gaps undermine the credibility of the
modeling and simulation, and increase the amount of surrogate testing required for an
adequate LFT&E program.
24 Government Accountability Office, Littoral Combat Ship[:] Actions Needed to Improve Operating Cost Estimates
and Mitigate Risks in Implementing New Concepts, GAO-10-257, February 2010, summary page.
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The LCS is not expected to be survivable in a hostile combat environment as evidenced by
the limited shock hardened design and results of full scale testing of representative hull
structures completed in December 2006.25
Technical Risk
Another potential oversight issue for Congress for the LCS program concerns the amount of
technical risk in the program. The discussion below addresses this issue first with respect to the
LCS seaframe, and then with respect to LCS mission packages.
Seaframe
Regarding technical risk in developing the LCS seaframe, GAO reported the following in March
2010:
Technology Maturity
Seventeen of 19 critical technologies for both LCS designs are mature. For LCS 2, the
trimaran hull and aluminum structure are nearing maturity. The Navy identified watercraft
launch and recovery—essential to complete the LCS antisubmarine warfare and mine
countermeasures missions—as a major risk to both seaframe designs. Watercraft launch and
recovery systems have not been fully demonstrated for either seaframe. On the LCS 1, the
Navy is conducting dynamic load testing, but integration with the Remote Multi-Mission
Vehicle—a physically stressing system to launch and recover—is not scheduled to occur
until after the ship’s shakedown cruise. For LCS 2, factory testing of the twin boom
extensible crane revealed performance and reliability concerns that were not fully addressed
prior to installation. In addition, program officials report the LCS 2 main propulsion diesel
engines have not completed a required endurance test, in part due to corrosion in each
engine’s intake valves. As an interim solution, the Navy has installed new intake valves,
which enabled the ship to complete acceptance trials. LCS 2 has also experienced pitting and
corrosion in its waterjet tunnels. The Navy has temporarily fixed the issue and plans to make
weld repairs to pitted areas during a future dry dock availability.
Design and Production Maturity
The Navy could not provide data on completion of basic and functional drawings—a metric
of design stability—at the start of LCS 1 and LCS 2 construction. The Navy used a
concurrent design-build strategy for the two seaframes, which proved unsuccessful.
Implementation of new design guidelines, delays in major equipment deliveries, and strong
focus on achieving schedule and performance goals resulted in increased construction costs.
LCS 1 and LCS 2 still require design changes as a result of maturing key systems. At the
same time, shipbuilders are constructing modules for the next two ships, LCS 3 and LCS 4.
At fabrication start for each ship, approximately 69 percent (LCS 3) and 57 percent (LCS 4)
of basic and functional drawings were complete. Starting construction before drawings are
complete could result in costly out-of- sequence work and rework to incorporate new design
attributes. Incomplete designs at construction also led to weight increases for LCS 1 and
LCS 2. According to the Navy, this weight growth contributed to a higher than desired center
of gravity on LCS 1 that degraded the stability of that seaframe. Acceptance trials showed
LCS 1 may not meet Navy stability requirements in a damaged condition. In response, the
25 Department of Defense, Director, Operation Test and Evaluation, FY 2009 Annual Report, December 2009, p. 147.
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Navy added internal and external buoyancy tanks. For LCS 3, the contractor has incorporated
a design change to extend the transom by four meters to improve stability.
Other Program Issues
In an effort to improve affordability in the LCS program, the Navy modified its acquisition
strategy for future seaframes. The new strategy calls for selecting one seaframe design and
awarding one prime contractor and shipyard a fixed-price incentive contract for construction
of up to 10 ships between fiscal year 2010 and fiscal year 2014. Navy officials report that the
earned value management systems (EVMS) in each of the LCS shipyards do not yet meet
Defense Contract Management Agency requirements. Under the terms of the LCS 3 and LCS
4 contracts, the shipyards must achieve EVMS certification within 28 months from the date
of the award. Until those requirements are met, cost and schedule data reported by the prime
contractors cannot be considered fully reliable.
Program Office Comments
According to the Navy, the LCS program continues to deliver vital capability with the recent
commissioning of LCS 2. The Navy stated that LCS 1 now meets the damage stability
requirement with the addition of external tanks on the rear of the ship. The shipbuilder
incorporated additional stability improvements to the design for LCS 3. In the continuing
effort to ensure the delivery of affordable LCS capability, the Navy said it revised the
acquisition strategy in 2009 to down select to a single design in fiscal year 2010 and procure
up to 10 ships in a block buy. The winner of this competition will also be responsible for
developing a technical data package to support competition for a second shipbuilder to build
up to 5 ships in fiscal year 2012-2014. Construction continues on LCS 3 and LCS 4. To
address corrosion of the waterjet tunnels, the Navy tated that electrical isolation of
propulsion shafts from the waterjets is being incorporated and a plan is in place to renew the
corroded metal in the waterjet intake tunnels.26
Mission Packages
Regarding technical risk in developing the modular mission packages for the LCS, an April 26,
2010, news report stated:
The Littoral Combat Ship program lacks a ‘timely’ test program plan for the mission
packages slated to deploy aboard the vessels, putting the effort at a ‘medium’ risk for cost
increases … according to a new study by the Pentagon’s acquisition directorate....
‘The program has major integration challenges between seaframes and MPs’ [mission
packages], the study states. ‘To address this issue, the program established an Integrated
Product Team … the team has identified numerous deficiencies and verified corrections
within each seaframe.’27
An August 2010 GAO report stated:
26 Government Accountability Office, Defense Acquisitions[:] Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs, GAO-10-
388SP, March 2010, p. 96.
27 Zachary M. Peterson, “DOD Report: LCS Program Faces ‘Medium Risk,’ Integration Challenges, Inside the Navy,
April 26, 2010. Material in brackets as in original.
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Challenges developing mission packages have delayed the timely fielding of promised
capabilities, limiting the ships’ utility to the fleet during initial deployments. Until these
challenges are resolved, it will be difficult for the Navy to align seaframe purchases with
mission package procurements and execute planned tests. Key mine countermeasures and
surface warfare systems encountered problems in operational and other testing that delayed
their fielding. For example, four of six Non-Line-of-Sight Launch System missiles did not
hit their intended targets in recent testing, and the Department of Defense has since canceled
the program. Further, Navy analysis of anti-submarine warfare systems has shown the
planned systems do not contribute significantly to the anti-submarine warfare mission. These
combined challenges have led to procurement delays for all three mission packages. Mission
package delays have also disrupted program test schedules—a situation exacerbated by early
deployments of initial ships—limiting their availability for operational testing. In addition,
these delays could disrupt program plans for simultaneously acquiring seaframes and
mission packages. Until mission packages are proven, the Navy risks investing in a fleet of
ships that does not deliver promised capability.28
On September 3, 2010, the Navy provided the press with a point paper responding to certain
points made in the August 2010 GAO report.29 The point paper stated in part:
The original LCS Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) mission package was cancelled by Navy
two years ago (POM-10)30 when analysis indicated that it did not provide a significant
contribution to counter the ASW threat. [The] Navy immediately began exploring a new
ASW approach for LCS. The next generation LCS ASW mission package is currently under
development.
Central to the next ASW mission package will be a ship-deployed variable depth sonar
(VDS) to complement the VDS carried by the [Navy’s ship-based] MH-60R helicopter.
[The] Navy is purchasing an advanced design model of a variable depth sonar system for
testing and evaluation in 2012, to develop this future ASW package.31
28 Government Accountability Office, Defense Acquisitions[:] Navy’s Ability to Overcome Challenges Facing the
Littoral Combat Ship Will Determine Eventual Capabilities, GAO-10-523, August 2010, summary page.
29 See Cid Standifer, “Navy Pushes Back Against GAO Criticism Of Littoral Combat Ship,” Inside the Navy,
September 6, 2010.
30 This is a reference to the Program Objective Memorandum (POM) for the FY2010 budget submission. The POM is
an internal DOD planning document that guides the preparation of a DOD budget submission. POM-10 was developed
during 2008, to support the submission to Congress in May 2009 of the proposed FY2010 defense budget.
31 Undated Navy point paper provided to CRS by Navy Office of Legislative Affairs on September 8, 2010. In response
to a part of the GAO report that discussed the initial deployment of LCS-1, the point paper stated:
Following the successful completion of Acceptance Trials, the Chief of Naval Operations directed
the OPNAV staff, United States Fleet Forces Command, and Naval Sea Systems Command to
evaluate the feasibility of deploying USS Freedom (LCS 1) earlier than originally scheduled. The
intent was to employ the unique capabilities of this new class of warship as soon as practical in the
Fleet, to gain real operational experience and to assess LCS’ minimal manning strategy. Early
deployment retained but modified LCS 1’s testing plan.
During her maiden deployment, two years earlier than originally planned, USS Freedom was
outfitted with a tailored Surface Warfare Mission Package. She deployed with a Helicopter Sea
Combat Squadron 22 detachment and a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment. Freedom
successfully conducted four drug seizures, netting more than five tons of cocaine, detained nine
suspected drug smugglers, and disabled two “go-fast” drug vessels.
During deployment, USS Freedom also performed integrated at-sea operations with the USS Carl
Vinson (CVN 70) Carrier Strike Group, performed at-sea maneuvers with the former-USS
McInerney (FFG 7), and conducted several theater security cooperation port visits in Latin
America.
(continued...)
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A March 2010 GAO report stated:
Technology Maturity
Operation of the MCM, SUW, and ASW packages on the LCS requires a total of 22 critical
technologies, including 11 sensors, 6 vehicles, and 5 weapons. Of these technologies, 16 are
mature and have been demonstrated in a realistic environment. In the past year, the Navy
removed three critical technologies from LCS mission modules due to changes in future
ASW packages.
The Navy has accepted delivery of two partially capable MCM mission packages; however,
the program has delayed the procurement of the fiscal year 2009-funded package due to
technical issues and the resulting operational test delays. Four MCM systems—the
Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV), Unmanned Sweep System (USS), Organic Airborne and
Surface Influence Sweep (OASIS), and Rapid Airborne Mine Clearance System
(RAMICS)—have not yet been demonstrated in a realistic environment, and two others—the
Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS) and Remote Minehunting System
(RMS)—cannot meet system requirements. ALMDS has been unable to meet its mine
detection requirements at its maximum depth or its mine detection and classification
requirements at surface depths. RMS demonstrated poor system reliability, availability, and
maintainability in a September 2008 operational assessment, and program officials report the
system is currently undergoing a series of tests to try to improve its reliability. Program
officials also reported that the cable used to tow certain airborne MCM systems had to be
redesigned following test failures with two systems.
The Navy accepted delivery of one partially capable SUW mission package in July 2008.
This package included two engineering development models for the 30 mm gun, but did not
(...continued)
Operations continued over the summer, when USS Freedom participated in the Rim of the Pacific
exercise, returning to homeport on Aug. 10, 2010.
Impact on Testing:
There are no changes to the overall scope of LCS 1 testing as a result of early deployment. Given
the deployment lasted six months, completion of the LCS 1 test program was extended by
approximately six months. Any delays to the overall post delivery testing plan were offset by the
extensive depth and breadth of knowledge gained during deployment. To accommodate early
deployment, LCS developmental testing was re-sequenced. Some testing was accelerated to before
deployment, some testing was accomplished on deployment, and some testing was deferred until
after deployment.
In evaluating options for deploying Freedom earlier than originally scheduled, the Navy looked at
several key factors: ship materiel condition, test plan acceleration, ship sustainment, integrated
support plan, and crew training and certification.
The decision to deploy Freedom early was based on a thorough review of the required changes to
the test plan, overseas sustainment plan, and crew certification requirements.
Early deployment brought LCS operational issues to the forefront much sooner than under the
original schedule, some of which would not have been learned until two years on.
Through this process, Navy “learned by doing.” Every aspect of this ship and program is new, from
the operational concepts, through crew training and certification processes, to the support and
sustainment strategies. Early deployment provided a vital opportunity to collect data in real-world
operational scenarios. This data will be invaluable in the ongoing effort to accomplish the larger
LCS fleet integration strategy….
LCS is a key component of the 21st century Navy. Early deployment of LCS 1 was a tremendous
opportunity to test the ship in a real-world environment and begin integrating this essential ship
into our fleet.
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Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program
include the Non-Line-of-Sight Launch System (NLOS-LS) launcher or missiles. Integration
of the gun with LCS 1 was completed in January 2009. The gun module design appears
stable with 100 percent of its drawings released to manufacturing. According to program
officials, NLOS-LS was tested in August 2009, but was unable to fire due to a
malfunctioning sensor and battery connector. The program expects delivery of the second
SUW mission package in March 2010. It will include the 30 mm gun module and the NLOS-
LS launcher, but no missiles.
The Navy accepted delivery of one partially capable ASW mission package in September
2008, but plans to reconfigure the content of future packages before procuring additional
quantities. According to Navy officials, recent warfighting analyses showed that the baseline
ASW package did not provide sufficient capability to meet the range of threats. The current
package will undergo developmental testing and the results will inform future configuration
decisions. The first package underwent end-to-end testing in April 2009 and will undergo
developmental testing in fiscal year 2010. During the 2009 end-to-end test, the Navy found
that the USV and its associated sensors will require reliability and interface improvements to
support sustained undersea warfare.
Other Program Issues
Recent changes to the LCS seaframe acquisition strategy may necessitate changes to the LCS
mission module acquisition strategy and testing plans. For example, the new seaframe
strategy calls for the program to select a single design in fiscal year 2010. According to
program officials, the first mission modules will still be tested on both seaframe designs, but
future mission modules could be tested on one or both seaframe designs.
Program Office Comments
The Navy stated that early packages will be delivered with partial capability, with systems
added to the packages as they reach the level of maturity necessary for fielding. According to
the Navy, the USV, USS, OASIS, and RAMICS have not entered production or been
demonstrated in an operational environment. However, ALMDS and RMS have to date
achieved a majority of their key performance requirements. The Navy stated these systems
will be available in time to support planned retirement of legacy MCM forces. According to
the Navy, it has initiated a program to address RMS reliability. The Navy noted that the
program recently declared a critical Nunn-McCurdy cost breach and is under review by the
Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology & Logistics). Further, the Navy stated
it has resolved technical issues related to the helicopter tow cable and the associated systems
are ready to resume testing, while mission package acquisition and testing strategies have
been updated to reflect seaframe acquisition strategy changes.32
Impact of Cancellation of NLOS-LS Missile System
Another potential oversight issue for Congress for the LCS program concerns the impact on LCS
capabilities of the cancellation of an Army missile program known as the Non-Line of Sight
Launch System (NLOS-LS), which the Navy had planned to use as part of the LCS surface
warfare (SUW) mission package. In May 2010, DOD approved an Army recommendation to
cancel NLOS-LS.33 Prior to the cancellation of NLOS-LS, the Navy planned for LCSs equipped
32 Government Accountability Office, Defense Acquisitions[:] Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs, GAO-10-
388SP, March 2010, p. 98.
33 “Out of Sight,” Defense Daily, May 17, 2010: 3. See also Kate Brannen, “U.S. Army Asks to Cancel NLOS-LS,”
(continued...)
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Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program
with SUW mission packages to be nominally armed with three NLOS missile launchers, each
with 15 missiles, for a total of 45 missiles per ship. The missiles could be used to counter swarm
boats or other surface threats.
At a May 6, 2010, hearing on Navy shipbuilding programs before the Seapower Subcommittee of
the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Jack Reed questioned Sean Stackley, the Navy’s
acquisition executive (i.e., the Assistant Secretary of the Navy [Research, Development and
Acquisition]), and Lieutenant General George Flynn, Deputy Commandant, Combat
Development and Integration, and Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development
Command, regarding the impact the cancellation of the NLOS-LS program. For the text of this
exchange, see Appendix F. The Navy reportedly is assessing potential alternative systems for
fulfilling the NLOS role in the SUW mission package.34
Legislative Activity for FY2011
Summary of Congressional Action on FY2011 Funding Request
Table 1 summarizes congressional action on the Navy’s FY2011 funding request for the LCS
program.
Table 1. Congressional Action on FY2011 LCS Funding Request
Millions of dollars, rounded to nearest tenth; figures may not add due to rounding
Authorization Appropriation
Request
HASC SASC Conf. HAC SAC Conf.
Shipbuilding and Conversion, Navy (SCN) account, lines 12 and 13
LCS sea frames
1,231.0
1,231.0
1,231.0
615.5
(quantity)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(1)
LCS sea frames (AP)
278.4
278.4
278.4
278.4
Weapon Procurement, Navy (WPN account), line 30
LCS module weapons
9.8
0.9
9.8
0
Other Procurement, Navy (OPN) account, line 29
LCS modules
83.0
83.0
83.0
50.0
Research, Development, Test & Evaluation, Navy (RDT&EN) account, line 48
LCS 226.3
305.5
226.3
199.4
(...continued)
DefenseNews.com, April 23, 2010; Jason Sherman, “Army Cancels NLOS-NS, Frees Up Billions For Other
Procurement Needs,” Inside the Navy, April 26, 2010; Sebastian Sprenger, “NLOS-LS Seen As Effective—But To
Pricey—In Key Army Analysis,” Inside the Navy, May 3, 2010.
34 Zachary M. Peterson, “Navy ‘Assessing Options’ In Lieu Of Army’s Cancellation Of NLOS Missile,” Inside the
Navy, May 3, 2010; Cid Standifer, “Industry Team Leveraging Canceled Programs To Work On Five-Inch Round,”
Inside the Navy, May 31, 2010; Cid Standifer, “Navy Looks To Replace NLOS In LCS Surface Warfare Mission
Module,” Inside the Navy, June 21, 2010.
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Sources: Navy’s FY2011 budget submission, committee and conference reports, and the text of S. 3454, the
FY2011 defense authorization bill, as reported in the Senate.
Notes: HASC is House Armed Services Committee; SASC is Senate Armed Services Committee; HAC is
House Appropriations Committee; SAC is Senate Appropriations Committee; Conf. is conference report; AP
is advance procurement for ships to be procured in future years.
FY2011 Defense Authorization Bill (H.R. 5136/S. 3454)
House
The House Armed Services Committee, in its report (H.Rept. 111-491 of May 21, 2010) on the
FY2011 defense authorization bill (H.R. 5136), recommends approval of the Navy’s FY2011
procurement and advance procurement funding requests for LCS sea frames (page 73) and LCS
modules (page 81, line 029). The report recommends reducing by $8.9 million the Navy’s
FY2011 procurement funding request for LCS module weapons due to termination of the NLOS-
LS program (page 68, line 030). The report recommends increasing the Navy’s FY2011 request
for LCS research and development funding by $75.0 million for Navy NLOS-NS development,
and by $4.25 million for axial-flow high-power-density waterjets (page 148).
The report states:
Littoral Combat Ship
The Littoral Combat Ship program has failed its initial intent to build inexpensive ships with
modular capability and field them to the fleet at a high rate. None of those goals have been
met. The ships are expensive; the modular capability has not been tested or verified; and in
some cases is still undergoing development; and only two of the ships have been delivered to
the Navy.
Last year, the committee supported the request of the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of
Naval Operations to revamp the acquisition strategy for these vessels and to down-select to
one variant of the ship with the award of the fiscal year 2010 two-ship authorization. The
new acquisition strategy is aimed at reducing overall costs by procuring 10 ships in the
Future Years Defense Plan using a fixed price incentive contract in fiscal year 2010 with
priced options for 8 additional ships, 2 per year, in fiscal years 2011–15. In addition, the
government would gain all rights to the technical data package required to compete the
winning design to a second source shipyard which would build 5 additional ships, for a total
of 15 ships, between fiscal years 2012 and 2015. The committee supported this plan as the
best alternative to provide needed capability to the fleet in the shortest time possible, at the
least cost. The plan was also proposed to the committee as the best way to divorce the prime
contractors from the program and to transition the ship’s installed combat systems to
government furnished equipment that complimented equipment currently in use in the fleet.
As of this report, the Navy has received the proposals from the two authorized competitors
and is in the process of source selection leading to contract award. The committee is
cautiously optimistic that, with a down-select to one variant and stability in the construction
schedule, this troubled program can begin to fulfill its original purpose of providing capable
ships, in quantity, at an affordable cost. (Pages 76-77)
The report also states:
Littoral Combat Ship Module weapons
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The budget request contained $9.8 million for Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Module
Weapons, of which $8.9 million was requested for procurement of 45 non-line-of-sight
launch system (NLOS–LS) missiles.
The committee notes that the Army has terminated the NLOS-LS program, and even if it is
continued by the Navy, an additional year of development work will be required. As a result,
the committee does not agree with Navy procurement funding for NLOS–LS in fiscal year
2011. In title II of this report, the committee recommends an increase in Navy research and
development funding to support continued development work for the NLOS–LS program if
the Navy determines that is in the best interest of the LCS program.
The committee recommends $0.9 million, a decrease of $8.9 million, for LCS Module
weapons. (Page 69)
The report also states:
Navy non-line-of-sight launch system development
The budget request contained $226.3 million in PE 63581N35 for Littoral Combat Ship
mission module research and development but contained no funds for the non-line-of-sight
launch system (NLOS–LS).
The committee notes that the Army’s termination of the NLOS–LS could leave the Navy’s
Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) without sufficient capability to defeat small boat threats and
unable to provide precision fire support to Marine Corps forces. The committee is informed
that the NLOS–LS will likely require only one more year of research and development work
to achieve threshold requirements. Therefore, in order to take advantage of the $1.5 billion in
development funds spent to date, the committee encourages the Navy to complete
development of the NLOS–LS system for use on the LCS. The committee also directs the
Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition to provide a
report to the congressional defense committees by December 15, 2010, on the feasibility and
utility of the Navy completing development of the NLOS–LS. The report should include an
analysis of possible unit cost reduction options.
The committee recommends $301.3 million, an increase of $75.0 million, in PE 63581N for
research and development of the NLOS–LS for use on the LCS. (Pages 159-160)
Senate
The FY2011 defense authorization bill (S. 3454), as reported by the Senate Armed Services
Committee (S.Rept. 111-201 of June 4, 2010), recommends approval of the Navy’s requests for
FY2011 procurement and advance procurement funding for LCS sea frames (see page 677, lines
12 and 13, of the printed bill), LCS module weapons (page 675, line 30), LCS modules (page
680, line 29), and LCS research and development (page 732, line 48). The committee’s report
states:
The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program has made progress during the past year and the
recent decision to move to a single design should improve affordability. The LCS fleet is
expected to comprise 55 vessels of the Navy’s 313–ship fleet force structure. Even modest
cost growth in this large component of the fleet magnifies the problem of achieving that
35 Line items in DOD research and development accounts are called program elements (PEs).
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Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program
objective. The committee notes that the Navy’s acquisition strategy for the LCS program
introduces competition for this class of ships and is therefore cautiously optimistic that this
program is making progress. (Page 41)
The committee’s report also states:
Littoral combat ship report
The committee has concluded that the projected ship decommissioning and construction
schedule presented in the Navy’s program described in its “Report to Congress on Annual
Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels for FY 2011” could have a negative
effect on some of the Nation’s Navy bases. This would arise because of a gap that will occur
as a result of small surface combatants being retired years before Littoral Combat Ship
replacements will arrive.
The Navy’s 2010 document ‘‘Report on Strategic Plan for Homeporting the Littoral Combat
Ship’’ provided the committee with the Navy’s notional strategic plan for stationing the
Littoral Combat Ship through fiscal year 2020. In order to fully understand the effects of the
Navy’s current decommissioning and shipbuilding timeline, the committee directs the
Secretary of the Navy to submit a report to the congressional defense committees that would
provide the timeline and detailed homeport locations for the Littoral Combat Ships that will
be delivered through 2020. The committee directs the Secretary of the Navy to submit the
reports at the time the President submits his fiscal year 2012 budget proposal to Congress.
As the Navy finalizes its plans, the committee encourages the Navy to expedite delivery of
the Littoral Combat Ship to those Navy bases that need replacement ships to mitigate
capability gaps that will result from the retirement of smaller surface combatants. (Page 116)
FY2011 DOD Appropriations Bill (S. 3800)
Senate
The Senate Appropriations Committee, in its report (S.Rept. 111-295 of September 16, 2010) on
S. 3800, recommends $615.5 million in procurement funding for the procurement in FY2011 of
one LCS sea frame—a reduction of $615.5 million and one LCS sea frame from the Navy’s
request (page 86, line 12). The committee’s report states:
Littoral Combat Ship [LCS].—The fiscal year 2011 budget request included $1,230,984,000
for the construction of two LCS ships and $278,351,000 in advance procurement funding for
future ships. The Committee supports the revised acquisition strategy for the LCS program
and the decision to down-select to one variant in fiscal year 2010. The Committee, however,
is concerned with the very aggressive construction schedule proposed in the budget request.
Based on the historical poor cost and schedule performance of the program, including the
current delay in the down-select decision, the Committee is concerned that the proposed
ramp up to construct four ships in fiscal year 2011 is too aggressive and may be
unexecutable. Therefore, the Committee recommends re-phasing the LCS construction
schedule by reducing the budget request by $615,492,000 and one ship in fiscal year 2011.
The Committee directs the Navy to add one LCS back into the program during the Future
Years Defense Plan. (Page 87)
The committee’s report also states:
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The Secretary of Defense should be applauded for trying to gain greater control over
runaway costs, schedule delays, and requirements creep. However, the Committee remains
frustrated by the lack of proper control in the Defense budget process as exemplified by the
examples listed below. The Navy should be commended for reshaping its Littoral Combat
Ship program to down select to one contractor with the goal of reducing costs. However, the
ensuing delay in this program has led to a schedule in which the winning contractor will not
be able to begin constructing the second of two LCS ships requested in fiscal year 2011.
Nonetheless, neither the Navy nor the Defense Department has suggested reducing the
budget request even though more than $600,000,000 will not be required this fiscal year.
(Page 7)
The committee’s report recommends approving the Navy’s request for $278.4 million in advance
procurement funding for LCSs to be procured in future years (page 86, line 13).
The committee’s report recommends denying the Navy’s request for $9.8 million in procurement
funding for the procurement of LCS weapon modules due to the termination of the NLOS-LS
program (page 82, line 30).
The committee’s report recommends reducing by $32.9 million the Navy’s request for
procurement funding for the procurement of LCS modules due to unjustified growth in
production engineering ($6 million reduction), mission package computer environment units
requested ahead of need ($2.3 million reduction), unjustified growth in consulting services ($2
million reduction), and AN/AQS-20A minehunting sonar equipment requested ahead of need
($22.7 million reduction) (page 95, line 29).
The committee’s report recommends reducing the Navy’s request for research and development
funding for the LCS program by a net total of $26.9 million, including a reduction of $15.4
million due to the termination of the NLOS-LS program, a reduction of $15.0 million due to
savings from “accelerated DT” (which might be a reference to accelerated developmental
testing), and an increase of $3.5 million for LCS axial flow high power density waterjets (page
150, line 48).
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Appendix A. Summary of Congressional Action in
FY2005-FY2010
This appendix presents a summary of congressional action on the LCS program in FY2005-
FY2010.
FY2005
In FY2005, Congress approved the Navy’s plan to fund the construction of the first two LCS sea
frames using research and development funds rather than shipbuilding funds, funded the first
construction cost of the first LCS (LCS-1), required the second LCS (LCS-2) to be built (when
funded in FY2006) to a different design from the first, prohibited the Navy from requesting funds
in FY2006 to build a third LCS, and required all LCSs built after the lead ships of each design to
be funded in the SCN account rather than the Navy’s research and development account.
FY2006
In FY2006, Congress funded the procurement of LCSs 2, 3, and 4. (The Navy requested one LCS
for FY2006, consistent with Congress’s FY2005 action. Congress funded that ship and provided
funding for two additional ships.) Congress in FY2006 also established a unit procurement cost
limit on the fifth and sixth LCS sea frames of $220 million per ship, plus adjustments for inflation
and other factors (Section 124 of the FY2006 defense authorization bill [H.R. 1815/P.L. 109-163]
of January 6, 2006), required an annual report on LCS mission packages and made procurement
of more than four LCSs contingent on the Navy certifying that there exists a stable design for the
LCS.
FY2007
In FY2007, Congress funded the procurement of LCSs 5 and 6. (The Navy canceled these two
ships in 2007 before they were placed under contract for construction.)
FY2008
In FY2008, Congress accepted the Navy’s cancellation of LCSs 3 through 6; funded the
procurement one additional LCS in FY2008 (which the Navy called LCS-5);36 significantly
reduced the Navy’s FY2008 funding request for the LCS program; amended the LCS sea frame
unit procurement cost cap to $460 million per ship for LCSs procured in FY2008 and subsequent
years (Section 125 of the conference report [H.Rept. 110-477 of December 6, 2007] on H.R.
1585, the FY2008 defense authorization bill, which was enacted as H.R. 4986/P.L. 110-181 of
36 The Navy apparently called this ship LCS-5 because the original LCS-5 and LCS-6 were canceled by the Navy
before they were replaced under contract, leaving LCS-4 as last LCS under contract to have been canceled. In spite of
its designation, LCS-5 would have been the third LCS in the restructured LCS program, and was the seventh to have
been funded by Congress.
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January 28, 2008); and required the Navy to use fixed-price-type contracts for the construction of
LCSs procured in FY2008 and subsequent years.
The Navy in 2007 requested that Congress amend the existing unit procurement cost cap for the
fifth and sixth ships to $460 million, plus adjustments for inflation and other factors. Congress
amended the cost cap to $460 million, but applied it not only to the fifth and sixth LCSs, but to all
LCSs procured in FY2008 and subsequent years. The use of fixed-price contracts for future LCSs
was something that the Navy had stated an intention to do as part of its plan for restructuring the
LCS program.
FY2009
In FY2009, Congress delayed the implementation of the LCS sea frame unit procurement cost
cap by two years, to ships procured in FY2010 and subsequent years (Section 122 of the FY2009
defense authorization act [S. 3001/P.L. 110-417 of October 14, 2008]); rescinded $337 million in
FY2008 shipbuilding funds for the LCS program, effectively canceling the funding for the LCS
procured in FY2008 (Section 8042 of the FY2009 defense appropriations act [Division C of H.R.
2638/P.L. 110-329 of September 30, 2008]); and funded the procurement of two LCSs at a cost of
$1,020 million.
FY2010
In FY2010 Congress funded the procurement of two LCSs at a cost of $1,080 million and
rescinded $66 million in FY2009 Other Procurement, Navy (OPN) funding for LCS mission
modules. Section 121 of the FY2010 defense authorization act (H.R. 2647/P.L. 111-84 of October
28, 2009) granted the Navy contracting and other authority to implement the LCS acquisition
strategy that the Navy announced on September 16, 2009, and amended the LCS unit
procurement cost cap. Section 122 of the act requires the LCS program to be treated as a major
defense acquisition program (MDAP) for purposes of program management and oversight.
Section 123 of the act requires a report on the Navy’s plan for homeporting LCSs.
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Appendix B. Cost Growth on LCS Sea Frames
This appendix presents details on cost growth on LCS sea frames from the FY2006 budget cycle
through the FY2009 budget cycle.
2006
The proposed FY2007 Navy budget, submitted in February 2006, showed that:
• the estimate for the first LCS had increased from $215.5 million in the FY2005
budget and $212.5 million in the FY2006 budget to $274.5 million in the
FY2007 budget—an increase of about 27% from the FY2005 figure and about
29% form the FY2006 figure;
• the estimate for the second LCS increased from $213.7 million in the FY2005
budget and $256.5 million in the FY2006 budget to $278.1 million—an increase
of about 30% from the FY2005 figure and about 8% from the FY2006 figure;
and
• the estimate for follow-on ships scheduled for FY2009-FY2011, when the LCS
program was to have reached a planned maximum annual procurement rate of six
ships per year, had increased from $223.3 million in the FY2006 budget to $298
million—an increase of about 33%.
The Navy stated in early 2006 that the cost increase from the FY2006 budget to the FY2007
budget was due mostly to the fact that LCS procurement costs in the FY2006 budget did not
include items that are traditionally included in the so-called end cost—the total budgeted
procurement cost—of a Navy shipbuilding program, such as Navy program-management costs,
an allowance for changes, and escalation (inflation). The absence of these costs from the FY2006
LCS budget submission raised certain potential oversight issues for Congress.37
2007
On January 11, 2007, the Navy reported that LCS-1 was experiencing “considerable cost
overruns.” The Navy subsequently stated that the estimated shipyard construction cost of LCS-1
had grown to $350 million to $375 million. This suggested that the end cost of LCS-1—which
37 These oversight issues included the following:
—Why were these costs excluded? Was this a budget-preparation oversight? If so, how could such an oversight occur,
given the many people involved in Navy budget preparation and review, and why did it occur on the LCS program but
not other programs? Was anyone held accountable for this oversight, and if so, how? If this was not an oversight, then
what was the reason?
—Did the Navy believe there was no substantial risk of penalty for submitting to Congress a budget presentation for a
shipbuilding program that, for whatever reason, significantly underestimated procurement costs?
—Do LCS procurement costs in the budget now include all costs that, under traditional budgeting practices, should be
included? If not, what other costs are still unacknowledged?
—Have personnel or other resources from other Navy programs been used for the LCS program in any way? If so, have
the costs of these personnel or other resources been fully charged to the LCS program and fully reflected in LCS
program costs shown in the budget?
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also includes costs for things such as Navy program-management costs and an allowance for
changes—could be in excess of $400 million. The Navy did not publicly provide a precise cost
overrun figure for LCS 2, but it stated that the cost overrun on LCSs 1 and 2 was somewhere
between 50% and 75%, depending on the baseline that is used to measure the overrun.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) testified in July 2007 that according to its own
analysis of Navy data, the combined cost of LCSs 1 and 2 had increased from $472 million to
$1,075 million—an increase of 128%.38 CBO testified in July 2007 that:
Several months ago, press reports indicated that the cost could well exceed $400 million
each for the first two LCS sea frames. Recently, the Navy requested that the cost cap for the
fifth and sixth sea frames be raised to $460 million, which suggests that the Navy’s estimate
of the acquisition cost for the first two LCSs would be around $600 million apiece....
As of this writing, the Navy has not publicly released an estimate for the LCS program that
incorporates the most recent cost growth, other than its request to raise the cost caps for the
fifth and sixth ships. CBO estimates that with that growth included, the first two LCSs would
cost about $630 million each, excluding mission modules but including outfitting,
postdelivery, and various nonrecurring costs associated with the first ships of the class. As
the program advances, with a settled design and higher annual rates of production, the
average cost per ship is likely to decline. Excluding mission modules, the 55 LCSs in the
Navy’s plan would cost an average of $450 million each, CBO estimates.39
2008
The proposed FY2009 budget, submitted in February 2008, showed that the estimated end costs
of LCS-1 and LCS-2 had increased to $531 million and $507 million, respectively (or to $631
million and $636 million, respectively, when OF/DP and FST MSSIT costs are included, or to
$606 million and $582 million, respectively, when OF/DP costs are included, but FST MSSIT
costs are not included).
2009
The proposed FY2010 budget, submitted in May 2009, showed that the estimated end costs of
LCS-1 and LCS-2 had increased to $537 million and $575 million, respectively (or to $637
million and $704 million, respectively, when OF/DP and FST MSSIT costs are included, or to
$612 million and $650 million, respectively, when OF/DP costs are included, but FST MSSIT
costs are not included). CBO reported on June 9, 2008, that:
Historical experience indicates that cost growth in the LCS program is likely. In particular,
using the lead ship of the FFG-7 Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate as an analogy, historical
cost-to-weight relationships indicate that the Navy’s original cost target for the LCS of $260
38 Defense Acquisitions[:] Realistic Business Cases Needed to Execute Navy Shipbuilding Programs, Statement of Paul
L. Francis, Director, Acquisition and Sourcing Management Team, Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Seapower
and Expeditionary Forces, Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives, July 24, 2007 (GAO-07-943T),
pp. 4 and 22.
39 Statement of J. Michael Gilmore, Assistant Director for National Security, and Eric J. Labs, Senior Analyst, [on] The
Navy’s 2008 Shipbuilding Plan and Key Ship Programs, before the Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary
Forces Committee on Armed Services U.S. House of Representatives, July 24, 2007, p. 18.
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million in 2009 dollars (or $220 million in 2005 dollars) was optimistic. The first FFG-7 cost
about $670 million in 2009 dollars to build, or about $250 million per thousand tons,
including combat systems. Applying that metric to the LCS program suggests that the lead
ships would cost about $600 million apiece, including the cost of one mission module. Thus,
in this case, the use of a historical cost-to-weight relationship produces an estimate that is
less than the actual costs of the first LCSs to date but substantially more than the Navy’s
original estimate.
Based on actual costs the Navy has incurred for the LCS program, CBO estimates that the
first two LCSs could cost about $700 million each, including outfitting and postdelivery and
various nonrecurring costs associated with first ships of a class but excluding mission
modules. However, as of May 1, 2008, LCS-1 was 83 percent complete and LCS-2 was 68
percent complete. Thus, additional cost growth is possible, and CBO’s estimate reflects that
cost risk.
Overall, CBO estimates that the LCSs in the Navy’s plan would cost about $550 million
each, on average, excluding mission modules. That estimate assumes that the Navy would
select one of the two existing designs and make no changes. As the program advanced with a
settled design and higher annual rates of production, average ship costs would probably
decline. If the Navy decided to make changes to that design, however, the costs of building
future ships could be higher than CBO now estimates.40
Reasons for Cost Growth
Various reasons have been cited for cost growth in the LCS program, including the following:
• Unrealistically low original estimate. Some observers believe that the original
cost estimate of $220 million for the LCS sea frame was unrealistically low. If so,
a potential follow-on question would be whether the LCS represents a case of
“low-balling”—using an unrealistically low cost estimate in the early stages of a
proposed weapon program to help the program win approval and become an
established procurement effort.
• Impact of Naval Vessel Rules (NVR). Navy and industry officials have
attributed some of the cost growth to the impact of applying new Naval Vessel
Rules (NVR)—essentially, new rules specifying the construction standards for
the ship—to the LCS program. The NVR issued for the LCS program
incorporated, among other things, an increase in the survivability standard (the
ability to withstand damage) to which LCSs were to be built.41 Building the ship
to a higher survivability standard represented a change in requirements for the
ship that led to many design changes, including changes that made ship more
rugged and more complex in terms of its damage-control systems. In addition,
Navy and industry officials have testified, the timing of the issuing of NVR
40 Congressional Budget Office, Resource Implications of the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2009 Shipbuilding Plan, June 8,
2008, pp. 26-27.
41 The LCS was earlier conceived as a ship that would be built to a survivability standard that would be sufficient, in
the event of significant battle damage, to save the ship’s crew, but not necessarily the ship. The survivability standard
for the LCS was increased as part of the issuing of NVR to one that would be sufficient to save not only the ship’s
crew, but the ship as well. (Other U.S. Navy combat ships are built to a still-higher survivability standard that is
sufficient not only to save the crew and the ship, but to permit the ship to keep fighting even though it has sustained
damage.)
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created a situation of concurrency between design and construction in the LCS
program, meaning that the ship was being designed at the same time that the
shipyard was attempting to build it—a situation long known to be a potential
cause of cost growth. This concurrency, Navy officials testified, was a
consequence of the compressed construction schedule for the LCS program,
which in turn reflected an urgency about getting LCSs into the fleet to meet
critical mission demands.
• Improperly manufactured reduction gear. Navy and industry officials testified
that cost growth on LCS-1 was partly due to a main reduction gear42 that was
incorrectly manufactured and had to be replaced, forcing a reordering of the
construction sequence for the various major sections of the ship.
• Increased costs for materials. Some observers have attributed part of the cost
growth in the program to higher-than-estimated costs for steel and other materials
that are used in building the ships.
• Emphasis on meeting schedule combined with cost-plus contract. Some
portion of cost growth on LCS-1 has been attributed to a combination of a Navy
emphasis on meeting the ship’s aggressive construction schedule and the Navy’s
use of a cost-plus contract to build the ship.43
• Shipyard Performance. Shipyard performance and supervision of the LCS
shipyards by the LCS team leaders and the Navy has been cited as another cause
of cost growth.44
July 2007 GAO Testimony
GAO testified in July 2007 that:
We have frequently reported on the wisdom of using a solid, executable business case before
committing resources to a new product development effort....
42 A ship’s reduction gear is a large, heavy gear that reduces the high-speed revolutions of the ship’s turbine engines to
the lower-speed revolutions of its propellers.
43 The Senate Armed Services Committee, as part of its discussion of the LCS program in its report (S.Rept. 110-77 of
June 5, 2007) on the FY2008 defense authorization bill (S. 1547), stated:
Reviewing this LCS situation will undoubtedly result in a new set of “lessons learned”‘ that the
acquisition community will dutifully try to implement. However, the committee has previously
expressed concerns about the LCS concept and the LCS acquisition strategy. The LCS situation
may be more a case of “lessons lost.” Long ago, we knew that we should not rush to sign a
construction contract before we have solidified requirements. We also knew that the contractors
will respond to incentives, and that if the incentives are focused on maintaining schedules and not
on controlling cost, cost growth on a cost-plus contract should surprise no one. After the fact,
everyone appears ready to agree that the original ship construction schedule for the lead ship was
overly aggressive. (Page 98)
44 See Katherine McIntire Peters, “Navy’s Top Officer Sees Lessons In Shipbuilding Program Failures,”
GovermentExecutive.com, September 24, 2008; Christopher J. Castelli, “Audit Exposes Failed Management of
Troubled Littoral Warship,” Inside the Navy, February 4, 2008; Christopher J. Castelli, “Audit Reveals Both LCS and
Industry Teams Violated Management Rules,” Inside the Pentagon, July 10, 2008 (reprinted in essentially identical
form, with the same headline, in the July 14, 2008, issue of sister publication Inside the Navy).
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A sound business case would establish and resource a knowledge-based approach at the
outset of a program. We would define such a business case as firm requirements, mature
technologies, and an acquisition strategy that provides sufficient time and money for design
activities before construction start. The business case is the essential first step in any
acquisition program that sets the stage for the remaining stages of a program, namely the
business or contracting arrangements and actual execution or performance. If the business
case is not sound, the contract will not correct the problem and execution will be subpar.
This does not mean that all potential problems can be eliminated and perfection achieved, but
rather that sound business cases can get the Navy better shipbuilding outcomes and better
return on investment. If any one element of the business case is weak, problems can be
expected in construction. The need to meet schedule is one of the main reasons why
programs cannot execute their business cases. This pattern was clearly evident in both the
LPD 17 [amphibious ship] and LCS programs. In both cases, the program pushed ahead with
production even when design problems arose or key equipment was not available when
needed. Short cuts, such as doing technology development concurrently with design and
construction, are taken to meet schedule. In the end, problems occur that cannot be resolved
within compressed, optimistic schedules. Ultimately, when a schedule is set that cannot
accommodate program scope, delivering an initial capability is delayed and higher costs are
incurred....
What happens when the elements of a solid business case are not present? Unfortunately, the
results have been all too visible in the LPD 17 and the LCS. Ship construction in these
programs has been hampered throughout by design instability and program management
challenges that can be traced back to flawed business cases. The Navy moved forward with
ambitious schedules for constructing LPD 17 and LCS despite significant challenges in
stabilizing the designs for these ships. As a result, construction work has been performed out
of sequence and significant rework has been required, disrupting the optimal construction
sequence and application of lessons learned for follow-on vessels in these programs....
In the LCS program, design instability resulted from a flawed business case as well as
changes to Navy requirements. From the outset, the Navy sought to concurrently design and
construct two lead ships in the LCS program in an effort to rapidly meet pressing needs in
the mine countermeasures, antisubmarine warfare, and surface warfare mission areas. The
Navy believed it could manage this approach, even with little margin for error, because it
considered each LCS to be an adaptation of an existing high-speed ferry design. It has since
been realized that transforming a high-speed ferry into a capable, networked, survivable
warship was quite a complex venture. Implementation of new Naval Vessel Rules (design
guidelines) further complicated the Navy’s concurrent design-build strategy for LCS. These
rules required program officials to redesign major elements of each LCS design to meet
enhanced survivability requirements, even after construction had begun on the first ship.
While these requirements changes improved the robustness of LCS designs, they contributed
to out of sequence work and rework on the lead ships. The Navy failed to fully account for
these changes when establishing its $220 million cost target and 2-year construction cycle
for the lead ships.
Complicating LCS construction was a compressed and aggressive schedule. When design
standards were clarified with the issuance of Naval Vessel Rules and major equipment
deliveries were delayed (e.g., main reduction gears), adjustments to the schedule were not
made. Instead, with the first LCS, the Navy and shipbuilder continued to focus on achieving
the planned schedule, accepting the higher costs associated with out of sequence work and
rework. This approach enabled the Navy to achieve its planned launch date for the first
Littoral Combat Ship, but required it to sacrifice its desired level of outfitting. Program
officials report that schedule pressures also drove low outfitting levels on the second Littoral
Combat Ship design as well, although rework requirements have been less intensive to date.
However, because remaining work on the first two ships will now have to be completed out-
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of-sequence, the initial schedule gains most likely will be offset by increased labor hours to
finish these ships.
The difficulties and costs discussed above relate to the LCS seaframe only. This program is
unique in that the ship’s mission equipment is being developed and funded separately from
the seaframe. The Navy faces additional challenges integrating mission packages with the
ships, which could further increase costs and delay delivery of new antisubmarine warfare,
mine countermeasures, and surface warfare capabilities to the fleet. These mission packages
are required to meet a weight requirement of 180 metric tons or less and require 35 personnel
or less to operate them. However, the Navy estimates that the mine countermeasures mission
package may require an additional 13 metric tons of weight and seven more operator
personnel in order to deploy the full level of promised capability. Because neither of the
competing ship designs can accommodate these increases, the Navy may be forced to
reevaluate its planned capabilities for LCS.45
45 Defense Acquisitions[:] Realistic Business Cases Needed to Execute Navy Shipbuilding Programs, Statement of Paul
L. Francis, Director, Acquisition and Sourcing Management Team, Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Seapower
and Expeditionary Forces, Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives, July 24, 2007 (GAO-07-943T),
pp. 8-11.
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Appendix C. 2007 Program Restructuring and Ship
Cancellations
The Navy substantially restructured the LCS program in 2007 in response to significant cost
growth and delays in constructing the first LCS sea frames. This restructuring led to the
cancellation of four LCSs that were funded in FY2006 and FY2007. A fifth LCS, funded in
FY2008, was cancelled in 2008. This appendix presents the details of the program restructuring
and ship cancellations.
2007 Program Restructuring
March 2007 Navy Restructuring Plan
In response to significant cost growth and schedule delays in the building of the first LCSs that
first came to light in January 2007 (see next section), the Navy in March 2007 announced a plan
for restructuring the LCS program that:
• canceled the two LCSs funded in FY2007 and redirected the funding for those
two ships to pay for cost overruns on earlier LCSs;
• announced an intention to lift a 90-day stop-work order that the Navy had placed
on LCS-3 in January 2007—provided that the Navy reached an agreement with
the Lockheed-led industry team by April 12, 2007, to restructure the contract for
building LCSs 1 and 3 from a cost-plus type contract into a fixed price incentive
(FPI)-type contract—or terminate construction of LCS-3 if an agreement on a
restructured contract could not be reached with the Lockheed team by April 12,
2007;
• announced an intention to seek to restructure the contract with the General
Dynamics-led industry team for building LCSs 2 and 4 into an FPI-type
contract—if LCSs 2 and 4 experienced cost growth comparable to that of LCSs 1
and 3—and, if such a restructuring were sought, terminate construction of LCS-4
if an agreement on a restructured contract for LCS-2 and LCS-4 could not be
reached;
• reduced the number of LCSs requested for FY2008 from three to two (for the
same requested FY2008 procurement funding of $910.5 million), and the number
to be requested for FY2009 from six to three; and
• announced an intention to conduct an operational evaluation to select a favored
design for the LCS that would be procured in FY2010 and subsequent years, and
to conduct a full and open follow-on competition among bidders for the right to
build that design.46
46 Source: Navy briefing to CRS and Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on Navy’s proposed LCS program
restructuring plan, March 21, 2007.
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April 2007 Termination of LCS-3
On April 12, 2007, the Navy announced that it had not reached an agreement with Lockheed on a
restructured FPI-type contract for LCS-1 and LCS-3, and consequently was terminating
construction of LCS-3.47 (The Navy subsequently began referring to the ship as having been
partially terminated—a reference to the fact that Lockheed was allowed to continue procuring
certain components for LCS-3, so that a complete set of these components would be on hand to
be incorporated into the next LCS built to the Lockheed design.) (The designation LCS-3 is now
being reused to refer to one of the two LCSs procured in FY2009.)
November 2007 Termination of LCS-4
In late September 2007, it was reported that the Navy on September 19 had sent a letter to
General Dynamics to initiate negotiations on restructuring the contract for building LCSs 2 and 4
into an FPI-type contract. The negotiations reportedly were to be completed by October 19,
2007—30 days from September 19.48 On November 1, 2007, the Navy announced that it had not
reached an agreement with General Dynamics on a restructured FPI-type contract for LCS-2 and
LCS-4, and consequently was terminating construction of LCS-4.49 (The designation LCS-4 is
now being reused to refer to one of the two LCSs procured in FY2009.)
Cancellation of Prior-Year Ships
Table C-1 below summarizes the status of the nine LCSs funded by Congress from FY2005
through FY2009. As shown in the table, of the nine ships, five were later canceled, leaving four
ships in place through FY2009—LCSs 1 and 2, and the two LCSs funded in FY2009. Ship
designations LCS-3 and LCS-4 are being reused as the designations for the two ships funded in
FY2009.
47 Department of Defense News Release No. 422-07, April 12, 2007, “Navy Terminates Littoral Combat Ship 3.”
48 Geoff Fein, “Navy Seeking To Negotiate FPI Contract With General Dynamics,” Defense Daily, September 24,
2007; Geoff Fein, “Navy, General Dynamics Meet To Discuss New LCS Fixed Price Structure,” Defense Daily,
September 27, 2007; Tony Capaccio, “General Dynamics Urged To Take Fixed Price On Warship Contract,”
Bloomberg News, September 28, 2007; Jason Sherman, “Navy, General Dynamics Discuss Fixed-Price Contract For
LCS,” Inside the Navy, October 1, 2007.
49 Department of Defense News Release No. 1269-07, November 1, 2007, “Navy Terminates Littoral Combat Ship
(LCS 4) Contract.”
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Table C-1. Status of LCSs Funded in FY2005-FY2009
Ships
FY
Navy hull
funded funded
designation
Status
1st 2005
LCS-1
Commissioned into service on November 8, 2008.
2nd LCS-2
Commissioned into service on January 16, 2010.
3rd LCS-3
Canceled by Navy in April 2007 after being placed under
contract due to inability to come to agreement with contractor
(not the same ship as LCS-3 on revised (fixed-price) contract terms for LCSs 1 and 3.
2006
below)
4th
LCS-4
Canceled by Navy in November 2007 after being placed under
contract due to inability to come to agreement with contractor
(not the same ship as LCS-4 on revised (fixed-price) contract terms for LCSs 2 and 4.
below)
5th none
Canceled by Navy in March 2007 before being placed under
(ship canceled before being contract as part of Navy’s LCS program restructuring; funds
placed under contract)
reapplied to cover other program costs.
2007
6th
none
Canceled by Navy in March 2007 before being placed under
(ship canceled before being contract as part of Navy’s LCS program restructuring; funds
placed under contract)
reapplied to cover other program costs.
7th
LCS-5
Canceled by Navy following Congress’s decision in
(for a while, at least,
September 2008, as part of its action on the FY2009 defense
2008
although the ship was
appropriations bill, to rescind the funding for the ship.
canceled before being
placed under contract)
8th LCS-3
Funded in FY2009 and Under Construction. Contract to
build the ship awarded to Lockheed Martin on March 23, 2009.
(not the same ship as LCS-3 Ship is currently under construction.
above; the ship designation
is being reused)
2009
9th
LCS-4
Funded in FY2009 and Under Construction. Contract to
build the ship awarded to General Dynamics on May 1, 2009.
(not the same ship as LCS-4 Ship is currently under construction.
above; the ship designation
is being reused)
Source: Prepared by CRS.
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Appendix D. LCS Acquisition Strategy Announced
in September 2009
This appendix presents additional background information on the LCS acquisition strategy
announced by the Navy on September 16, 2009.
A September 16, 2009, Department of Defense (DOD) news release on the proposed new
acquisition strategy stated:
The Navy announced today it will down select between the two Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)
designs in fiscal 2010. The current LCS seaframe construction solicitation [for the FY2010
LCSs] will be cancelled and a new solicitation will be issued. At down select, a single prime
contractor and shipyard will be awarded a fixed price incentive contract for up to 10 ships
with two ships in fiscal 2010 and options through fiscal 2014. This decision was reached
after careful review of the fiscal 2010 industry bids, consideration of total program costs, and
ongoing discussions with Congress.
“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.”
The Navy cancelled the solicitation to procure up to three LCS Flight 0+ ships in fiscal 2010
due to affordability. Based on proposals received this summer, it was not possible to execute
the LCS program under the current acquisition strategy and given the expectation of
constrained budgets. The new LCS acquisition strategy improves affordability by
competitively awarding a larger number of ships across several years to one source. The
Navy will accomplish this goal by issuing a new fixed price incentive solicitation for a down
select to one of the two designs beginning in fiscal 2010.
Both industry teams will have the opportunity to submit proposals for the fiscal 2010 ships
under the new solicitation. The selected industry team will deliver a quality technical data
package, allowing the Navy to open competition for a second source for the selected design
beginning in fiscal 2012. The winner of the down select will be awarded a contract for up to
10 ships from fiscal 2010 through fiscal 2014, and also provide combat systems for up to
five additional ships provided by a second source. Delivery of LCS 2, along with
construction of LCS 3 and LCS 4 will not be affected by the decision. This plan ensures the
best value for the Navy, continues to fill critical warfighting gaps, reduces program
ownership costs, and meets the spirit and intent of the Weapons System Acquisition Reform
Act of 2009....
The Navy remains committed to the LCS program and the requirement for 55 of these ships
to provide combatant commanders with the capability to defeat anti-access threats in the
littorals, including fast surface craft, quiet submarines and various types of mines. The
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Navy’s acquisition strategy will be guided by cost and performance of the respective designs
as well as options for sustaining competition throughout the life of the program.50
A September 16, 2009, e-mail from the Navy to CRS provided additional information on the
proposed new strategy, stating:
The Navy remains committed to a 55 ship LCS program and intends to procure these ships
through an acquisition strategy that leverages competition, fixed price contracting and
stability in order to meet our overarching objectives of performance and affordability.
In the best interest of the Government, the Navy cancelled the solicitation to procure up to
three LCS Flight 0+ ships in FY10 due to affordability.
Based on proposals received in August, the Navy had no reasonable basis to find that the
LCS Program would be executable going forward under the current acquisition strategy,
given the expectation of constrained budgets.
In the near future, and working closely with Congress, the Navy will issue a new FY10
solicitation which downselects between the two existing designs and calls for building two
ships in FY10 and provides options for two additional ships per year from FY11 to FY14 for
a total of ten ships. The intent is for all of these ships to be built in one shipyard, which will
benefit from a stable order quantity, training and production efficiencies to drive costs down.
Both industry teams will have the opportunity to submit proposals for the FY10 ships under
the new solicitation.
To sustain competition throughout the life of the program and in conjunction with the
downselect, the Navy will develop a complete Technical Data Package which will be used to
open competition for a second source of the selected design in FY12, awarding one ship with
options for up to four additional ships through FY14, to a new shipbuilder.
Our FY10 solicitation will call for the prime to build an additional five combat systems to be
delivered as government-furnished equipment for this second source shipyard. Separating the
ship and combat systems procurement will enable bringing the LCS combat system into the
broader Navy’s open architecture plan.
In short, this strategy calls for two shipbuilders in continuous competition for a single LCS
seaframe design, and a government-provided combat system.
The revised strategy meets the full spirit and intent of the Weapon Systems Acquisition
Reform Act of 2009 by increasing Government oversight, employing fixed price contract
types, maximizing competition, leveraging open architecture, using Economic Order
Quantity and Block Buy strategies, and ensuring future competition for shipbuilding as
enabled by development of a Technical Data Package to solicit ships from a second shipyard.
We also continue to work closely with Congress on the Navy’s LCS procurement
intentions....
The Navy intends to continue with construction and delivery of LCS 3 and LCS 4, ultimately
for use as deployable assets. We will continue to explore all avenues to ensure this is an
affordable program.51
50 Department of Defense, “Littoral Combat Ship Down Select Announced,” News Release 722-09, September 16,
2009, available online at http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=12984.
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The Navy briefed CRS and CBO about the proposed new acquisition strategy on September 22,
2009. Points made by the Navy in the briefing included the following:
• The bids from the two industry teams for the three LCSs requested in the FY2010
budget (which were submitted to the Navy in late July or early August 200952)
were above the LCS unit procurement cost cap in “all scenarios.”
• Negotiations with the industry teams were deemed by the Navy to be not likely to
result in award prices for the FY2010 ships that were acceptable to the Navy.
• The Navy judged that the current LCS teaming arrangements “considerably
influenced costs” in the FY2010 bids.
• The Navy judged that it cannot afford more than a two-ship award in FY2010
within the amount of funding ($1,380 million) requested for LCS sea frame
procurement in FY2010.
• In response to the above points, the Navy decided to seek a new acquisition
strategy for LCSs procured in FY2010 and subsequent years that would make the
LCS program affordable by leveraging competition, providing stability to LCS
shipyards and suppliers, producing LCSs at efficient rates, giving industry
incentives to make investments that would reduce LCS production costs, and
increase commonality in the resulting LCS fleet.
• Under the Navy’s proposed new strategy, the winner of the LCS down select
would be awarded a contract to build two ships procured in FY2010, with options
to build two more ships per year in FY2011-FY2014. The contract would be a
block-buy contract augmented with Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) authority,
so as to permit up-front batch purchases of long leadtime components, as would
be the case under a multiyear procurement (MYP) contract. Unlike an MYP
contract, however, the block buy contract would not include a termination
liability.
• The winner of the down select would deliver to the Navy a technical data
package that would permit another shipyard to build the winning LCS design.
• The Navy would hold a second competition to select a second LCS bidder. This
competition would be open to all firms other than the shipyard that is building the
10 LCSs in FY2010-FY2014. The winner of this second competition would be
awarded a contract to build up to five LCSs in FY2012-FY2014 (one ship in
FY2012, and two ships per year in FY2013-FY2014).
• The Navy would maintain competition between the two shipyards for LCSs
procured in FY2015 and subsequent years.
• The prime contactor on the team that wins the LCS down select (i.e., Lockheed
or General Dynamics) would provide the combat systems for all the LCSs to be
(...continued)
51 Email from Navy Office of Legislative Affairs to CRS, entitled “LCS Way Ahead,” September 16, 2009.
52 See, for example, Christopher P. Cavas, “LCS Bids Submitted to U.S. Navy,” DefenseNews.com, August 3, 2009,
which states: “Lockheed Martin announced its proposal was sent to the Navy on July 31, and rival General Dynamics
confirmed its plans were sent in by the Aug. 3 deadline.” See also Bettina H. Chavanne, “Lockheed Submits First LCS
Proposal Under Cost Cap Regulations,” Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, August 4, 2009: 5.
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procured in FY2010-FY2014—the 10 that would be built by the first shipyard,
and the others that would be built by the second shipyard.
• The structure of the industry team that wins the down select would be altered,
with the prime contractor on the team being separated from the shipyard (i.e., the
shipyard building the 10 LCSs in FY2010-FY2014). The separation, which
would occur some time between FY2010 and FY2014, would be intended in part
to prevent an organizational conflict of interest on the part of the prime contractor
as it provides combat systems to the two shipyards building LCSs.
• The current combat system used on the selected LCS design will be modified
over time to a configuration that increases its commonality with one or more of
the Navy’s existing surface ship combat systems.
• The Navy intends to complete the construction and delivery of LCS-3 and LCS-
4.
• The Navy believes that the proposed acquisition strategy does the following:
maximize the use of competition in awarding contracts for LCSs procured in
FY2010-FY2014; provide an opportunity for achieving EOQ savings with
vendors; provide stability and efficient production quantities to the shipyards and
vendors; provide an opportunity to move to a common combat system for the
LCS fleet; and provide the lowest-possible total ownership cost for the Navy for
the resulting LCS fleet, in large part because the fleet would consist primarily of
a single LCS design with a single logistics support system. The Navy also
believes the proposed strategy is consistent with the spirit and intent of the
Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009 (S. 454/P.L. 111-23 of May 22,
2009).
Regarding the Navy’s ability to sustain a competition between two LCS builders for LCS
construction contracts years from now, when the annual LCS procurement rate is projected to
drop to 1.5 ships per year (i.e., a 1-2-1-2 pattern), Undersecretary of the Navy Robert Work
reportedly stated:
“We are going to be able to compete those. We will be able to compete three [ships] every
two years and one of the yards will win two and one yard will win one. Sometimes, we’ll do
a five multi-year [procurement contract]. We have all sorts of flexibility in here,” he said.53
53 Geoff Fein, “Official: Navy OK With Either LCS, New Acquisition Plan Adds Flexibility In Out Years,” Defense
Daily, February 18, 2010: 3.
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Appendix E. May 2010 Navy Testimony Regarding
Fuel Costs as Evaluation Factor
At a May 6, 2010, hearing on Navy shipbuilding programs before the Seapower Subcommittee of
the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Jeff Sessions questioned Sean Stackley, the
Navy’s acquisition executive (i.e., the Assistant Secretary of the Navy [Research, Development
and Acquisition]), regarding the role of fuel costs in the Navy’s evaluation of the two LCS
designs. The following is text of the exchange:
SENATOR SESSIONS:
Secretary Stackley, yesterday, Defense News reported that Secretary Mabus, the Navy
secretary, in his remarks to the Navy League on May 5th, stated that “energy efficiency, both
in the manufacturing process and in the final product would increasingly be a factor in
judging program”—reform—"performance, as well as in the contract awards.”
Earlier, he said, in October of last year at an energy forum, “First, we‘re going to change the
way the Navy and the Marine Corps awards contracts, that lifetime energy costs of a building
or a system and the fully burdened costs of fuel in powering those will be a mandatory
evaluation factor used when awarding contracts.
“We're going to hold industry contractually accountable for meeting energy targets and
system efficiency requirements.” And he goes on to emphasize that more.
And in September of ‘09, he said, “One of the drivers for me is the affordability of being
able to operate the force. We no longer have the luxury to say it’s a good deal on price, or
let’s buy it, we have to get our arms around the lifecycle costs.”
Do you agree that that’s the right way to purchase a ship or anything, but—any vehicle, but a
ship, particularly, that you want to know not only how much it costs today, but how much
fuel it will use and how much it will cost to operate that? Is that a factor that should given
weight in the process?
STACKLEY:
Sir, we—the secretary has outlined his goals for energy, and we are putting a lot of effort
into not just meeting his goals, but building the path to get there.
When we look at how we procure our ships, we bring total ownership cost into the equation,
and we evaluate not just—we look at not just the procurement costs, but we look at, again,
the ownership costs throughout the life of the program, which includes—that includes
energy, it includes manpower, it includes maintenance and modernization considerations in
addition to the upfront procurement cost.
SESSIONS:
Well, I think you said that you agree with the secretary. Is that right?
STACKLEY:
I would—I would always agree with the secretary, sir.
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(LAUGHTER)
SESSIONS:
Well, especially when he’s correct, as he is in that statement.
But I didn't hear you say precisely that you are at that level now. He said, we're going to—
"the first thing we're going to do is fix this energy matter.”
So I'm asking you today, when you look at Littoral Combat Ship competition, is that
effectively being evaluated in the bid process? It certainly seems that it should be?
STACKLEY:
We took a look at, inside of the—of the larger category of ownership costs, we took a look
at—we considered it as an evaluation factor, compared the two designs, and arrived at an
evaluation inside the technical portion of the LCS award criteria that would address
improvements to total ownership costs, which would include energy as well as maintenance
and modernization.
SESSIONS:
Well, the fact that that is a very long and complex answer makes me nervous. Because my
analysis of it is that it does not do just what the secretary said.
And I would offer, for the record, Mr. Chairman, a report from the Congressional Budget
Office that’s analyzed this particular question. The way I read the report, it’s pretty clear to
me that the Navy has not sufficiently calculated the fuel costs of this ship.
Has the—in calculating the comparative fuel costs of the two ships, and that’s what you
mean by those words you gave us, doesn't it? You compare the cost of one ship and its
normal operating procedure and you compare the cost of the other. Correct? Is that what you
mean?
STACKLEY:
We look at total ownership cost, which includes all the factors, including energy, yes, sir.
SESSIONS:
Well, let’s focus on the energy part of cost. Do you consider how much it costs to run one
ship and you consider the cost of the other one? That’s what it means. Does it not?
STACKLEY:
Yes, sir.
SESSIONS:
And have you calculated and reduced to dollar amounts, the estimated fuel cost of operating
these ships, each one, through the lifecycle?
STACKLEY:
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We've looked at the different ways in which the Navy would operate the ship—because,
clearly, fuel costs are dependent upon how you would operate the ship—and ran the
respective analyses for the two different designs.
SESSIONS:
Well, I'm well aware of that, but that's—that would be part of how you would calculate it. So
have you calculated it to a dollar- and-cent figure, so you can compare actual cost?
STACKLEY:
Yes, sir. In accordance with the different ways in which we would operate the ship, inside of
the total...
SESSIONS:
How much do you calculate for the LCS 1 and the LCS 2? What are the figures for each?
STACKLEY:
I would not provide those in an open forum because the respective figures that were used—
that we have used are proprietary. However, we have provided that information through
other means to the CBO, in forming their report.
SESSIONS:
Well, as I would read the CBO report, it would conclude that Navy inadequately scored that.
But, do I hear you saying you have an actual dollar-and-cent figure that you've used in
evaluating the life-cycle cost, that now—that the Navy has and is applying to this ship?
STACKLEY:
To be exact, we took a look at the total ownership cost for the two competing designs. We
looked at maintenance, modernization, manpower and fuel consumption. When we look at
fuel consumption, we have to consider the different ways in which the Navy would operate
the ship.
And then we looked at the total ownership costs, side by side, for the two different designs,
considering different categories for the way the Navy would...
(CROSSTALK)
SESSIONS:
Surely you would have to reduce this variable speed to some sort of a factor that you could
evaluate in terms of dollars and cents. That’s what CBO said.
(CROSSTALK)
SESSIONS:
It’s been done before, hasn't it?
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STACKLEY:
Yes, sir. So as you read through the CBO report, what they point out is, one, there’s a range
in terms of the percent of the total ownership cost that’s made up by fuel, and also there’s a
range for how much of an impact the different mission type of operations have on that
percent. And within that range, you could have one design being better than the other and
vice versa.
So, in fact, the outcome of the analysis for total ownership cost is highly sensitive to the way
that the Navy would operate the ships. And depending on which...
(CROSSTALK)
SESSIONS:
I couldn't agree more. But have you calculated that?
STACKLEY:
Yes, sir.
SESSIONS:
And you would agree, would you not, that if you didn't properly calculate that, then it could
be unfair to one competitor or another?
STACKLEY:
What I would definitely agree to is that there is a degree of uncertainty around the estimates.
And so within—when you say not properly calculating it, I would say that the Navy’s
estimate is not so much of a point estimate, as it is a number plus or minus a certain
percentage of uncertainty.
And so, I would not—I would not suggest that we've been unfair to one or the other based on
that calculation.
SESSIONS:
Mr. Stackley, I've not been able to follow those answers. It’s awfully complex to me. It
would seem to me that you would, if you were buying an automobile, and got better gas
mileage than another one, you would calculate over the expected life of that car, how many
dollars you spend on fuel on each one.
And are you saying that you have done that in this case, and—this competition—and that
you are prepared at some point to make that public?
STACKLEY:
Two things. One, you say, within the competition. The analysis that you are referring to is
not a part of the award criteria.
SESSIONS:
Oh. So—well, then are you going to make it a part of the award evaluation or not?
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STACKLEY:
No, sir. What we do have as a part of the award criteria is how to improve upon total
ownership cost. When we do the analysis of total ownership cost, which includes fuel, and
we put side by side comparison between the two designs, then the outcome of that analysis is
entirely dependent on the assumptions you make with regards to how the Navy would
operate the ship, where the range of operations is entirely within what the LCS will be called
to perform.
SESSIONS:
Well, the CBO, faced with those circumstances, came up with a range, did they not?
STACKLEY:
Yes, sir.
SESSIONS:
And the range was something like eight to 18.
STACKLEY:
It was eight percent to 11 percent for a frigate-type of combatant, which would include an
LCS.
SESSIONS:
And they estimated the moderate range would be 11. That was their guesstimate of—that
was their estimate of what the...
STACKLEY:
Yes, sir.
SESSIONS:
... fuel costs should be. Have you used—do you use that figure or a different one?
STACKLEY:
We used the baseline figures that we have for the two designs. The other information that the
CBO pointed toward was the operating regime of the ships, where they would nominally
spend 95 percent of their time at 16 knots or less, 5 percent of their time north of that speed.
So you have a range of variability of 5 percent inside of the CBO’s numbers, driven by the
way you operate the ships, for a cost factor that’s 11 percent of the total ownership cost.
SESSIONS:
Well, I would—thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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I would just say that this is a very serious matter. And I would expect—I'm not able to follow
your answers, and my concern is that you're not adequately accounting for differences of
fuel. And I intend to follow it.
I hope that you conduct this correctly, but if not, I think—I think we would not have had a
fair competition.54
54 Source: Transcript of hearing.
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Appendix F. May 2010 Navy Testimony Regarding
Impact of NLOS-LS Cancellation
At a May 6, 2010, hearing on Navy shipbuilding programs before the Seapower Subcommittee of
the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Jack Reed questioned Sean Stackley, the Navy’s
acquisition executive (i.e., the Assistant Secretary of the Navy [Research, Development and
Acquisition]), and Lieutenant General George Flynn, Deputy Commandant, Combat
Development and Integration, and Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development
Command, regarding the impact the cancellation of the NLOS-LS program. The following is text
of the exchange:
SENATOR REED:
Let me ask a question, then yield to Senator Wicker. And I might have one more question,
but going back to the decision about the DDG- 51 versus the DDG-1000. The DDG-1000
was developed with the principal mission of close fire support for forcible entry, principally
the Marine Corps.
Then the Navy made the decision that they could do that by other means, and the more
pressing need was missile defense, which the DDG- 51 seems more capable. Part of that
decision, I understand, is the thought that essentially the Navy could adopt an Army system,
the non- line of sight launch system, NLOS. But now it appears that the Army is getting
ready to abandon the development of that system, forcing you to have no system or to adopt
the cost of that system, rather than bootstrapping on the Army.
So, I'm just, Admiral Blake, if NLOS is canceled, which it appears close to be, what’s your
backup plan? But more importantly, I'd like everyone to comment on this general topic.
What are we going to do to ensure close fire support for forcible entry of Marines?
BLAKE:
Well, sir, first of all, for the NLOS program, the NLOS was looked at from the Navy
perspective to go on the LCS. It was going to be a part of the surface package, the surface
modular package [for the LCS]. It was going to go on there.
And it was going to be used—one of the missions it was going to be used for was for the
swarming boat issue. What we are doing right now is because of the Army’s announcement
that they are potentially looking at terminating the program, we have been—we are going
back and evaluating for that particular module.
If, in fact that program is terminated and it is decided that the Navy would not go down that
path, then what would we have to do in order to meet the key performance parameters for
that particular module on the LCS.
REED:
Thank you. That helps to clarify.
Can I assume then, Secretary Stackley, to my comment, that the close fire support would be
provided not by a destroyer, but by the LCS? Is that correct, the operational concept, Mr.
Secretary?
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STACKLEY:
No, sir. There’s a naval surface first support capability. That requirement is met by what is
called a triad. First, there’s organic artillery, there is air, then there’s naval surface fires. So
that triad is intended to meet the overarching or capstone requirement.
And we look at—you started with the DDG-1000 with the advanced con [sic: gun] system
[the DDG-1000’s 155 mm Advanced Gun System] to [help meet] the overall requirement,
and we look at other surface ships, basically [the] five-inch 54 [caliber gun], basically which
is common to the DDG-51 and the [CG-47 class] cruiser. And with the NLOS, we looked at
a capability that the LCS could further contribute to that [naval surface fire support]
campaign problem.
REED:
General Flynn, since your Marines are going to have to make the forceful entry, you have the
last word on the whole topic and NLOS, too.
FLYNN:
Sir, over a year ago we agreed that the solution, and this was at the same time we were
examining the DDG-1000, we agreed to look for a joint analysis of alternatives [AOA] to
determine the way ahead for naval surface fires. A key part of that had, as Secretary Stackley
said, is our belief in the triad, that no single leg of the triad can meet all the demands of it.
And we see naval surface fires as providing volume and accuracy as a key part of that triad.
As part of the joint AOA, we looked at 71 alternatives, and we came down to the six most
promising. One of them was the NLOS system. If it proved promising, it would have to have
an extended range, but that was one of the alternatives. And that was one of the areas that we
were also looking to capitalize on the Navy’s building of the LCS platform.
If NLOS proves not to be effective, then the only other option that’s available right now is
the development of the five-inch round, the extended range round for extended use off the
DDG-81 and higher class [destroyer] hull forms. And that really needs to be upon 12-ish (ph)
[sic: a POM-12 issue],55 because right now there is no [new] naval surface fire [capability],
with the exception of the DDG-1000 in the program of record. The next promising or viable
thing seems to be the extended five-inch range [shell]. And that would meet the
requirement.56
55 The Program Objective Memorandum, or POM, is an internal DOD document used to develop DOD’s proposed
budget. POM-12 is the POM for the proposed FY2012 budget that DOD will submit to Congress in February 2011.
56 Source: Transcript of hearing.
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Appendix G. Potential for Common Hulls
Some observers, including some Members of Congress, have expressed interest in the idea of
using common hulls for Coast Guard cutters and smaller Navy combatants, so as to improve
economies of scale in the construction of these ships and thereby reduce their procurement costs.
In earlier years, this interest focused on using a common hull for the LCS and the Offshore Patrol
Cutter (OPC), a cutter displacing roughly 3,000 tons that is to be procured under the Coast
Guard’s Deepwater acquisition program.57 More recently, this interest has focused on using a
common hull for the LCS and the National Security Cutter (NSC), a cutter displacing about 4,300
tons that is also being acquired under the Deepwater program. This appendix presents information
regarding the idea of using common hulls for Coast Guard cutters and smaller Navy combatants.
July 2009 CBO Report
A July 2009 CBO report examines options for the Navy and Coast Guard to use common hulls for
some of their ships. The report states that:
some members of Congress and independent analysts have questioned whether the Navy and
the Coast Guard need to purchase four different types of small combatants and whether—in
spite of the services’ well-documented reservations about using similar hull designs—the
same type of hull could be employed for certain missions. To explore that possibility, the
Congressional Budget Office (CBO) examined three alternatives to the Navy’s and the Coast
Guard’s current plans for acquiring littoral combat ships and deepwater cutters.
• Option 1 explores the feasibility of having the Coast Guard buy a variant of the Navy’s
LCS—specifically, the semiplaning monohull—to use as its offshore patrol cutter.
• Option 2 examines the effects of reducing the number of LCSs the Navy would buy and
substituting instead a naval version of the Coast Guard’s national security cutter. (The
rationale for this option is that, according to some analysts, the NSC’s longer mission
range and higher endurance might make it better suited than the LCS to act as a “patrol
frigate,” which would allow the Navy to carry out certain activities—maritime security,
engagement, and humanitarian operations—outlined in the sea services’ new maritime
strategy.)
• Option 3 examines the advantages and disadvantages of having the Coast Guard buy
more national security cutters rather than incur the costs of designing and building a
new ship to perform the missions of an offshore patrol cutter.
According to CBO’s estimates, all three alternatives and the services’ plans would have
similar costs, regardless of whether they are calculated in terms of acquisition costs or total
life-cycle costs (see Table 1).6 CBO’s analysis also indicates that the three alternative plans
would not necessarily be more cost-effective or provide more capability than the services’
existing plans. Specifically, even if the options addressed individual problems that the Navy
and Coast Guard might confront with their small combatants, it would be at the cost of
creating new challenges. For instance, Option 1—which calls for using the LCS monohull
for the Coast Guard’s OPC—would provide less capability for the Coast Guard from that
57 For more on the Deepwater program, see CRS Report RL33753, Coast Guard Deepwater Acquisition Programs:
Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress, by Ronald O’Rourke.
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service’s perspective and at a potentially higher cost. Option 2 could provide the Navy with
capability that, in some respects, would be superior for executing the peacetime elements of
its maritime strategy; but that enhanced peacetime capability would sacrifice wartime
capability and survivability. Option 3 would allow the Coast Guard to replace its aging
cutters more quickly at a slightly higher cost but without the technical risk that is associated
with designing and constructing a new class of ships, which the service’s existing plan
entails. It would, however, provide fewer mission days at sea and require the Coast Guard to
find new home ports for its much larger force of national security cutters.58
Reported Proposal to Build Variant of NSC for Navy
In January 2008, it was reported that Northrop Grumman, the builder of the NSC, had submitted
an unsolicited proposal to the Navy to build a version of the NSC for the Navy as a complement
to, rather than a replacement for, the LCS.
January 14, 2008, Press Report
A press report dated January 14, 2008, stated:
The U.S. Navy is stumbling to build the ship it wants—the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)—so
shipbuilder Northrop Grumman is urging the service to turn to a ship it can get sooner and
cheaper: a patrol frigate version of the Coast Guard’s National Security Cutter (NSC).
“We have listened to what the Navy has said—to be more efficient, be innovative and
produce affordable and capable ships,” said Phil Teel, president of Northrop’s Ship Systems
sector. “The patrol frigate is a response to that, and to the Navy’s new National Maritime
Strategy.”
Northrop’s analysts have studied remarks and themes oft repeated by senior Navy leaders
and concluded a de facto requirement exists for a frigate-size ship capable of handling a
range of low- and mid-intensity missions. Those missions, said Eric Womble, head of Ship
Systems’ Advanced Capabilities Group, are detailed in the Navy’s new Maritime Strategy
and include forward presence, deterrence, sea control, maritime security, humanitarian
assistance and disaster response.
“You don’t want a high-end Aegis ship to handle those missions,” Womble said, “you want
something cheaper and smaller.”
The National Security Cutter (NSC) as configured for the Coast Guard could easily handle
those roles, Womble said.
The first NSC, the Bertholf, successfully carried out its initial trials in early December and
will be commissioned this year by the Coast Guard. Womble said a Navy version would
avoid the first-of-class issues that have plagued numerous Navy programs, including both
designs being built for the LCS competition.
Northrop in late December began briefing select Navy leaders on its unsolicited proposal.
The company is taking pains to avoid presenting the ship as an LCS alternative, instead
58 Congressional Budget Office, Options for Combining the Navy’s and the Coast Guard’s Small Combatant Programs,
July 2009, p. 2.
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calling it an LCS “complement,” which is being built under a competition between Lockheed
Martin and General Dynamics.
Key features of Northrop’s concept are:
—The ship is based on a proven design already under construction.
—The NSC’s weapons, sensors and systems already have a high degree of commonality with
Navy systems, increasing affordability.
—While the NSC is 15 knots slower than the 45-knot LCS, the cutter can stay at sea up to
two months, much longer than the LCS.
The report also stated:
Northrop is claiming it can deliver the first ship at the end of 2012 at an average cost of less
than $400 million per ship, exclusive of government-furnished equipment, in fiscal 2007
dollars. That’s close to the $403 million contract cost of the third NSC, which incorporates
all current design upgrades.
A major element of Northrop’s proposal, Womble said, is that the Navy should make no
changes to the current Block 0 design. “That’s the only way we can deliver the ship at this
price.”
The design, however, has plenty of room for upgrades, Womble claimed, and Northrop is
proposing future upgrades be handled in groups, or blocks, of ships, rather than modifying
individual ones. Those upgrades could include non-line-of-sight missiles, SeaRAM missile
launchers and more capabilities to handle unmanned systems. The design even has room for
an LCS-like reconfigurable mission area under the flight deck, he claimed.
Northrop admits the ships are deficient in one significant Navy requirement: full
compatibility with the Naval Vessel Rules (NVR), essentially building codes developed by
the Naval Sea Systems Command and the American Bureau of Shipping. The belated
application of the NVR to both LCS designs was a major factor in the cost growth on those
ships.
Most of the NSC design already is NVR-compatible, Womble said, but upgrading the entire
design to NVR standards would involve a fundamental redesign and eliminate the proposal’s
cost and construction time attributes.
“We’d need a waiver [from the NVR rules] to make this proposal work,” he said.
The report also stated:
Navy Response: ‘No Requirement’
The official response from the Navy to Northrop’s proposal so far is unenthusiastic.
“There is currently no requirement for such a combatant,” said Lt. Clay Doss, a Navy
spokesman at the Pentagon. The Navy’s other surface ship programs, he said, “address
specific requirements.”
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Doss did note that “the Navy and Coast Guard have considered a common platform for the
LCS and the Coast Guard’s National Security Cutter. However, due to the unique mission
requirements of each service, a common hull is not a likely course of action.”
Problems with the LCS have caused some observers to predict the program’s demise, but the
Navy “is completely committed to the LCS program,” Doss said. “We need 55 Littoral
Combat Ships sooner rather than later, and we need them now to fulfill critical, urgent war-
fighting gaps.”
Northrop however, is not alone in proposing the NSC as an LCS alternative. Coast Guard
Capt. James Howe, writing in the current issue of the U.S. Naval Institute’s Proceedings
magazine, is urging Navy leaders to consider the NSC.
“I think the Navy should look at it,” he said Jan. 10. “Northrop is building a naval combatant
here. It has standard U.S. Navy weapon systems as part of its packages. Its communications
are interoperable. It can handle underway replenishment. If there’s a possibility it could be a
cost saver or a good deal for the Navy, it needs to be explored.”
Howe, who said he was unaware of Northrop’s patrol frigate proposal, agreed the NSC is
capable of further enhancements. “There’s a lot of space on that ship,” he said.
‘Potential Game-changer’
Northrop likely is facing an uphill battle with its patrol frigate, as the Navy culturally prefers
to dictate requirements based on its own analysis.
But the Navy is having trouble defending the affordability of its shipbuilding plan to
Congress and bringing programs in on budget. One congressional source noted the service
“can’t admit their plan won’t work.” An unsolicited proposal, the source said, “opens the
way for someone else to come up with a potential game-changer.”
Northrop’s plan, the source said, may be an unexpected opportunity.
“Northrop is listening to the people who have been criticizing the Navy’s shipbuilding plan,”
the source said. “They’ve gotten a sense that maybe the Navy is looking for a solution, and
the Navy can’t produce a solution because it might be too embarrassing.”
One more aspect that could be at work in the Northrop proposal: “I think there’s something
coy going on here,” the source said. “They may be promoting this as an LCS complement,
but their idea might be part of a strategic plan to replace the LCS.”59
January 17, 2008, Press Report
A press report dated January 17, 2008, stated:
Northrop Grumman Corp said on Wednesday [January 16, 2008, that] a proposal to turn its
418-foot Coast Guard cutter into a new class of Navy frigates is sparking some interest
among U.S. Navy officials and lawmakers.
59 Christopher P. Cavas, “Northrop Offers NSC-Based Vessel To Fill LCS Delays,” Defense News, January 14, 2008.
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Northrop is offering the Navy a fixed price for the new ship of under $400 million and could
deliver the first one as early as 2012 to help out with maritime security, humanitarian aid and
disaster response, among other things, said Eric Womble, vice president of Northrop
Grumman Ship Systems.
So far, the officials briefed have found Northrop’s offer “intriguing,” Womble told Reuters
in an interview. “They like the fact that we’re putting an option on the table. No one has told
us, ‘Go away, don’t come back, we don’t want to hear this’,” Womble said.
At the same time, the Navy says it remains committed to another class of smaller, more agile
ships—the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) being built by Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N:
Quote, Profile, Research) and General Dynamics Corp (GD.N: Quote, Profile, Research)—
amid huge cost overruns.
“There currently is no requirement for a frigate,” Navy spokesman Lt. Clay Doss said. He
said the Navy and Coast Guard had discussed a common hull during the initial stage of the
LCS competition, but agreed that was “not a likely course of action due to the unique
mission capabilities.”
For now, he said the Navy was proceeding as quickly as it could with the 55-ship LCS
program as well as design work on a new DDG-1000 destroyer, and a planned cruiser, CG-
X....
The report also stated:
Virginia-based defense consultant Jim McAleese said the fixed-price offer could be good
news for the Navy, which has typically borne the risk of cost-based shipbuilding contracts.
“That is a potential catalyst that could have a huge impact on the way the Navy buys small-
and mid-sized surface combatants,” McAleese said.
Northrop says its new Coast Guard cutter also experienced some cost growth, but says that
was mainly due to requirements added after the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacking attacks. The first of
the new ships is due to be delivered to the Coast Guard in March, followed by one ship
annually over the next few years.
Northrop said it could offer the Navy a fixed price on the frigate because design work on the
ships is already largely completed. Its price excludes government-furnished equipment that
would still have to be put on board.
“We’re not advocating an LCS replacement,” said spokesman Randy Belote. “But after
listening to the Navy leadership and studying the new maritime strategy, we think we can get
hulls and capabilities into the water at a much faster pace.”
Womble said Northrop analysts and an outside consultant studied the Navy’s needs and
concluded the Navy could use another ship that can operate in shallow water, be forward
deployed, has the range and endurance to operate independently, and can work with U.S.
allies, if needed.
The press report also stated:
The proposed ship can be deployed for 60 days without new supplies, has a range of 12,000
nautical miles, and can travel at 29 knots, fast enough to keep up with other warships. That
compares to 20 days and a range of 3,500 miles for LCS.
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Northrop began sharing a PowerPoint presentation about the proposal with Navy officials
and lawmakers at the end of December, and has already met with several senior officials,
including Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead.
It could deliver the first frigate by 2012, if the Navy was able to add $75 million for long
lead procurement items into the fiscal 2009 budget proposal to be sent to Congress next
month, Northrop said.
The frigate is about 75 percent compliant with special requirements that apply only to U.S.
Navy ships. Northrop said it believed it could qualify for waivers on the remaining 25
percent because similar waivers were granted in the past.60
Author Contact Information
Ronald O'Rourke
Specialist in Naval Affairs
rorourke@crs.loc.gov, 7-7610
60 Andrea Shalal-Esa, “Northrop Offers US Navy New Ship For Fixed Price,” Reuters, January 17, 2008.
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