Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:12:41-2:13:41

What 72 Littoral Combat Ships would have meant

The counterfactual distinguishes the panel's criticism of the LCS combat role from possible lower-threat presence duties.

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Question

How much worse off would the US Navy be if it had completed a fleet of 36 Freedom-class and 36 Independence-class Littoral Combat Ships?

Short answer

The panel sees possible presence, patrol, and assistance roles for 72 corrected and maintained hulls, while questioning their suitability as task-group combatants.

Notes

The reply at 2:12:41 distinguishes the proposed LCS fleet's possible lower-threat duties from its suitability for core task-group roles. It identifies material problems, including cathodic protection, that would still need correction. The panel's conditional argument is that usable hulls could perform presence and support work and release other warships for different commitments.