Green Light For Freedom

Acceptance trials for LCS-1 Freedom are completed, and the verdict is in.

Navy inspectors have recommended that service officials accept the first littoral combat ship, the Freedom, after the ship finished its acceptance trails Aug. 21 on Lake Michigan, top acquisition officials announced Wednesday.

The Board of Inspection and Survey concluded that the Freedom was a “capable, well-built and inspection-ready ship,” according to information provided by Allison Stiller, the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisitions. She and other top acquisitions officials spoke at a rare roundtable with reporters at the Pentagon.

Acceptance isn't really surprising, I think everyone expected the ship to be accepted regardless of the real status of the ship. What is noteworthy is that the "InSurv turned up 21 “starred” systems" and "about 2,600 trial cards overall." That really isn't too bad for a first in class, although the article goes on to note that not every system was tested. Time will tell the result of the work in the yard.

But what jumped out to us is that top acquisition officials had a roundtable with reporters. Last we heard from Allison Stiller, she was making haste to a black SUV following the House hearing on July 31st. Running from reporters is a bad idea. Sitting down with reporters, telling what you can and allowing the American people see what we are paying for is a good idea, and good for the Pentagon for doing it. Hopefully it was productive.

The article has a number of details, but the last paragraph is very informative.

Once that’s complete, the Freedom is projected to be ready for its first operational deployment in 2011, Mahon said, whether or not there’s a growing fleet of follow-on ships. Some of the original concepts of operations for the LCS called for the ships to operate in LCS-only squadrons, but the Freedom could also sail as part of a carrier or expeditionary strike group, Mahon said. “It depends on what the fleet wants to do.”

Whether or not there's a growing fleet of follow-on ships is an interesting comment. Hard to tell what the Pentagon would say that would lead Phillip to reporting it this way, but certainly an interesting report.

Good article, a lot more in there than what we have discussed here.

Image: Wake from LCS-1 Freedom as posted on the Intranet website of Lockheed Martin. Click for better resolution, and note the maneuvers implied.