For decades, the US Navy has been the world's most powerful ocean going force. It operates some of the most successful warship designs in recent history.

It also operates some with more...complex...stories.

In this episode we look at US efforts to develop a new generation of surface warships, including the LCS and Zumwalt Destroyers, and ask both what went wrong with these incredibly expensive projects and what we might be able to learn from them.

Patreon:
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Caveats, Comments and Corrections:

All normal caveats and disclaimers apply

In particular – I would like to note as always that this material has been created for entertainment purposes and is not intended to be a complete or comprehensive examination of the topic in question and should not be relied upon to inform financial or other similar decisions, judgements or evaluations.

In keeping with the above, nothing in this presentation should be taken to be an allegation of wrongdoing or any particular act or inaction by any individual or entity.

Sources have not been validated.

Readings and Sources:
US DOD - Selected Acquisition Report on LCS Mission Modules
https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Do...

US DOD - Selected Acquisition Report - Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)
https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Do...

LCS Mission Modules Program - CAPT Gus Weekes Program
https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Portals/1...

CAPT Robert Powers (USN Retired) - Birth of the Littoral Combat Shiphttps://www.usni.org/magazines/procee...

Quadrennial Defence Review - 2001
https://history.defense.gov/Portals/7...

CRS - Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program
https://crsreports.congress.gov/produ...

Navy DD(X) Destroyer Program: Background and Issues for Congress (2004
)https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA472...

CRS - Navy DDG-51 and DDG-1000 Destroyer Programs
https://sgp.fas.org/crs/weapons/RL321...

CBO - The Cost of the Navy's New Frigate (features LCS lead ship cost graph)
https://www.cbo.gov/publication/56675

House Armed Services Committee - Projection forces subcommittee - 19 July 2005 https://commdocs.house.gov/committees...

LCS breaking down on deployment
https://www.defensenews.com/naval/202...

https://thediplomat.com/2016/08/dropp...

AGS being placed in storage
https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/...

AGS Rounds
https://news.usni.org/2016/11/07/navy...

Reporting on Zumwalt
https://www.defensenews.com/naval/202...

LCS Decommissioning
https://news.usni.org/2023/09/27/navy...

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/...

US navy requests to decommission ships early
https://www.defensenews.com/naval/202...

USN Considers non LCS options for MCM ships
https://www.defensenews.com/naval/202...

Lieutenant Commander Steven Wills (USN Retired) - Why the LCS has been slow to deploy
https://www.usni.org/magazines/procee...

SC-21 program page (archived)
https://web.archive.org/web/202300000...

Featured report on LCS and the Red Sea
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/commen...

LCS Middle East Deployments
https://news.usni.org/2023/01/11/navy...

DDG(X) Design Contract Reporting
https://www.naval-technology.com/news...

LCS MCM package reporting
https://news.usni.org/2023/05/12/navy...

Emma Salisbury - Lessons from the Littoral Combat Ship
https://warontherocks.com/2021/11/les...

Timestamps:
00:00:00 — Opening
00:00:53 — What Am I Talking About?
00:01:58 — Evolution of The US Navy
00:07:15 — LCS - The Beginning
00:15:29 — LCS - The Issues
00:23:10 — LCS - Lessons
00:34:59 — LCS - The Redemption
00:39:28 — DD(X) - The Beginning
00:46:02 — DD(X) - Lessons
00:50:55 — DD(X) - Redemption
00:56:15 — Reflection
01:05:47 — Update