Navy Gets into the War

Strategypage says the Navy has had little to do in the War on Terror. They are hoping to change this by building a new classed of littoral warships, the LCS and the Sea Fighter. These ships cost much less than the DDX destroyer ($3 billion) or the CVF carrier ($11 billion and counting), and could potentially stop the decline in ship numbers, now down to 288.

The U.S. Navy officially took possession of the first of a new class of ships; a Littoral Surface Craft (LSC) called “Sea Fighter” (FSF-1). This ship was originally intended as an experimental ship, to test out a number of new technologies. But the sea trials were so successful, that pressure is building to put this class into mass production. That won’t be hard to do. Sea Fighter took only twenty months to build, and cost only $50 million. Ships like this are meant for a new force, the "brown water (coastal) navy." The “brown water sailors,” who are agitating for more emphasis on small ships, and operations in coastal waters, are no longer considered a fringe group. This is mainly because a larger brown water force would get the navy more involved with the war on terror. The navy has largely been left out of the war on terror, because of their emphasis on carriers and nuclear subs. Despite the usefulness of carrier aviation in Afghanistan, the navy hasn’t had a lot to do since September 11, 2001. The army is getting most of the work, and a growing proportion of the defense budget. With the cost of traditional warships skyrocketing, the LCS (3,000 ton, $250 million Littoral Combat Ship) and the LSC look a lot more attractive. New destroyers will cost $2.5 billion each. That gets you ten LCSs, or fifty LSCs. New carriers cost over $8 billion each, which could build a fleet of brown water ships.

The outgoing CNO Admiral Vern Clark still wants the DDX, as he stated recently, despite the gigantic cost and little mission. It seems despite being touted as a “littoral warship”, DDX is meant to be apart of the US ABM Shield.