This is beyond insane. The Navy is going to pay Lockheed Martin to
study the LCS.
“Lockheed
Martin has been awarded a $74.6 million contract modification
by the U.S.
Is there a defense program
in history that has been more thoroughly studied and critiqued than the
LCS? And now we’re going to pay LM $75M
to conduct more studies? Come on,
Navy. Just read this or any of dozens of
blogs and you’ll have a pretty good understanding of the LCS problems.
I’ll tell you what, Navy,
send me just ten million dollars and you can read my blog as often as you want
and you can keep the remaining $65M for the annual LM-Navy office Christmas
party.
This is absolute kookoo
bird, nuthouse crazy. How many Admiral
chaired oversight panels has the Navy established to study and guide the LCS
program? What were those Admirals
doing? Couldn’t we ask them about the
LCS since we’re already paying them?
Every time I think the Navy
has hit rock bottom in terms of dumb decisions, they dig a little deeper and
lower the bar still further.
Seriously, you know what
this is? This is some Admiral(s) paying
off LM for non-existent, unnecessary work in exchange for future employment on
the board of directors when they retire. No other explanation makes sense.
___________________
(1) ExecutiveBiz website, “Lockheed
to Help Navy Evaluate Freedom-Class LCS Program”, Ramona Adamson: April 29, 2016 ,
Disappointing, but not surprising.
ReplyDeleteIf you think about it, this is now a perverse incentive. The defense industry now has an incentive to make lower quality weapons in the hopes that they get a future contract to fix their problems and apparently to study the problem too.
Somehow I doubt these studies will produce much that improves the LCS either.
"Somehow I doubt these studies will produce much that improves the LCS either."
ReplyDeleteWe'll spend millions and add some small piece of hardware. The 'SeaFrame' won't change. The 'Littoral' ship will still end up getting used as a Frigate.
May be a reaction to the rumoured collapse of the $11.25 billion sale of four LCS frigates due to the price being too rich even for Saudi Arabia or just Lockheed Martin came to the realisation that the LCS is a dud and moving on.
ReplyDeleteLockheed Martin have teamed up with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) of South Korea to market a Multi-mission Combat Ship (MCS).
"DSME’s MCS hull design coupled with Lockheed Martin’s expertise in program and systems integration will allow the team to bring this capable ship to the international marketplace at an affordable price,” said Joe North, vice president of Littoral Ships and Systems at Lockheed Martin Mission System and Training. “Together, we bring not only the best experience, expertise and resources, but also the right dedication and focus to offer coalition navies a multi-mission corvette-sized ship designed to meet future threats.”
Reported in Navy Recognition 30 April
And again CNO uses the navy communication and contracts to demonstrate a lack of ethics in top leadership.
ReplyDeleteThis is honestly why I have no issue with a shirking defense budget. It is the only way IMO minimize the expansive graft and corruption spreading throughout the DOD
ReplyDelete