Navy Decommissions First Littoral Combat Ship USS Freedom, Strikes Tug USNS Sioux

The former Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1) departs Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on Sept. 30 in preparations to be towed to Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility Bremerton. Freedom was decommissioned after more than 10 years of service. US Navy Photo

The Navy decommissioned the first Littoral Combat Ship with more than a decade of naval service last week.

USS Freedom (LCS-1) was decommissioned on Sept. 29 at Naval Base San Diego after 13 years in the fleet. The...

https://news.usni.org/2021/10/04/navy-decommissions-first-littoral-combat-ship-uss-freedom-strikes-tug-usns-sioux

Navy Quietly Decommissions Littoral Combat Ship Independence

USS Independence (LCS-2) is moored alongside the pier during its decommissioning ceremony at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on July 29, 2021. US Navy Photo

The namesake of the Navy’s Independence-class of Littoral Combat Ships left the fleet after 11 years in a small pier-side ceremony in San Diego on Thursday, according to the service.

USS Independence (LCS-2) was ceremonially decommissioned at an event not open to the public “due to public health safety and restrictions,” reads a release from...

https://news.usni.org/2021/07/31/navy-quietly-decommissions-littoral-combat-ship-independence-after-11-years

Navy Tries to Cut Four Littoral Combat Ships to Save $186M in FY 22 Budget

The crew of USS Little Rock (LCS-9) man the rails during the ship’s commissioning ceremony Dec. 16, 2017 in Buffalo, N.Y. US Navy Photo

The Navy wants to cut four Littoral Combat Ships from the fleet as part of a cost-saving measure that will net the service $186 million, according to the service’s latest budget request.

The request to cull the ships from the battle force inventory comes despite criticism from Congress over last year’s proposal to retire the first four Littoral Combat Ships early.

https://news.usni.org/2021/05/28/navy-tries-to-cut-four-littoral-combat-ships-to-save-186m-in-fy-22-budget

Milley: China Striving ‘To Be Our Equal’ In Coming Decades

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark A. Milley testify before the House Appropriations Committee-Defense on the Fiscal 2022 Department of Defense Budget in the Pentagon Press Briefing Room, Washington, D.C., May 27, 2021. DoD Photo

While the Chinese are investing heavily in advanced technology, “they are not our peer or near-peer competitor just” militarily, but their goal is “to be our equal” across all domains in the coming decades,...

https://news.usni.org/2021/05/27/milley-china-striving-to-be-our-equal-in-coming-decades

Navy to Decommission Littoral Combat Ships USS Freedom, USS Independence Later This Year

Littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1) returns to Naval Base San Diego from her final deployment, April 12, 2021. US Navy Photo

The Navy will decommission the service’s first two Littoral Combat Ships later this year, USNI News has learned.

USS Independence (LCS-2) will decommission on July 31, Navy spokeswoman Cmdr. Nicole Schwegman confirmed to USNI News. Meanwhile, USS Freedom (LCS-1) will leave the active fleet on Sept. 30, according to a decommissioning memo reviewed by USNI News.

Both...

https://news.usni.org/2021/05/17/navy-to-decommission-littoral-combat-ships-uss-freedom-uss-independence-later-this-year

UPDATED: Navy’s New Shipbuilding Plan ‘Dead on Arrival,’ Lawmakers Say

Tripoli (LHA-7) is launched at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. on March 1, 2017. US Navy Photo

This post has been updated to include information from a Feb. 10 budget briefing with Rear Adm. Randy Crites, the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for budget.

The proposed Navy shipbuilding plan that cuts a Virginia-class submarine, a frigate and an oiler that were previously planned for FY 2021 received immediate bipartisan pushback from the House and the...

https://news.usni.org/2020/02/10/navys-new-shipbuilding-plan-dead-on-arrival-lawmakers-say

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