The Navy’s new approach for building LCS

By Philip Ewing Wednesday, May 4th, 2011 2:21 pm
Posted in Asides, Naval

The Navy is restructuring the alphabet soup of offices and authorities responsible for building its fleet of littoral combat ships, their vehicles and accessories, the service’s top weapons buyer said Wednesday. Sean Stackley told an internal audience at Naval Sea Systems Command that the complexity of building two different ships and integrating all the sensors, weapons and unmanned vehicles called for a dedicated program executive officer to run the show. The new PEO for LCS will look like NavSea’s other, older offices, including PEO Carriers or PEO Ships, which are involved with their respective systems from the time they’re designed to the time they go to sea.

PEO LCS will become one of the top PEOs in the Navy, with far-reaching responsibilities and a significant budget. But it will also put whoever holds that job in a political hotseat, because it will make a single person responsible for programs and systems that before this had fallen into different boxes all throughout the org chart.

The restructuring won’t require any job cuts, Stackley said. Here’s how it’ll break down, organizationally, according to information provided by a Navy official: “The PEO would include the current PMS 403, PMS 406, PMS 420, PMS 495, and PMS 501. Existing program offices include PMs and DPMs would move in total. Other program offices within PEO LMW will be merged into existing PEOs. A test and evaluation director will report directly to the PEO to integrate the delivery of these littoral capabilities. The seaframe core combat systems will continue to be integrated with PMS 501.”


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"Pukin Dog" 01 May 4th, 2011 at 10:29 pm

Just what we need additional 18Knt, afterbunning ships/targets. Let the Marine Corps have the Navy.

Lt Col Half Track May 5th, 2011 at 8:42 am

What “we” need?? What “we” need is fo the Marine Corps to stop acting like a branch of the U.S. Army

Jim May 5th, 2011 at 8:47 am

The new PEO (PEO LCS) will not look anything like PEO Ships. PEO IWS and NAVAIR handle the mission systems for ships.

Following the logic for creating a PEO LCS, shouldn’t all the ship weapon systems be moved from PEO IWS to PEO Ships? If it make sense here, why didn’t we do this for AEGIS cruisers and destroyers.

How can the Navy afford a new flag officer and SES to run another PEO as well as all the additional front office support staff? “Stackley reportedly stressed that the changes do not reflect any program performance issues”, (defense news, May 4, 2011). Why add all this expense to solve a non-problem?

When you can’t think of anything else to do — reorganize, whether you need it or not.

pere zoso May 5th, 2011 at 9:10 am

I do not see how this will address the teachnical performance, cost, and schedule related problems that continue to plague the LCS program. The reorganization may add a new set of problems without solving any of the old ones.

bigRick May 5th, 2011 at 5:51 pm

Hey here’s a radical new “approach for building the LCS:” just stop doing it! Do not build another single little crappy ship.

Bring some sanity back to the Navy and build a new frigate now! Our Perry class is a joke right now and the LCS is a bigger joke.

"Pukin Dog" 01 May 6th, 2011 at 7:23 am

We do not need a Navy. The Marine Corps can complete all these missions. Consolidate and save funds.

Not_Insane May 6th, 2011 at 7:49 am

LOL. The Marines can do everything. Semper Insanity.

Brian May 11th, 2011 at 9:27 am

You mean the Marines can just *walk* there? Amazing!

hokie_1997 May 27th, 2011 at 2:54 pm

LCS very well might end up being the worst acquition program in the history of the Navy.

Just an absolute disaster of a concept which has been poorly executed at every step.

I would hate to the flag who got tapped for the PEO(LCS).

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