USMC0802! Thanks for the article. It has me punching walls but thanks!
Amos likes the LCS. Fabey likes Amos. I can forgive Fabey. Its a common trait for reporters to get close to the seats of power and to become enamoured...happens all the time to political reporters so why not with defense reporters? But back to Amos. I THINK HE IS TRYING TO PISS ME OFF. Now he's in love with the abomination that is the LCS?? Amazing. Check this out from Aviation week.
If the U.S. Navy can untangle some of the rather significant acquisition, operational, logistical and programmatic knots still tying up its Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) efforts there are plenty ready to court the vessel for missions – providing the LCS works as advertised.Uh wow.
The latest would-be LCS-lover is Gen. James Amos, U.S. Marine Corps commandant.
“I like the LCS,” he says. “I’m a big fan.”
He is also enamored with the LCS cousin ship, the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV). “We ought to create ways to use the JHSV and LCS.”
Now, I grant you, that folks at the level of a Gen. Amos are somewhat honor-bound to be diplomatic. He’s not about to say nasty things to a reporter about one of the U.S. Navy’s prized programs.
At the same time, the commandant has a – well-earned – reputation for being a straight-shooter, of being honest sometimes to a fault. If he likes something you know it – and if he doesn’t, well you will always get the idea.
If he truly didn’t like the LCS, he would have found a truly diplomatic way of saying so, but left little doubt of how he truly felt.
Instead, he was quite adamant about his affection for the LCS – or at least the concept of the LCS.
But, for the moment, that is the point. We are all talking concepts here. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus talks about the idea of moving Marines around in an LCS or JHSV and the commandant understandably likes such a plan. The Marines are getting back to their expeditionary roots now and what better way to get a small reconnaissance team ashore quickly and quietly than with an LCS?
You can just picture Marines zipping out the stern door of a Freedom-class ship under the cover of darkness in a rigid-inflatable boat toward some remote coast.
First, this Commandant has basically shit canned the whole idea of Company Landing Teams (CLTs) and ignored all the work done with distributed operations from the sea.
He's also tied the Maritime Raid Force (Force Recon) solidly to the MEU so what Marines are going to be using the LCS or JHSV?
If the Marine Corps falls to 150,000 boat spaces which I think is within the realm of possibilities then we'll barely be able to use the lift that we currently have much less deploy Marines onto LCS'.
The more I see the more I am convinced that HQMC is truly dazed and confused.
Where has Amos been? Bob Work talked about using JHSVs for littoral manuever - years ago. So the JHSV could easily handle CLT troop space and some of its vehicles, BUT of course how does one get all that ashore? Well the JHSV flight deck can take one CH-53, those could come from somewhere back off of big deck amphibs. The JHSV can launch multiple RHIBs up to 20 tons each.
ReplyDeleteThe use of JHSV is not going to take "boat spaces" away it could allow them to be spread about more.
AND the LCS have already been studied for Marine uses. Study said they are good for NOTHING other than a lily pad. And while fast enough to keep up with one or two JHSVs the LCS would be poor escorts from a weapons standpoint.
i'm not saying that the LCS will take away boatspaces...i'm saying the budget will take away boatspaces and that there will not be Marines to put on the JHSVs anyway.
DeleteThis was not in above:
ReplyDeleteUsing JHSV does not take away from troop lift, it allows them to be spread around more. The proposition in earlier articles was: suppose an ARG is tied up supporting an assault in one location, then a need for a raid or to take a port up the coast came about. Troops would board one or two JHSVs and go forward supported by big decks at start location