Key lawmakers working to help Navy with new combat ship strategy

[unhappycamper]

Key lawmakers working to help Navy with new combat ship strategy
By Roxana Tiron - 12/04/10 10:14 AM ET

Leading House lawmakers are working to help the Navy with a new strategy that would allow the service to buy littoral combat ships from two builders, rather than just one.

Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.), the chairman of the House Armed Services Seapower and Expeditionary Forces subpanel, has introduced an amendment to the fiscal year 2010 defense authorization bill designed to “improve” the Navy’s littoral combat ship program, according to legislative records.

That amendment is co-sponsored by other senior Armed Services members, including Reps. Todd Akin (R-Mo.), Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.), Jo Bonner (R-Ala.), Steve Kagan (D-Wis.), Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and Robert Wittman(R-Va.).

The goal is to get the bill on the House’s suspension vote calendar, according to a congressional source. The Navy would need the congressional backing by Dec. 14.

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Navy Secretary Ray Mabus on Nov. 3 told key lawmakers his service is considering buying 10 new shore-hugging ships from both Austal USA and a team of Marinette Marine and Lockheed Martin. The Navy’s rationale is that competition has significantly reduced the price of the ships, which are designed to sweep for mines in coastal waters, fight pirates and chase drug smugglers.



unhappycamper comment: The extra 'C' in MICC stands for Congressional.

Let's talk about 'competition". LCS #1 cost $584 million dollars. LCS #2 cost $704 million dollars. You're going the wrong way, guys.