Purchasing two very different versions of the Littoral Combat Ship may increase operational costs.

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The Littoral Combat Ship was developed using an acquisition strategy that is just as unconventional as its design.

FORBES: Low-Cost Warship Rescues Navy From Shrinking Fleet

The secretary touts the advantages of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) as a versatile ship that go places too shallow for the Navy's blue-water ships.

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They lack the firepower to inflict any serious damage to an LCS (Littoral Combat Ship) or a carrier but they are perfect for slipping through and hitting a platform.

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The Navy has gone back and forth for years about whether it should buy one version of the Littoral Combat Ship or two, driven mainly by changing estimates of what each vessel would cost.

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Unlike the densely packed destroyers and cruisers that dominate the current warship inventory, much of the Littoral Combat Ship is empty space that can be reconfigured for whatever missions might arise today or tomorrow.

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The basic idea behind the Littoral Combat Ship is to build a fast and survivable warship that can operate at much lower costs in the shallow-water areas near enemy coastlines where frigates traditionally have been used.

FORBES: Low-Cost Warship Rescues Navy From Shrinking Fleet

At the same time, we accelerated or increased weapons programs needed to confront real and growing threats -- the Joint Strike Fighter, the Littoral Combat Ship, and more helicopters and reconnaissance support for our troops at the front.

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Vern Clark, the service invented a smaller, cheaper warship called the Littoral Combat Ship that broke the mold on naval design and acquisition while potentially offering a warfighting system better suited to emerging threats than the legacy vessels already in the fleet.

FORBES: Low-Cost Warship Rescues Navy From Shrinking Fleet