NEW COMBAT SHIP - The Navy's newest littoral combat ship USS Independence arrives at Mole Pier at Naval Air Station Key West, March 29, 2010. It will then sail to Norfolk, Va., for initial testing and evaluation of its aluminum vessel before continuing to its homeport in San Diego. The Independence is a fast, agile, mission-focused ship specifically designed to defeat "anti-access" threats in shallow, coastal water regions, including surface craft, diesel submarines and mines. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Nicholas Kontodiakos
Congressional Report Cites Problems With LCS Ships -- Reuters
WASHINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy sees the launch and recovery of smaller boats as a "major risk" to both competing designs for its new Littoral Combat Ship program, a congressional watchdog agency said on Tuesday.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO), the research arm of Congress, said the Navy's risk assessment was troubling, given that watercraft launch and recovery are "essential to complete the LCS antisubmarine warfare and mine countermeasures missions" for the new class of warships.
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