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GAO: Navy should delay some LCS mine systems

A recent report by the Government Accountability Office said the Navy should delay full-rate production of certain mine countermeasures planned for the Littoral Combat Ship until the new ship is capable of testing these new systems — a proposal the Pentagon does not support.

The investigative arm of Congress found that results have been “promising” for the initial mine warfare mission module systems, but “significant challenges” remain before the new capabilities are fielded. The biggest challenge is the lack of LCS sea frames, the first two of which were originally intended for delivery this year but have been delayed. Because of the lack of LCS sea frames, other ships will be used to test such systems as the Fire Scout unmanned helicopter and the MH-60S helicopter. Other vessels may be capable of serving as platforms for these systems, but the GAO report argues “the LCS is their primary platform and it will have different launch and recovery systems from the other ships.”

In a written response to the report’s recommendations, the Defense Department argues that delays in the full-rate production schedule for the mine warfare systems would harm the development of the overall platform. Such a delay would “result in gaps in industrial production, cost increases and delays in delivering the mine warfare capability to operational forces,” according to the Pentagon.

Since 1950, enemy sea mines have damaged or destroyed 15 Navy ships — more than any other weapons combined, the GAO noted in the Oct. 12 report. LCS is intended to be the Navy’s primary platform for mine countermeasures.

The Pentagon concurred with the GAO recommendation to assess options for improving its intelligence preparation investments, which include the capability to locate and map minefield boundaries. Improvements in intelligence preparation could “reduce mine countermeasures mission timelines by 30 to 75 percent,” the GAO report said.

“These capabilities are especially important for the LCS, as it must stand clear of suspected minefields,” the report said.

The Defense Department agreed that the Navy should evaluate the “need for and feasibility of” putting anti-mine systems on alternative ship platforms.

The Navy delivered part of the first mine warfare mission module for LCS in September.

At the time, Capt. Michael Good, program manager for the modules, told Navy Times that the mine warfare module provides the Navy with an “organic” mine warfare capability that moves with the ship.

Dedicated mine warfare assets such as minesweepers are often too slow and the ability to the put the mine warfare module on an LCS allows for “greater speed and endurance” in anti-mine missions, Good said.

Further, the module uses autonomous systems to help “take sailors out the minefield” by putting them at “arm’s length” from dangerous waters — monitoring the situation from aboard the LCS.

The lack of LCS sea frames to train on is not hampering the early stages of mission module training, Good said.

“Training can be conducted while we wait for the sea frames,” he said.