Littoral Combat Ships

Austal USA pleads guilty to accounting fraud and obstruction of DoD audit

The U.S. Department of Justice reports that Austal USA LLC, a subsidiary of Australian shipbuilder Austal Limited (ASX: ASB) yesterday entered a guilty plea and agreed to pay $24 million to resolve an investigation by the Justice Department related to an accounting fraud scheme and efforts to obstruct the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) during a financial capability audit.

The Justice Department’s criminal resolution was coordinated with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)....

https://www.marinelog.com/shipbuilding/shipyards/shipyard-news/austal-usa-pleads-guilty-to-accounting-fraud-and-obstruction-of-dod-audit/

FY2024 Budget: Navy Request Calls for 9 New Ships, Asks to Shed 2 Littoral Combat Ships, 6 Other Ships

A Royal Malaysian Navy service member stands by for the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Montgomery (LCS 8) to depart the Port of Lumut Base Jetty to participate in the sea phase of Maritime Training Activity (MTA) 2019. U.S. Air Force Photo

THE PENTAGON – The Navy wants to purchase nine battle force ships and decommission eight hulls in its Fiscal Year 2024 budget request.

The proposal, formally unveiled today at the Pentagon, is asking for $255.8 billion for the Department of the...

https://news.usni.org/2023/03/13/fy2024-budget-navy-request-calls-for-9-new-ships-asks-to-shed-2-littoral-combat-ships-6-other-ships

Navy Wants Independence LCS in Bahrain for Mine Countermeasure Mission

Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Jackson (LCS-6) pierside in Guam. US Navy Photo

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy could deploy the aluminum hull, Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship to the Middle East as part of a future mine-countermeasures force in U.S. Central Command, service officials said.

Vice Adm. Roy Kitchener, the commander of Naval Surface Forces, said the Navy could send up to two of the Independence-class to Bahrain with a variant of the LCS MCM mission package in the same...

https://news.usni.org/2023/01/11/navy-wants-independence-lcs-in-bahrain-for-mine-countermeasure-mission

SWO Boss Wants 6 Littoral Combat Ships in Western Pacific

Electronics Technician 3rd Class Jerry Brown, from Middletown, Ohio, participates in morning colors on the foc’sle aboard the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS-18) during a port visit to Dili, Timor-Leste on Dec. 8, 2021. US Navy Photo

In the next couple of years the Navy hopes to have six Independence-class Littoral Combat Ships operating in the Western Pacific at a given time, the service’s top surface warfare officer said this week.

“In the Indy class, we continue...

https://news.usni.org/2022/08/22/swo-boss-wants-6-littoral-combat-ships-in-western-pacific

Navy Moving Ahead on Combining Gear Fix on Freedom Littoral Combat Ships Marked for Decommissioning

Freedom-class littoral combat ship USS Sioux City (LCS 11), homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Jacksonville, Fla., arrives at the Marathi NATO Pier Complex in Souda Bay, Greece, to undergo scheduled preventative maintenance on May 20, 2022. US Navy Photo

Despite plans to decommission Littoral Combat Ship USS Sioux City (LCS-11) next fiscal year, the Navy is preparing funds to repair a latent issue with the ship’s propulsion system, USNI News has learned.

Sioux City, which is currently deployed...

https://news.usni.org/2022/08/15/navy-moving-ahead-on-combining-gear-fix-on-freedom-littoral-combat-ships-marked-for-decommissioning

House Passes FY2023 Defense Bill Authorizing 13 Battle Force Ships, Saves 5 LCS

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125) launching at Ingalls Shipbuilding on June 5, 2021. HII Photo

The House voted to approve its $839 billion defense authorization bill that raises the topline for defense spending by $37 billion and signed off on major additions to the Department of the Navy’s budget.

In a 329-101 vote, the bill authorized 13 battle force ships for the service – five more than the Navy requested in this year’s budget request.

The bill authorizes an...

https://news.usni.org/2022/07/14/house-passes-fy2023-defense-bill-authorizing-13-battle-force-ships-saves-5-lcs

HASC’s FY 23 NDAA Authorizes 13 Ships, Establishes Naval Review Committee

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114) pulls alongside the Henry J. Kaiser-class underway replenishment oiler USNS Guadalupe (T-AO-200) in preparation for a replenishment-at-sea in the South China Sea on Feb. 10, 2022. US Navy Photo

The House Armed Services Committee approved the annual defense policy bill early Thursday that would authorize the Navy to buy a total of 13 ships.

The committee’s version of the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization...

https://news.usni.org/2022/06/23/hascs-fy-23-ndaa-authorizes-13-ships-establishes-naval-review-committee

Littoral Combat Ship USS Sioux City Now Operating in the Middle East

Littoral combat ship USS Sioux City (LCS 11) transits the Suez Canal, May 29. U.S. Navy Photo

In a first for the class, a Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship is now operating in the Persian Gulf.

USS Sioux City (LCS-11) chopped into 5th Fleet on Saturday after operating in U.S. 6th Fleet for nearly a month.

“Sioux City is operating in support of a newly established multinational task force, Combined Task Force (CTF) 153, focused on maritime security and partner capacity building in the Red Sea,...

https://news.usni.org/2022/05/31/littoral-combat-ship-uss-sioux-city-now-operating-in-the-middle-east

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