Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) have called for a technical review of mine countermeasures being developed for Littoral Combat Ships, Breaking Defense reported Tuesday.Sydney Freedberg Jr. writes the two senators made the recommendation in a letter to Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall, U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert.
The letter, obtained by Breaking Defense, states that the Navy should explore alternatives to the experimental LCS MCM mission package to address concerns about the technology’s performance and readiness.
“Recent developmental testing provides no statistical evidence that the system is demonstrating improved reliability, and instead indicates that reliability plateaued nearly a decade ago,†said Michael Gilmore, operational test and evaluation director at the Defense Department, according to the report.
DoD will decide if the Navy can proceed with the initial operational test and evaluation phase of the LCS MCM program next month, the report said.
