George Rebane
The LCS was designed and built to enable America to continue its projection of power in critical far-off coastal waters and strategic sea passages like the Straits of Hormuz and Malacca. We are now about to set a new course for the country, the price of which calls for the reduction of our military budgets in order to fund new spending for what are shaping up to be projects and programs of hopeless yet calamitous change.
In this century the world will become a much more dangerous place when the US starts pulling in its horns. Procurement of the LCS may be a canary in the mineshaft, telegraphing our intentions to remain as the world’s hegemon. We can now count how many of the original 55 of these cost-effective seagoing combat systems we wind up building. The piece below was sent to me by an RR reader in the Washington DC area.
The U.S.S. Independence (LCS) - A Triple Hulled, Weapon-Laden Monster
We've been hearing rumblings about the U.S. Navy’s triple-hulled ships, but here's one that was launched last month, the U.S.S Independence. Built by General Dynamics, it's called a littoral combat ship (LCS), and the trimaran can move huge weapons around faster than any ship in the Navy. Ironic that with all that high tech built in, the ship reminds us of the Merrimac ironclad from Civil War days. Littoral means close to shore, and that's where these fleet-hulled babies will operate, tailor-made for launching helicopters and armored vehicles, sweeping mines and firing all manner of torpedoes, missiles and machine guns. These ships were designed to be relatively inexpensive and this one's a bargain at $208 million, and the navy plans to build 55 of them. This trimaran is the first of the new fire-breathing breed, ready to scoot out of dry dock at a rumored 60 knots. It's like a speedy and heavily-armed aircraft carrier for helicopters.
Folks hereabouts in bankrupt California don't much pay attention any more to such strategic matters that impact the future of our nation. We are too busy wiping out the world's most prosperous agricultural region in order to save(?) a very small and truly insignificant fish. The critter may die anyway, but we will sacrifice all to be able to say that at least we tried. First things first.
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