A Littoral Waste
Yesterday’s announcement by Defense Secretary Robert Gates that production of the Littoral Combat Ship will be increased was a disappointment to those who have followed the ship’s production record. Gates said that the manufacturing pace for the ships will be 50 percent faster than at present.
That’s a problem, because the Littoral Combat Ship has been an example of military spending gone out of control. The first Littoral Combat Ship to be completed, the Freedom, was supposed to cost $220 million dollars. It actually cost more than twice that amount.
Were lessons learned from that disaster? No. The second Littoral Combat Ship to be called the Independence, is now almost complete, and it will cost us even more. Its price is projected to be above $600 million dollars.
Why is Secretary Gates rewarding incompetence and waste in military contracting?
[...] malfunctions. The first ship cost double the promised price. The second ship produced is costing triple the promised price. Even as the Littoral Combat Ship grew more troubled, and its development time extended from 41 [...]